Just past the doors of Las Vegas City Hall is an array of mannequins covered in the vibrant fabrics of elaborate costumes — from a 4-foot hat shaped like a crescent moon to a bright red leotard with feathers like a bird.

Each of the many artifacts on display were sourced by the Neon Museum from Cirque du Soleil shows such as “O,” “Kà,” “Michael Jackson One,” “Mad Apple” and “Mystère.”

It’s the newest exhibit in the lobby of City Hall, and the first time Cirque du Soleil has partnered with a museum in the United States to look behind the making of some of Las Vegas’ most iconic shows, said Sarah Hulme, chief curator at Neon Museum.

“We’re very, very proud to be partnering with (Cirque du Soleil), and it was very much a collaboration from beginning to the point of being here,” Hulme said. “That’s a really important part of the exhibit is really understanding what it is that you’re portraying and making sure that it’s done in the voice of the community that you’re representing. At the same time, we wanted to make sure that we were telling stories that typically people just didn’t know.”

Bringing to life “Stories from Backstage: Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas” began 18 months ago during the Neon Museum’s 2023 Duck Duck Shed, an annual event giving attendees the opportunity to learn about the process behind creating some of the buildings and productions that give Las Vegas its title as the entertainment capital of the world.

Aaron Berger, CEO of the Neon Museum, said they held a panel at the “O” Stage inside the Bellagio after conversations arose relating to the creation of this exhibit. Because of the positive response they received during the panel, Berger and his team worked with Cirque du Soleil to bring this vision to life.

Every detail of this exhibit is intentional, Hulme explained. Signs are scattered around the lobby giving more information about each costume, with QR codes that can offer viewers a deeper level of information and also translate the texts into Spanish.

Small digital screens are propped up between some of the exhibits showing video of performers going through the process of applying their own makeup — which Hulme noted performers do themselves before each show.

Even the costumes are positioned in ways where each little detail is noticeable.

Take the HooDan costume, worn during a scene in “Kà” when performers onstage are engaging in a tense simulated swordfight. It’s one of the first costumes you see when stepping into the government building — a long white skirt bearing cuts that look similar to Japanese maple leaves and a layer of deep red underneath to highlight the shapes.

A mask worn over half the performer’s face sits next to it on a mannequin head, and on the other side of the skirt and top is a waistband similar to a Japanese obi, a belt typically worn with traditional Japanese clothing, like a kimono or yukata.

Stepping around to the back of the costume, visitors notice a pair of white boots worn just below the performer’s knee with a red zipper in the front so the performer can easily remove the shoes during changes.

Attendees may also notice four black dots that look like buttons on the costume’s top and the belt. Hulme said those were added to the costume so the belt could easily be clipped on and off for changes, but they acts as a safety feature as well, just in case someone steps on the long belt and rips it off. Because of the easy clip feature, the belt being ripped off accidentally wouldn’t hurt the performer.

Some of the displays are interactive, so attendees can get the chance to feel the fabric used on some of the costumes while learning about how different materials are incorporated into the costume design or specific characters.

For example, the light brown kevlar — a material of fibers made into thread that is woven into a lightweight fabric — can withstand temperatures of up to 800 degrees and is used to make the outfit for Man on Fire, a character in “O” who rides across stage while set ablaze. He’s been lit on fire more than 12,000 times to date, said Hulme and Berger.

When Hulme first began planning “Stories from Backstage: Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas,” she first had to identify what story her team wanted to tell with this exhibit, then had periodic “checkpoints” with members of Cirque du Soleil to ensure they were representing the community well.

Hulme said she also ensured that her team was using the right verbiage in signage and doing everything it could to communicate the effort behind these productions, from the recruitment process to the costuming.

Berger said it was really important for this collection to be displayed in City Hall because it’s free to the public, allowing every resident and tourist to come take a peek behind the curtain at how these shows are made.

“This is a chance that they, as a visitor, can experience it and gain a new perspective, and I think that ties very deeply into the Neon Museum’s new mission statement, which is focused on really becoming the museum of Las Vegas,” Berger said. “What I love is that this exhibition, in a relatively small space, has something for everyone. If you love the detail of costumes, it’s here; if you want to know more about wig making, it’s here; textiles, hands-on fabric, they’re here. There’s just so much into it that adds to the delight of what you find in an everyday performance in Las Vegas.”

It runs through May 1.