Sonic Holiday Menu 2026: Santa Slush Float, Gouda Bacon Smasher, Nationwide Nov. 2

Sonic’s 2026 holiday menu reached the Sonic App on Monday, Oct. 26 and went nationwide on Monday, Nov. 2, with a new Santa Slush Float and a Smoked Gouda and Bacon Sonic Smasher, according to a release Sonic’s parent company, Inspire Brands, posted on its newsroom on Oct. 26, 2026. The release does not mention a holiday shake. Sonic has not announced an end date, and the only price in it is $7 for the refreshed Big Deal Meal.

For how Sonic sits beside other chains, see our holiday menus 2026 tracker, the Starbucks holiday menu 2026 story and the Caribou Coffee holiday menu 2026 story.

When does the Sonic holiday menu start in 2026?

The release says the items arrive Oct. 26 in the Sonic App and nationwide Nov. 2. Both dates are Mondays in 2026. That is a seven-day head start for app users. Sporked, a food site, described the Float and the Smasher in a story on Oct. 27, 2026; it gave no dates.

Date in 2026	Weekday	What the release says
Oct. 26	Monday	Arrives in the Sonic App
Nov. 2	Monday	Nationwide

Sonic says the Santa Slush Float is a limited-time treat. The release points to a participating Sonic location, so availability can vary by location only in those words.

What is the Santa Slush Float?

The Santa Slush Float combines merry cherry and sweet vanilla flavors in an icy Slush. It is layered with creamy vanilla soft serve, topped with a cherry and served in a Santa-themed cup. The release gives no price.

What is the Smoked Gouda and Bacon Sonic Smasher?

It is a burger built on hand-smashed Angus patties with melty smoked gouda, crispy bacon and black pepper aioli. It is available as a double or triple. The release gives no price.

Which drinks and meal are in the same release?

Two drinks and a meal share the release. The release does not give them start dates of their own, so treat them as part of the same holiday release.

Item	What the release says	Price in release
Merry Berry Fizz	Made with Sprite or Sprite Zero and cranberry syrup	Not stated
Holiday Creamy Vanilla	Coca-Cola or Coca-Cola Zero with vanilla syrup and sweet cream	Not stated
Big Deal Meal (refreshed)	Sonic Cheeseburger, choice of Medium Tots or Fries, Small Premium Chicken Bites and a Medium Drink	$7

How does the 2026 Sonic holiday menu compare with 2025?

In 2025, Inspire Brands’ release of Oct. 20 said items began Oct. 20 in the Sonic App, with nationwide availability on Nov. 3. The headline items then were a Peppermint Brownie Bark Shake and a Pretzel Bacon Double Sonic Smasher on a pretzel bun. The Peppermint Brownie Bark Shake was vanilla soft serve with chocolate chunk brownie pieces, whipped topping, a cherry and crushed peppermints. The release gave no 2025 prices.

	2025	2026
App date	Oct. 20 (Monday)	Oct. 26 (Monday)
Nationwide date	Nov. 3 (Monday)	Nov. 2 (Monday)
App head start	14 days	7 days
Lead cold treat	Peppermint Brownie Bark Shake	Santa Slush Float
Lead burger	Pretzel Bacon Double Sonic Smasher	Smoked Gouda and Bacon Sonic Smasher

Source: Inspire Brands newsroom releases of Oct. 20, 2025 and Oct. 26, 2026; head start counted from the dates in each release. The 2026 release names no shake; its lead treat is a Slush float, and the app lead is half as long.

Print the Sonic holiday menu 2026 try list

The free “Sonic Holiday Menu 2026 Try List” prints the five items above on one US Letter page, with the dates from the release and a box to check once you have tried each. It names no prices except the $7 Big Deal Meal. Pair it with a November 2026 calendar or a December 2026 calendar to plan your visits.