Second US Sphere to open near Washington, D.C.

Sphere Entertainment, the developers behind Las Vegas' Sphere, have announced plans for a second US Sphere venue near Washington D.C.

Set to be located in the National Harbour, Maryland, the planned development will be a "smaller-scale" version of its Nevada counterpart, with a capacity of 6,000 versus the 20,000-capacity Sphere in Vegas, which opened in 2023.

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According to Consequence, the new venue will still feature the same "cutting-edge technology" of other Sphere venues, including an LED screen "exosphere", 16K resolution 4D displays inside, and an "immersive" soundsystem.

The Maryland Sphere will reportedly cost around $200 million to build, funded by both private and public investment. As the "most expensive entertainment venue" to be built in the city's history, Las Vegas' Sphere cost around $2.3 billion to build, $1 billion over its original budget — with the project becoming even more costly after it shared losses of $500 million in its first year.

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Despite this, Sphere Entertainment claim that the new venue will create 2,500 jobs in its construction and 4,750 once completed, with hopes to add around $1 billion per year to Maryland's economy. 

While a date has not yet been confirmed for when construction will start on the project, it is the second proposed venue from Sphere Entertainment to be in the works — with the developer sharing plans in October 2024 for another Sphere in Abu Dhabi. 

A similar Sphere venue had was also planned for Stratford, London, from Madison Square Garden operators MSG — however planning permission was officially rejected for the project in January 2024 following concerns from Hackney Council over the potential for "light pollution."

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on X