An ice cream van (Commonwealth English) or ice cream truck (North American English) is a commercial vehicle that ice cream products are sold from, usually during the spring and summer. Ice cream vans are often used for street vending and drive through residential areas and can be parked at beaches, parks, or other areas where people congregate. Ice cream vans often have decorations, a serving window on the kerbside, and a display of available products and their prices. Most ice cream vans are independently owned and operated. However, there are ice cream van franchises such as Mister Softee.
A distinctive feature of ice cream vans (in comparison to other kinds of food trucks) is their sound devices, used to attract attention. Some use a bell or a set of bells that is rung while many use a horn loudspeaker which amplified music is played from. Some ice cream vans use both of these sound devices. The amplified music played by ice cream vans is typically a short instrumental version of a public domain children's, classical, folk, or traditional pop song that is played repeatedly and sounds like a music box or synthesized chimes. Early ice cream vans utilize electro-mechanical music boxes, with electronic systems becoming more common in the late 20th century.
