Amid an eruption of fireworks over the Las Vegas Strip, the Sphere awoke.
It was a quiet arrival for last year’s Fourth of July event, when the simple message “hello world” appeared amid a palette of swirling lights on its 580,000-square-foot exosphere.
This 2023 unveiling of the $2.3 billion venue—sly in attracting the attention of tourists and cameras and subtle in its flashy arrival—proved to be just one example of the Sphere’s magnificence, with its outer shell capable of showing more of 1 billion different colors on 1.2 million LED washers.
Although the venue didn’t officially welcome crowds inside until September 29, when U2 began their groundbreaking residency, the rotunda’s exosphere quickly became a social media phenomenon. Viral videos and photos of shape-shifting artwork, whimsical messages and eye-catching yellow emoticons have flooded social platforms around the world.
“It’s everything everyone’s been talking about,” says Jennifer Koster, Sphere’s president and chief operating officer. “The response was unprecedented. It really entered the collective consciousness.
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The same can be said for the Sphere as a whole, which caught our attention this past year with innovative technology brought to life on stage during residencies by U2, Phish and Dead & Company.
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How the Sphere will celebrate the 4th of July
To celebrate its anniversary on the 4th of July, the exosphere will become, as always, a canvas for anyone to view.
The XO Stream, the official live stream of the Exosphere, will launch at 9:30 PM PT on thesphere.com and YouTube, where it will run 24 hours a day.
The start of the live stream will coincide with The Fourth of July Celebration show (which repeats at 11:40 p.m. PT), produced by Sphere Studios.
Nevada history, an inside-out view of the venue, patriotic imagery and a digital fireworks show are among the planned visuals, as well as a walk through some of the most intriguing illuminations from the past year, including nods to musical guests.
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Koester says that when she looks at last year’s “amazing” content and compares it to the 2024 offering, she’s “a little blown away” by the creative evolution.
“Everything we do here continues to push the boundaries,” she says, noting that the works of the eight winners of the recent Sphere XO Student Design Challenge will also debut in the exosphere and continue to be displayed this summer.
“The Vegas community has really embraced us, and it’s so important to us to honor the relationship,” she says.
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The Sphere adds external sound to the mix
Along with the debut of the XO Stream, Sphere will introduce another sensory addition on July 4th – outdoor sound.
The system, called XO Audio, will feature sound synchronized with the images in the exosphere, sort of like a digital version of the famous Bellagio fountains, but it will run 24/7.
When word leaked a few months ago that Sphere was planning to add an auditory component, some local businesses expressed concern about the potential for more noise in an already noisy city.
But Koester confirms, “audio is designed to be owned by Sphere only, and we will always comply with all local regulations.”
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Sounds will be created by Sphere Studios or include popular music and sounds from a music library. All will be specially selected for the illuminations, but no, you won’t hear live music from Dead & Company on show nights or the Eagles when they begin their September residency.
“The goal is to continue to celebrate the exosphere and its commitment to art and science,” says Koester.
The exosphere has already served as a backdrop for “branding moments” — the Super Bowl earlier this year and Vegas’ long-term contract with Formula 1 provided excellent opportunities — and will continue to serve as both a visual stimulus and revenue generator.
So far, the addition of the live stream and audio highlights an active first year for Sphere.
“Bringing these two features to the world,” says Koester, “is the right time for us.”
