The developers behind the Las Vegas Sphere have announced that a second US venue is going to be built in Washington D.C.
Sphere Entertainment announced that the live new music and events venue will be situated at the National Harbor, and set to go into construction at a later date.
It will mark the second venue of its kind in the US, following on from the groundbreaking Las Vegas sphere – which opened in 2023, cost $2.3billion to make, and features an exosphere with over 1.2million puck-sized LEDs that transmit images across the Las Vegas skyline.
While the Las Vegas venue holds 20,000 people, the new National Harbour development will be significantly smaller, having a capacity of roughly 6,000 seats.
It will be made using the same state-of-the-art technology as the Nevada counterpart, including the LED exosphere and a 16K x 16K interior display plane. Also featured will be an immersive sound system, 4D environmental effects, and haptic seating.
As reported by Consequence, the new development will be made with a mix of public and private funding. These include around $200million state, local, and private incentives.
The outlet also reports that the development will be dependent on final approvals from Prince George’s County and the State of Maryland.
Big Saturday night announcement from Maryland Governor Wes Moore:
Maryland is working to bring a SPHERE (like the one in Vegas) to National Harbor, just south of DC along the Potomac in Prince George’s County.This would be the 2nd sphere in the US.
It would be smaller, about… pic.twitter.com/cwj3rzQQqU— Spencer Allan Brooks (@SpencerSays) January 19, 2026
Developers have claimed that the upcoming venue will help create approximately 2,500 jobs during the construction stages, and just under 5,000 new roles when it is officially open and fully operational. It also predicts that there will be over $1billion added to the economy as a result of it.
While the Washington D.C. development will be the second Sphere venue in the US, there have been numerous plans to open other Sphere venues internationally since the Last Vegas space opened in 2023.
There was a brief period where it looked like one of the venues would be opening in London, but those plans ultimately fell through when Mayor Sadiq Khan intervened and highlighted issues regarding the use of energy and “negative impact” it would have on local residents.
The original plans for the London Sphere were first announced in 2018 and would have seen a 21,500-capacity venue built, becoming the largest concert arena in the UK.
It has since been confirmed that a Sphere venue, holding 20,000 people, will be arriving in Abu Dhabi next, and will host concerts and other live events.
Today Sphere Entertainment and @DCTAbuDhabi announced that we will work together to bring the world’s second Sphere to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates! @SphereAbuDhabi is expected to be a landmark addition to this premier international capital city, elevating the entertainment… pic.twitter.com/CchNS5g2bE
— Sphere (@SphereVegas) October 15, 2024
The Las Vegas Sphere opened its doors in September 2023 with a residency by U2. Reviewing the band’s Vegas residency at the Sphere, NME hailed the show for “taking the live concert experience ‘to the next level’” and delivering “a fine balancing act of doing just that while also ensuring their music remains very much at the forefront”.
Since then, Phish, Dead & Company, the Eagles and the Backstreet Boys have all played residencies at the venue, and it is also the home to an immersive 4D version of The Wizard Of Oz.
Over the weekend it was reported that Metallica are supposedly close to signing a deal to play a residency at the Las Vegas Sphere in 2027.