Las Vegas Sphere Debuts its External Display During 4th of July Celebrations

Article ByDavid Weir

July 5, 2023

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Posted in: Nevada Gambling News, US Casino News

Las Vegas, a city well-known for its incredible light shows and expensive building projects, added another jewel to its crown on the 4th of July.

The Sphere, a next-generation entertainment venue situated near the Venetian on the famous Las Vegas Strip, showcased its full exterior display for the first time on Tuesday night.

The Sphere’s exterior, known as the Exosphere, was completely illuminated with various animations during Independence Day celebrations. It drew a large and interested crowd alongside the Strip casinos’ more traditional fireworks.  

“The Exosphere is more than a screen or a billboard – it is living architecture, and unlike anything that exists anywhere in the world,” said Guy Barnett, VP of brand strategy at developers Sphere Entertainment.

The Sphere, partly owned by Madison Square Garden, had been known as the MSG Sphere. However, the MSG part of the name was dropped from promotional materials for the display debut.

$2 Billion Opening

The Sphere’s Independence Day display was certainly impressive, regardless of the divided opinion on the estimated $2 billion project.

The 580,000-square-foot, fully programmable LED exterior is among the biggest screens in the world. It lit up the Vegas skyline with a variety of animations over the night, including fireworks and stars and stripes.

The display was a testament to the Sphere’s advanced technology, with about 1.2 million “pucks,” each holding 48 LEDs and capable of displaying 256 million colors.

The whole thing stands 366 feet high and 516 feet wide. It has 164,000 individual speakers, matching high level audio to the visuals.

Barnett expressed his excitement about the Sphere’s capabilities.

“Last night’s show provided a glimpse of the Exosphere’s captivating power, and the possibilities for artists, partners, and brands to create compelling and impactful stories to connect with audiences in new ways,” he said.

Spherical Future

The Sphere is not just about one-off displays. It is also a concert venue, and crucially for its developers, an advertising space.

“There’s nothing comparable to the impact from displaying innovative brand and immersive content on the world’s largest video screen,” said David Hopkinson.

The venue plans to host more creative displays in conjunction with major Las Vegas events.

It is set to open officially on September 29, with rock band U2 playing the opening concert. In October, the Sphere will debut “Postcard from Earth,” a show specially designed for the Sphere by director Darren Aronofsky.

“The extraordinary experiences we can create are only limited by imagination.”

Surface of the Sun

The Sphere’s debut is a reminder of Las Vegas’ enduring appeal as a hub of innovation and entertainment. With the end of one era this week as the last of the performing big cats left in Vegas departed the Strip, the city is showing how it can continue to evolve and adapt to new technologies.

Venues like the Sphere could play a key role in this new future.

Or, it could be an expensive eyesore, depending on who you ask.

“Sauron has returned,” said one Instagram user commenting on a video of the Sphere testing its lightshow over the Las Vegas skyline last week. That’s a reference the demonic villain in The Lord of the Rings, who used a crystal sphere called a Palantir to spy on the heroes of the series.

Madison Square Garden also plans a similar Sphere in London, England. However, the venture has proved wildly unpopular with residents and local government in the UK capital.

“It’s like living next to the surface of the sun,” one London resident told The Guardian newspaper.