Las Vegas’ Iconic Neon Museum Has a New Cirque du Soleil Exhibit — and It’s Free

Cirque du Soleil fans can soon view some of the troupe’s most iconic costumes at a first-ever Las Vegas exhibition that pulls back the curtain on many of the company’s behind-the-scenes secrets. 

In collaboration with The Neon Museum, “Stories from Backstage: Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas” puts Cirque’s entertainment history on display, allowing guests to handle stretchy 3D-printed fabrics, touch the Kevlar fiber seen in “O” when a clown is set aflame and stare into a vanity mirror, and watch the reflection of a Michael Jackson ONE artist applying makeup. Three decades in the making, the stunning, informative presentation takes visitors inside the minds of costume directors with displays that explain not only the functionality and versatility of the costumes, but the safety aspects incorporated into them. 

Aaron Berger, the executive director of The Neon Museum, told Travel + Leisure that “Stories from Backstage” is a natural fit into the newly adopted direction for the museum. “Cirque du Soleil is synonymous with Las Vegas,” Berger said. “When we first started talking about doing a Cirque exhibition it was meant to be a way to look at something millions of people have seen on stage and have appreciated from an artistic, athletic, and costume standpoint, but to take it and delight you in a new way, to change your perspective in how it’s presented. Whether you’ve seen a Cirque show or not you will definitely see it differently after this.” 

T+L got an exclusive peek at the more than 100 artifacts representing the five current Cirque du Soleil Las Vegas shows before its Feb. 10 opening. Visitors will not only see the Red Bird costume from Mystère, the Moonhead headpiece from “O” and KÀ’s Emperor and Empress costumes side-by-side, including the 10-inch platform shoes, but guests will also get a glimpse into the hidden details. 

Take, for example, the shoes the flying acrobats wear on the Wheel of Death. From afar, the artists appear barefoot as they dangerously leap and jump rope on the spinning wheel. But up-close inspection shows they’re wearing tan Asics-branded sneakers outfitted with fake, skin-tone matching rubber toes. 

Other obstacles exist as well. Like in “O” how to safely get artists to transition from the silky water back to the dry stage. (Having both wet and dry costumes to change into solves that problem.) But there is also the issue of keeping the garments looking fresh. Outfits in “O” last just two months before the chlorine and other chemicals in the pool bleach and fade the colors. Information like this is explained on display boards and QR codes for those who want to do a deeper dive. 

And while Berger admitted the exhibition is predominantly “a costume show,” he added that it’s also about all the people involved, noting that dozens of today’s Cirque performers are former Olympians (there are eight in “O” alone). 

“It’s the story of athlete to artist as well,” Berger said. “We sit in awe of these athletes and talented artists but it’s also about who helps make them shine allowing them to have that special moment we connect with.”

The exhibition also signals a change in The Neon Museum’s mission to celebrate not only old signage but all aspects of the city’s culture. “We’re in the storytelling business,” Berger said. “The oral histories and the stories we’ve collected about the signage are priceless, but we’re looking to go beyond that. We started thinking, ‘Why aren’t we collecting objects and artifacts that tell the story of Las Vegas?’ And so this is really what this show is.”

“Stories from Backstage” will debut Feb. 10 and run through May 1 inside City Hall’s Grand Gallery in downtown Las Vegas. Admission is free. Learn more at neonmuseum.org.