This replaces fireworks… and costs $8,000!

18 Mar 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:06

In this YouTube monologue, Dan Novaes explains a growing trend in the event industry: massive daytime colored smoke displays that are supplanting traditional fireworks. He describes the visual advantages of colored smoke—longer duration, vivid colors, and suitability for daylight photography—making them ideal for creating shareable, cinematic moments. Novaes outlines the high market demand, with providers charging up to $8,000 per event and clients booking months in advance for gender reveals, luxury weddings, graduations, and other milestone celebrations. He breaks down the simple business model: invest in smoke tubes, cartridges, and remote firing systems, learn safe setup, and charge per event rather than hourly. The core value proposition is selling a viral, Instagram‑ready moment rather than the smoke itself. He invites viewers to follow UBK for more entrepreneurial stories.

Chapters

Event service providers are charging up to $8,000 per event, and clients are waiting months to book them. What are they offering? Massive daytime colored smoke effects. Not traditional fireworks. These are giant plumes of pink, blue, gold, or custom colors that explode upward in broad daylight, creating a cinematic backdrop that looks like a movie scene. Here's why it works. Traditional fireworks are expensive, last a few seconds, and only shine at night. In photos, they often look like a blurry white flash. But colored smoke? It lasts 2 to 3 full minutes. It works perfectly during the day. It dominates photos and videos. When the tubes are positioned and triggered remotely, Remotely, the entire event pauses. Guests pull out their phones. Cameras roll. The moment becomes instantly shareable. Gender reveals pay thousands for a single dramatic blue or pink reveal. Luxury weddings invest heavily for multicolor displays. Graduations and milestone parties follow the same trend. The business model is simple: you invest in smoke tubes, cartridges, and a remote firing system. You learn safe setup and coordination. You charge per event, not per hour. This isn't about selling smoke; it's about selling a viral moment, and in today's social media-driven event culture, that's what clients are really paying for. For more entrepreneurial stories stories and information like this, follow UBK.