The company behind Las Vegas’s viral, orb-shaped venue has officially announced plans to expand its footprint on the East Coast. Sphere Entertainment confirmed on Monday that a new, smaller version of the venue is coming to the National Harbor outside Washington, D.C..
This announcement marks a significant milestone for the company. While the original Sphere, covered by a giant LED exosphere featuring 366-foot-tall animations, opened its doors in 2023, this new project represents the first domestic expansion three years later.
A Strategic Partnership at National Harbor
Sphere Entertainment, the venue’s parent company, announced the plans for the National Harbor location on Sunday. The project is a collaborative effort, with the announcement made jointly with the state of Maryland, Prince George’s County, and real estate developer Peterson Companies.
To make this futuristic venue a reality, the Maryland project will be supported by a mix of public and private funding. This financial package includes roughly $200 million in state, local, and private incentives.
Smaller Scale, Same Technology
The proposed National Harbor venue represents a shift in strategy: it will be the company’s first-ever “smaller-scale Sphere”.
- Seating Capacity: The new venue is expected to seat around 6,000 people.
- The Technology: Despite the smaller size, the venue will feature the same cutting-edge technology used in Las Vegas, both inside and outside the venue.
For comparison, the original Las Vegas Sphere seats 18,600 people and reportedly cost a staggering $2.3 billion to build. The D.C. version aims to bring that same immersive experience to a more intimate setting.
Global Ambitions and Financial Turnaround
The expansion into Maryland aligns with the long-term vision of Sphere Entertainment CEO James L. Dolan. “Our focus has always been on creating a global network of Spheres across forward-looking cities,” Dolan stated in a press release, describing the Sphere as “a new experiential medium”.
Beyond the U.S., the company is also planning an international venue in Abu Dhabi. However, the road to expansion hasn’t been without roadblocks; plans for a Sphere in London previously fell through.
Financially, the company appears to be stabilizing after a rocky start. In its first year of operations, the Las Vegas venue posted an operating loss of over $500 million. However, recent figures suggest things are slowly starting to turn around. In its most recent quarterly earnings report, Sphere Entertainment reported that its Sphere division generated $507 million in revenue during the first nine months of 2025, narrowing its operating loss to $261 million during the same period.
