A new Sphere is being built in Abu Dhabi

The Sphere in Las Vegas has become well known since its opening in 2023 — and now there will be another one. The new venue will be built in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Sphere Entertainment Co. would be building a new spherical multimedia entertainment venue in Abu Dhabi, per CNN.
The plans for the new Sphere are a part of Abu Dhabi’s “Tourism Strategy 2030″ with the goal of “further establishing Abu Dhabi as a vibrant hub for culture and innovation,” per CNN.
The exact location of the new venue has not yet been released, but it will be a similar scale to the one in Las Vegas with a capacity of 20,000.
“Similarly, the venue will feature stunning visuals and advanced audio system to produce enthralling storytelling and entertainment experiences,” per USA Today.
According to USA Today, the building of the new Sphere is expected to add 178,000 new jobs directly and indirectly.
The timeline for the construction of the new venue has not yet been released.
The CEO of Sphere Entertainment, James L. Dolan, said the plan for the company is to build a global network of venues, and the one in Abu Dhabi is a big step toward that goal.
According to USA Today, the Las Vegas Sphere opened in September 2023, with a residency of 40 shows from the band U2. Along with concerts, the Sphere also offers visual experiences like “V-U2 An Immersive Concert Film.”
The Sphere in Las Vegas is the world’s largest spherical structure, per CNN. It measures 366 feet tall and 516 feet wide. On the exterior of the sphere, there are 1.2 million LEDs, which display a variety of visuals, from ad campaigns to seasonal graphics.
Inside the Sphere, there is a high-resolution wraparound LED screen, also reported to be the world’s largest.
After U2 finished their residency at the Sphere, Phish did a few shows, followed by the band Dead and Company, according to The Street.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the current residency at the Sphere is being done by the Eagles.
The Eagles started their residency at the Sphere on Sept. 20. The band recently added four more shows extending the residency through March 15, 2025.
Their residency will include a total of 28 shows over 14 weekends.