Albuquerque ice cream shop hosts anything but a cup day contest

Mrs. Sprinkles turned its northeast Albuquerque shop into a neighborhood spectacle Sunday, inviting customers to bring clean, unconventional containers for ice cream at its second annual Anything But a Cup Day. The event at 3107 Eubank Blvd. NE, Suite 18, ran from noon to 8 p.m., and last year’s winning entry, brought by Darius, was a taxidermied alligator head. The shop said it received more than 100 submissions last year, a sign that the promotion has already become one of those rare local events that mixes novelty with repeat traffic and social media momentum.

Amanda Bridgman created the contest as a way to collaborate with the community and draw families into the store. The rules are simple, but the results can be wildly inventive: participants show up with a clean container, choose a flavor, and get served in something far outside the usual cup or cone, with a wax liner used when needed depending on the object. Past examples have included grocery carts, coffee makers and crock pots. The prize is just as playful as the contest itself, with the winner receiving free ice cream for a year in the form of a $10 gift card each month. Bridgman said the shop uses a handful of anonymous staff members to judge the entries, with originality carrying the most weight.

The ice cream shop also tied the day to a cause beyond dessert. Mrs. Sprinkles hosted a virtual fundraising auction for a woman with cancer, and items from the auction were displayed in person Sunday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. That added a charitable layer to a promotion built around humor and creativity, giving customers a reason to stop in, browse and stay longer than they might on an ordinary afternoon.

The event also fit into the broader arc of a business that has already built a loyal following in Bernalillo County. Mrs. Sprinkles opened Feb. 24, 2024, after Bridgman renovated the space to create a bright, nostalgic look, and the shop first kept hours from noon to 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. In a July 2025 viewer poll, it won more than 52% of the vote for Albuquerque’s best ice cream shop, with customers praising its many choices, dairy-free options and sundaes, shakes and banana splits. AAA described Bridgman as a former food-truck operator who opened the eastside parlor in 2024, and said the business often donates ice cream to charity events, animal shelters and daycare centers. KOAT later quoted Bridgman saying the shop is about community, family memories and celebrating small moments, a message that fit the day’s mix of whimsy and goodwill.