That Giant Vegas Sphere, With 160,000 Sq, Ft. Of LED, On Track To Open Next Year

February 24, 2022 by Dave Haynes

There are many, many examples of big projects – especially in places like Las Vegas – that get announced but either never happen, or take a very long time to go from PR to built and opened. But that giant orb just off the strip touted to have the largest LED screen on Earth is on target to open next year.

The backers of the MSG Sphere have made a series of construction photos available that show where the project is at – with the sphere enclosed and the support metalwork now going in for the huge, curved screen and audio system.

Once complete, says Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp, the $1.9B USD MSG Sphere “will be the largest spherical structure in the world, with an exterior that features a fully programmable 580,000 square foot LED display, the largest LED screen on Earth.”

The 160,000 square foot fine pitch LED display will wrap up, over, and behind the audience.

The LED lighting and display supplier is a bit of a surprise, at least to me. The contract was won by a Montreal firm, Saco, which specializes in LED video lighting and will make custom LED tiles for the display.

Some of the numbers on this thing are insane: The LED display will be larger than three American football fields, and the audio system will use about 170,000 speakers, using beam-forming to tailor audio to specific guest locations in the seating bowl.

The venue will hold 17,500 people – about the equivalent of a typical sports arena.