WASHINGTON – Food and agriculture professionals, members of Congress and executive branch officials will be among the thousands celebrating the 40^th edition of the Capitol Hill Ice Cream Party this year.

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) announced that its annual event showcasing the country’s favorite frozen treats is set for June 12, at Union Square Park on Capitol Hill.

“IDFA’s Capitol Hill Ice Cream Party is our way of showing appreciation to the public servants, members of Congress and all the individuals working in Congress and within our federal agencies,” said Michael Dykes, IDFA president and chief executive officer. “Ice cream is as bipartisan as you can get. And the ice cream party is an opportunity for us to all come together, share a few laughs and enjoy America’s most popular frozen treat — ice cream.”

Ahead of the annual ice cream-centric gathering, IDFA said it will release a special edition of its national ice cream trends survey on May 22. The organization said the survey will include insights from Capitol Hill staff and legislators for the first time.

The party, IDFA said, is scheduled for 4 pm to 6 pm on June 12 at the park west of the Capitol in the area encompassing the Capitol Reflecting Pool and the Grant Memorial.

The annual ice cream event hosted by IDFA will take place a few weeks before National Ice Cream Day, which will be July 21 this year.

IDFA’s Dairy Delivers economic impact report states that US ice cream makers contribute $11.4 billion to the US economy and support 27,100 dairy industry jobs.