Fremont East in Downtown Las Vegas Gets a New Neon Sign Courtesy of PBR

We are a huge fan of neon, so it was exciting to see a new neon sign going up in downtown Las Vegas.

The 30-foot-tall sign, an ad for Pabst Blue Ribbon, has been installed in the parking lot next to Park on Fremont restaurant, at the corner of Fremont Street and Las Vegas Boulevard.

PBR neon sign
Pabst Blue Ribbon was originally named Best and Company.

At first, we were a tad annoyed by the fact a neon ad was being erected in a spot we frequent. Then we realized pretty much every neon sign in Las Vegas is an ad for something (neon signs are often “ads” for casinos, for example) so we got over it.

The new neon sign was built by Yesco (Young Electric Sign Company, a popular Vegas sign-making company) and is the first freestanding neon sign added to Fremont Street in recent memory.

The sign was lit, as so many of us are on Fremont Street, on March 31, 2015.

PBR neon sign
Fascinating fact: This blog has never had a beer. Well, at least we find it fascinating.

The sign appears to be a permanent addition to Fremont Street. Well, as permanent as anything is in Las Vegas.

Nearby are other colorful signs, including the original, restored sign from the Hacienda Hotel (featuring a caballero on horseback) and other retro-looking signs like a red slipper, a showgirl and a martini glass.

Neon martini
Not to play favorites, but.

Downtown now has some new neon, PBR fans have a new photo op in Vegas and Pabst Blue Ribbon just got a free ad on this Las Vegas blog. We feel so used.

Update (3/23/20): The Pabst Blue Ribbon neon sign has been removed and will be put on display at the Neon Museum.