Madison Square Garden owner James Dolan is looking to duplicate the success of his Las Vegas Sphere with a new, eye-popping, high-tech venue just outside Washington, DC — a massive orb-shaped arena at National Harbor backed by roughly $200 million in public and private investment.
The proposed 6,000-seat venue in Prince George’s County, Md., would become Sphere’s second US location and its first scaled-down design, promising a year-round entertainment draw projected to generate more than $1 billion annually once it opens.
The project was announced Sunday by Sphere Entertainment alongside the State of Maryland, Prince George’s County and developer Peterson Companies, with National Harbor slated to become the company’s second US outpost after Las Vegas.
“Our focus has always been on creating a global network of Spheres across forward-looking cities,” Dolan, the executive chairman of Sphere Entertainment, said in a statement.
The MSG boss, whose companies’ holdings include the Knicks, Rangers, Radio City Music Hall and the AMC Networks, touted the Sphere as “a new experiential medium” while praising local leaders’ support for the undertaking.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the venue would rank among the largest economic development projects in Prince George’s County history, while County Executive Aisha Braveboy hailed it as a “world-class win” that signals the county’s ability to land marquee national developments.
Sphere said construction would support roughly 2,500 jobs, with another 4,750 positions expected once the venue is operational — plus millions in new revenue for Prince George’s County and the state.
Located about 15 minutes from Washington, DC, National Harbor already draws more than 15 million visitors a year with its mix of hotels, dining, gambling and convention space along the Potomac River.
The new Sphere would be designed as a year-round attraction, hosting original immersive productions, concerts and branded events aimed at residents and tourists.
Plans for the National Harbor Sphere also include a massive interior LED display — billed as the world’s highest-resolution screen — along with immersive sound technology, haptic seating and 4D environmental effects designed to engage audiences on multiple sensory levels.
By comparison, the original Sphere in Las Vegas seats over 11,000 more people and has a far larger footprint, though it relies on the same core technologies, including the signature “Exosphere” exterior LED display and immersive audio system.
The Las Vegas Sphere quickly became one of the most lucrative live-entertainment venues in the world, topping both Billboard’s and Pollstar’s 2025 rankings of the highest-grossing venues globally.
Sphere Entertainment has also announced plans for an international expansion in Abu Dhabi, where it is developing a full-scale Sphere venue as part of the company’s push to build a global network of immersive entertainment destinations.
Since its initial public offering in April 2020, shares of Sphere Entertainment have risen by more than 108%. As of Monday, the company was trading at $96.36 per share.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
