The next Sphere: Smaller spherical arena to be built near Washington D.C.
The spherical Sphere in Las Vegas has been fascinating since its opening. Next, a smaller one is to be built near Washington D.C.
Artistic rendering of the planned Sphere
(Image: Sphere Entertainment and Peterson Companies)
The second spherical entertainment arena from the US company Sphere is to be built not far from the US capital. It would be the third in the world. Unlike the first Sphere in Las Vegas and the second, which is planned for Abu Dhabi, the new one in the US state of Maryland is to be significantly smaller, offering only 6,000 seats. In contrast, the full-sized arenas can accommodate up to 20,000 people, depending on the event. Technically, the arena is not to lag behind that in Las Vegas and will also feature the gigantic display on its outer shell. According to those responsible, the construction of the new Sphere in a real estate project called National Harbor near Washington, D.C., is to be supported by state and private funds, with a total of 200 million US dollars being mentioned.
Smaller, but just as many pixels
The Sphere in Las Vegas opened in 2023, and with the spherical display on the outer wall and a huge wrap-around display inside, it continues to attract many people. The construction of what is reportedly the world's largest spherical building cost a total of 2.3 billion US dollars. The LED display attached to the outer wall of the 110 m high building has a total area of almost 54,000 m2. The display inside, which is almost 15,000 m² in size, can display 16k × 16k thanks to 170 million pixels. Even though the third sphere in Maryland is now to be significantly smaller, the huge screen inside is intended to have an equally high resolution.
Videos by heise
Whether the Sphere in National Harbor will actually be built remains to be seen; after the opening of the arena in Las Vegas, a second spherical arena had already been announced in London. It was even supposed to be larger and include a nightclub. However, the project was scrapped two years ago. There was even resistance from the mayor there. Sadiq Khan had stated at the time that the immense light pollution from the building was unacceptable to the people living there. In the autumn of 2024, Sphere Entertainment then made the plans for a second Sphere in Abu Dhabi public. This is also intended to have a capacity of 20,000 people.
(mho)
