Toronto is experiencing a great die-off of its most iconic neon signs

Neon signs were once a ubiquitous feature of downtown Toronto: there was once an era when a vast stretch of Yonge Street was bathed in the buzzing glow of neon across a near-continuous strip of record shops, strip clubs and arcades.

The Zanzibar Tavern, the last true neon landmark of what was once the epicentre of neon signage along Yonge Street, recently met a sad fate when a three-alarm fire tore through the building on Aug. 16, compromising the structure's roof and resulting in damage to the strip club's iconic neon sign caused by the boot of a climbing firefighter.

Broken but apparently not destroyed, the sign is now in serious jeopardy as owners assess the damage.

Jack Landau

Regardless of your stance on strip clubs, one could easily argue that Zanzibar's iconic facade is a part of Yonge Street's cultural heritage, and something that the City needs to protect.

But Zanzibar is just the latest slice in a slow death-by-one-thousand-cuts of Toronto's once-thriving neon sign culture.

The potential demise of the Zanzibar's neon sign comes just months after the January closure of Filmores Hotel, another longstanding Toronto strip club known for its vibrant neon signage. 

While the sign is set to be removed from the closed strip joint as part of a high-rise redevelopment, a 2021 heritage report noted the "iconic nature of the Filmores sign and the increasing rarity of neon signs throughout the city," and added that "the applicant proposes to donate the sign to a museum."

Jack Landau

However, donating an iconic neon sign for reinstallation elsewhere isn't exactly a process with a great track record in Toronto.

The iconic Sam The Record Man sign was relocated following the original Yonge Street building's 2010 demolition. It took roughly eight years for the sign to reappear atop the Toronto Public Health building at 277 Victoria St., though the reinstalled display was met with a lukewarm reception and has not reclaimed its landmark status.

Marc Mitanis

Sadly, Zanzibar and Filmores are not the only neon signs to go dim in 2026. 

The Patrician Grill on King St. E. closed its doors back in May after more than 70 years of service. The diner's owners told blogTO they plan to take the beloved neon sign as a memento of the lost landmark.

Fareen Karim

A handful of other recent business closures have come with the loss of neon signs.

In 2025, The Imperial Pub closed after eight decades in business. The building was subsequently demolished ahead of a redevelopment, removing another vibrant neon sign from the cityscape.

Jack Landau

That same year, William's Shoe Store closed after 75 years in business, and its neon sign has been dark ever since.

Jack Landau

The Rosedale Diner shuttered its doors on Yonge Street in 2023 after 45 years in business, taking with it yet another beloved neon sign.

Jack Landau

Even lesser neon installations are going the way of the dodo. Goldstone Noodle closed in 2024, and its neon strips of window lighting have since been removed.

Jack Landau

So, what can we do to stop the bleeding?

Edmonton is a shining example of what a municipality can do to thwart the extinction of neon.

Edmonton's Neon Sign Museum is an open-air collection of preserved neon signs mounted along 104 Street south of 104 Avenue, in the city's Warehouse District. 

A similar outdoor museum exists in Las Vegas, hosting relics of lost casinos.

Toronto previously had a business that functioned like something of a neon museum known as Neon Demon, but it shuttered in 2022.

There have also been past discussions of a proper neon museum in Toronto, though no concrete plans exist as of 2026.

Could Toronto replicate a similar model to Edmonton and Las Vegas, perhaps with the relocated Sam The Record Man sign just northeast of Sankofa Square providing a foothold for more neon additions? Here's hoping.