There’s a new, huge sphere illuminating the Las Vegas skyline and it’s impossible to miss. As part of a special show to celebrate the Fourth of July, for the first time ever, the city’s newest landmark lit up to say “Hello world”. But what exactly is the Sphere and why is everyone flocking to see it?

What is it?

MSG Sphere is a new entertainment venue in Las Vegas and the largest LED screen on earth. 

Officially named the Exosphere (but Sphere for short), it’s a next-generation entertainment medium with a huge 80,000 square foot fully-programmable LED exterior to showcase art. The Exosphere has approximately 1.2 million LED pucks and each puck contains 48 individual LED diodes capable of displaying 256 million different colours.

And not just to the 40 million visitors who visit Las Vegas each year, but well beyond on with its ‘gram worthy presence.

What does it do?

The Fourth of July celebration showed off the Sphere’s capabilities. Illuminating the sky, the show started with a welcome – “Hello World” – and followed by fireworks and stars and stripes animations. It then transitioned through a wide array of visual content, from vibrant underwater scenes to performances to vividly-textured lunar surfaces, putting on full display the versatility of this unique canvas.

Guy Barnett, SVP Brand Strategy and Creative Development of Sphere, explained the Exosphere is more than a screen or a billboard – it’s living architecture.

What about inside?

The globe reportedly seats 18,000 people, featuring towering wraparound LED screens and 160,000 speakers to make everyone feel like they have the best seat in the house. The venue will also have vibrating chairs to match whatever is happening on screen. Sphere will be connected by a pedestrian walkway to the Venetian resort complex.

Who designed it?

It’s fair to say it takes lots of different teams to develop something so impressive. Sphere was designed by Populous, the global architecture firm. Software experts at Sphere Studios partnered with Montreal-based SACO Technologies, a leader in LED video lighting and media solutions, to design and manufacture the Exosphere’s unique LED display. The Studios also brought in 7thSense to deliver programming onto the Sphere using their advanced media server, pixel processing, and show control technologies.  

What’s next?

The Sphere will display activations in coordination with major events in Las Vegas. Later this year, U2 has announced five concert dates for “U2: UV Achtung Baby Live” which will officially open the $3 billion venue beginning on 29 September. 

October will see the first Sphere Experience, called Postcard from Earth. Directed by Darren Aronofsky, it’s expected to be an immersive and thrilling tour of the planet.

During the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix in November, Sphere will have a prime position along the circuit with planned takeovers for race-related content.

Eventually the Exosphere will display a wide range of artistic and branded content daily, from rituals such as sunrise and sunset, to impactful brand campaigns, to delightful moments running at set times.

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