Las Vegas’s Sphere Is the Future of Immersive Entertainment. Here’s How to Visit the Groundbreaking Venue.
The anticipated opening of the theater has finally arrived, causing global fanfare.
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 04: Sphere lights up for the first time in celebration of Independence Day on July 04, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 366-foot-tall, 516-foot-wide venue, the largest spherical structure on Earth, features an Exosphere with a 580,000-square-foot display, the largest LED screen in the world, and is expected to open later in 2023. on July 04, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images)
Sphere, which opened this weekend just off the Las Vegas Strip has been called everything from “the entertainment venue of the future,” to “a basketball in the sky.” And now travelers can experience it in all its overwhelming glory. The $2.3 billion venture, which was opened in collaboration with the Venetian Resort, is made up of a massive wraparound LED canvas—the first of its kind worldwide—which boasts a whopping 268 million video pixels.
The opening artists featured are none other than U2, whose two-hour long show is being dubbed UV Achtung Baby Live at the Sphere. Their residency runs through December 16, and while it’s currently sold out, there are many resale outlets like StubHub and SeatGeek that have resale tickets available starting at about $250 each.
If concerts aren’t your jam, fear not. Sphere will also be a venue for other entertainment, including film screenings and other events. On October 6, the premiere of Postcard From Earth, a film by Darren Aronofsky will give viewers an immersive tour of the planet.
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Aronofsky had to use an entirely unique lens and camera system called the Big Sky Cinema Camera made of two medium format Alexas to make the film for the theater, which features a 160,000-square-foot, 16K-by-16K wraparound LED display, custom spatial audio system, and 4D capabilities enabled through haptic seats and environmental effects. In other words, watch out IMAX.
More concerts will take place at the venue in 2024, although artists haven’t been announced yet. You can purchase tickets here.
