neon signs toronto

The 25 most iconic neon signs in Toronto

Neon signs may be fading from Toronto's streets, but the dying art lives on through preserved and even a handful of newer installations making a last stand in a city once lined with glowing glass tubes of electrified gas.

Toronto neon peaked in the 1970s when Yonge Street was bathed in the glow of countless flashing signs advertising strip joints and adult theatres. The sanitization and commercialization of Yonge Street that followed in the '80s and '90s played a large role in neon becoming an endangered species in the city.

Decades later, neon is making something of a resurgence (albeit in a slightly watered-down form).

Cheaper and more energy-efficient LED lighting setups have gradually taken over the niche once held by neon.

Still, a stroll down any major Toronto artery will offer many opportunities to see what remains of the city's neon scene, plus new additions that stick to the old-school, gas-filled-tube approach to lighting.

Lead photo by

Jack Landau


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Latest in City

TTC will be free after 47 trips per month starting in two weeks

York University defends controversial experiments on live monkeys

New Costco store is quickly taking shape in Ontario beach town

Latest figures show a battery bursts into flames in Toronto every 3 days on average

Ontario to cut off social assistance for people living here 'illegally'

New floating subway station in Toronto is about to sprout from the ground

People in Toronto have very different stances on where to go for the best nightlife

Another major Toronto tourist destination just changed its name