Los Angeles Times

Fake snow is in high demand. Just don't ask how it's made

ANAHEIM, Calif. - The nightly holiday show on Disneyland's Main Street culminates with soaring music and fireworks exploding high over Sleeping Beauty Castle.

But the faces in the crowds really light up when the music fades and something unexpected gently falls from the sky.

A toddler, sitting on her father's shoulders, spreads her arms and exclaims, "It's snow!"

Spoiler alert: It's not really snow.

The white puffs drifting to the ground are basically soap suds, shot into the sky by powerful air blowers stationed on the roofs of nearby buildings. The wintry effect has become a must-have holiday feature for malls, zoos, theme parks and tourist attractions across sunny Southern California.

Just don't ask how this stuff is made.

The snow-making entrepreneurs

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