MSG Sphere Las Vegas Complete Guide

Last Updated on March 22, 2023

Las Vegas boasts some of the best shows in the world. The productions put on in Las Vegas event venues are elaborate and draw millions of visitors to the city every year. They seem to get better and better with every new residency that is signed. There are several event venues already in Las Vegas, but the MSG Sphere is slated to lead a huge shift in the live entertainment industry. 

The venue is expected to host various events, including sporting events like wrestling, boxing, mixed martial arts, concert residencies, corporate events, award shows, films, product launches, and more. This is one venue that embraces the ‘over-the-top’ theme of Las Vegas. 

Full of wonder and technology, here’s what we know so far about the MSG Sphere construction and what we can expect from the final product.

Construction on the MSG Sphere broke ground in September of 2019. Since then, construction crews have made progress, including finishing the final structural steel placement, but the project isn’t supposed to finish until 2023.

The MSG Sphere is being built by Madison Square Garden Entertainment in conjunction with Las Vegas Sands Corp, a casino operator, hence the current name. However, there will most likely be a naming deal closer to the final grand opening, so look out for MSG Entertainment to make that announcement. 

Let’s take a look at some of the construction specifics. 

Capacity

At its widest point, the Sphere will be over 360 feet tall and just over 516 feet wide, making it the largest spherical structure in the world when it is finished. Inside, there will be 17,500 seats, standing room only for 2,5000 guests, 23 VIP suites, and the highest resolution screen in the world coming in 100 times clearer than the best TVs on the market right now. The total capacity will come in at 20,000 people. 

Interior

Speaking of the screen, not only will it be crisp and clear due to the number of pixels, but it will also be larger than the area of three football fields. The screen will wrap the audience in an immersive experience from every seat. When finished, it will be the largest and highest resolution LED screen on Earth. 

To keep up with the screen, the acoustic system will utilize 157,000 ultra-directional speakers with “beamforming” technology and an infrasound haptic system so the audience can feel the sound in the form of deep vibrations. This technology creates an immersive environment that will allow two people sitting at different places to hear and feel two different things, creating a unique experience for every guest. 

Guests will also have stellar Wifi due to the new connectivity system that will deliver 25 megabits of data per second across the 1,100 Wifi access points. This will give you ample opportunity to live stream and post to your heart’s content during your favorite events. 

The main atrium will feature four floors with free-standing escalators and bridges, offering a clear view of the space below from many different points. There will be just as much to look at in the venue itself as the entertainment. 

Exterior

Outside, the dome will have 60,000 square feet of programmable lighting powered by external high-definition LED screens which will make the outside just as impressive as the inside and give ample room to showcase upcoming entertainment and brand partnerships. 

The Sphere itself has a surface area of 220,000, weighs 13 tons, and uses six million pounds of steel. The domed roof structure was built using 32 200-foot long trusses that each weigh more than 100 tons and are self-supporting. 

Since it creates a balanced dome, it can support 42 million pounds of weight which is good because all of the display and audio equipment it will need to hold will be quite heavy. Fun fact- the crane on-site is the fourth largest in the world and took eighteen days to assemble. 

The MSG Sphere will also be connected to the Venetian Expo by a 1,000-foot pedestrian bridge. An identical Sphere is planned to be built in East London, but it is expected to have far fewer features. After all, when it comes to Las Vegas, you have to go all out. 

The MSG Sphere is an engineering marvel and was originally supposed to cost $1.2 billion, but that has now increased to an expected 1.865 billion dollars. The increase in costs is due to numerous factors, including supply chain effects from COVID-19, changes to the design, increases in the cost of labor and materials, and more. 

So far, up to March 31st, 2021, there have been $839 million in expenses, which has mainly gone to land development and associated costs with the structure itself. Much of the technology hasn’t even been installed yet. 

Between the sheer size and all of the technology, it’s no wonder that it costs so much. 

The MSG Sphere is located just off the Las Vegas Strip east of The Venetian, Palazzo, and Sands Expo & Convention Center. It is also just South of the Wynn Golf Club. It is more on the South-end of the Las Vegas Strip but still within close proximity of several on-Strip accommodations. 

Since it is so large, the MSG Sphere will forever change the skyline of the Las Vegas Strip. You’ll be able to get a bird’s eye view of the Sphere from several lookout points along the Strip, which will be entertainment on its own. 

The MSG Sphere, being built by MSG Entertainment and Las Vegas Sands Corp, will be a huge shift for the live entertainment industry in Las Vegas. It will simply change the caliber of shows and events hosted in Las Vegas, taking it from already top-tier to out of this world. 

Get excited for the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas by exploring the area near the construction site. It is already quite a spectacle to see. Keep up to date with the construction progress and get ready for a new wave of live entertainment to hit Las Vegas in 2023.