October 13, 2011 - June 29, 2022

In the 1950s Vancouver had approximately 19,000 neon signs – more than Las Vegas!

While some thought that thousands of signs signaled excitement and big city living, others thought they were a tawdry display that disfigured the city’s natural beauty. This deep civic controversy resulted in a turning point in Vancouver’s history and a change to the city’s urban landscape.

Enjoy the big city lights of Vancouver and catch a glimpse of the city from the 1950s through to the 1970s with this extraordinary collection of neon signs.

The remarkable signs, some lit for the first time since they were rescued from the junk yard, are accompanied by the tale of how the city went through a war of aesthetics that resulted in a transition of the very way Vancouver imagines itself. 

Watch

View a recorded installment of MOVirtual, the virtual tour series at MOV. This tour will give you the opportunity to tour one of MOV’s most popular exhibitions, Neon Vancouver Ugly Vancouver. Led by local historian, John Aktin, the tour gives an overview of the exhibition and offers some historical insight into Vancouver’s bright neon past.

Highlight Videos

Immerse yourself in Vancouver’s Neon Past

Engage

Explore and engage with the exhibition from home!

Through fun word-searches, community mapping, shape identification, and word jumbles you can learn about the history of Vancouver’s close-knit relationship with Neon. Created by Jane Lougheed, Curator of Learning at MOV, and Anne Laure Paulmont, download the interactive worksheets to start exploring!

The Future of Neon in Vancouver

The museum is in the process of restoring some of the classic neon signs that lit up Vancouver in the middle of the last century, made possible through a generous partnership with QuadReal Properties. This partnership project will restore over 20 neon signs to permanently light up public spaces at The Post, one of the most ambitious heritage redevelopment projects in Canada’s history taking shape at the site of the former Canada Post building in downtown Vancouver.