Sphere is expanding. Sphere Entertainment Co., the State of Maryland, Prince George’s County, and Peterson Companies have announced plans to develop a new Sphere venue at National Harbor, just 15 minutes outside Washington, D.C. It would be the second Sphere in the U.S. and the first to use a smaller-scale design model.
The National Harbor venue would seat 6,000 and bring the full Sphere technology stack: a 16K by 16K interior LED display (the highest-resolution screen in the world), Sphere Immersive Sound, haptic seating, 4D environmental effects, and the iconic Exosphere exterior display. Nothing gets stripped out.
The numbers behind this project are significant. Development would draw on approximately $200 million in combined public and private incentives, support 2,500 construction jobs, and generate 4,750 permanent positions once operational. Annual economic impact is projected to exceed $1 billion for the region.
Sphere Las Vegas, already ranked No. 1 on both Billboard’s and Pollstar’s 2025 lists of top-grossing venues worldwide, sets the standard this new venue builds toward. National Harbor welcomes more than 15 million visitors annually, making it one of the most strategically placed entertainment destinations on the East Coast.
“Our focus has always been on creating a global network of Spheres across forward-looking cities,” says Sphere Entertainment Executive Chairman and CEO James L. Dolan. The National Harbor project joins a growing portfolio that includes Las Vegas and a planned venue in Abu Dhabi. Final development remains subject to definitive agreements and governmental approvals.