More Spheres are on the way. James Dolan's insanely expensive, absurdly flashy Las Vegas venue has been operating since 2023, and Dolan's Sphere Entertainment Company has plans to open more Spheres elsewhere in the world. As previously reported, an Abu Dhabi Sphere is expected to open in 2029, while London mayor Sadiq Khan rejected a proposal to build another one in the city's Olympic Park. Now, it looks like the beautiful state of Maryland is about to get a smaller Sphere of its own.
Maryland Matters reports that the Prince George’s County Council has given the final approval to help publicly fund the construction of a smaller Sphere entertainment complex in National Harbor, right across the river from Washington, DC. On Tuesday, the eight-member Council voted unanimously to approve a deal that'll commit up to $215 million of county taxpayer money to the construction of a $1.4 billion Sphere complex. Under that plan, Sphere Entertainment will gradually pay the county back for its investment.
While the Las Vegas Sphere seats 17,600 concertgoers, the proposed National Harbor Sphere will only have 6,000 seats. When they presented the proposal, reps for the Sphere Entertainment Co. said that they hoped the venue would be open for shows as early as 2030.
The deal with the the Prince George’s County Council includes labor union agreements, though they're reportedly not as strong as many union workers hoped. County Executive Aisha Braveboy tells Maryland Matters, "This project is projected to generate $63 million annually in just property tax and sales and amusement tax alone." She claims that it'll more than offset the loss of the Washington Commanders, who are about to return to their old home of Largo, and the recently closed Six Flags America amusement park.
National Harbor is a planned resort-type area that's full of antiseptic-looking bars. It has been developed quickly over the last 15 years or so, and its current visual signature is the Capital Wheel, a giant neon-lit Ferris wheel. There's an MGM casino there, too. The place has a real corporate-entertainment vibe, so this Sphere should fit right in.
As it happens, I was just in National Harbor on Saturday, and I am in no hurry to return. After the giant free Turnstile show in DC, I went up a tall-people meetup at a National Harbor bar. Driving into that place was a nightmare, so if you're going to this hypothetical future Sphere, you should plan public-transportation options way in advance. The bar was crowded as hell, and the cologne/perfume smell was overpowering, but it was cool to be in a room full of people my height. Look at this shit!
Glorious. But unless there are further Tall Tour events at the National Harbor Sphere, I'll probably stay away. What is this thing going to 495 traffic, anyway? Can the Beltway possibly get worse?
