Vancouver’s neon sign exhibition turns out lights until 2023
Posted May 18, 2022 3:22 pm.
Last Updated May 18, 2022 3:23 pm.
The iconic “Neon Vancouver, Ugly Vancouver” exhibition will be relocating to The Post on Georgia Street next year.
The exhibition, which has been housed in the Museum of Vancouver (MOV) since it opened in late 2011, will close to the public on June 29 ahead of its move to the redeveloped Canada Post building.
The announcement has come from the MOV to mark International Museum Day on May 18.
The popular exhibit consists of 22 neon signs salvaged from Vancouver’s past as the neon capital of North America, along with some new signs from the MOV’s collection.
Related stories:
-
Barge still chilling in Vancouver’s English Bay
-
Buskers returning to TransLink stations for the first time in over two years
-
Xicanx history and activism to shine at Vancouver MOA exhibition
The move is part of the Museum of Vancouver’s “MOV in the City” initiative which showcases exhibits in unique public spaces.
The museum is hopeful the exhibition will open in its new home in fall 2023, when the highly anticipated renovation of The Post is completed. The signs will then live in The Post’s grand hall for at least 4 years.
“Many of [the signs] came from streets that are a couple of blocks away from where that building is,” Museum of Vancouver CEO Mauro Vescera told CityNews. “[The exhibition] will evoke the history of Vancouver.”
The MOV are working with property group QuadReal to preserve the existing 22 lights, and to restore other signs which are in ill repair.
In the not too distant past, Downtown Vancouver boasted more than 19,000 neon signs, even more than Las Vegas at the time. But the city’s relationship with the bright, colourful lights is best described as love-hate, hence the exhibition’s name.
In more recent years, the sign exhibit has proved popular with Vancouverites and visitors alike, especially younger audiences, many of which are learning about the city’s colourful history for the first time. The gallery saw an additional surge in popularity after a TikTok featuring the signs posted by local influencer Laura Reid went viral in early 2021.
To celebrate the move, the MOV is planning to host “Neon Night”, an event which will allow guests to experience the signs, in addition to a live DJ set and neon-inspired drinks, in late June.
