Abu Dhabi signs Sphere venue preconstruction agreement
20 August 2025
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Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture & Tourism (DCT) and US-based Sphere Entertainment have finalised an agreement related to the construction, development and operation of the upcoming Sphere entertainment venue in Abu Dhabi.
According to a Securities & Exchange Commission filing dated 25 July, DCT and Sphere Entertainment signed a joint development and partnership agreement, as well as a pre-opening services agreement for the project.
According to the agreement, Sphere Entertainment has granted DCT the exclusive rights to build and operate the Sphere Abu Dhabi entertainment venue.
The agreement also allows DCT the right to build and operate additional Sphere venues in the Middle East and North Africa region for at least 10 years after the opening of the Sphere Abu Dhabi venue.
In October last year, DCT confirmed that it is working with US-based Sphere Entertainment to bring the world’s second Sphere performance venue to the emirate.
According to Sphere Entertainment, the Abu Dhabi Sphere will be the first in a series of venues with a similar form to the Las Vegas venue.
DCT will fund the construction, while Sphere Entertainment will provide services related to the venue’s development, construction and pre-opening.
“DCT will also pay Sphere Entertainment a franchise initiation fee for the right to build the venue, utilising Sphere Entertainment’s proprietary designs, technology and intellectual property,” the statement added.
The location and construction timelines have yet to be disclosed. According to the official statement, however, the venue is expected to be on a scale similar to the original 20,000-seater Sphere venue in Las Vegas.
The estimated $2.3bn Sphere venue in Las Vegas was first announced in 2018, and construction was completed in 2023.
US-based architectural firm Populous designed the venue and Aecom supported the construction works.
According to renderings posted on Sphere’s official account on social media platform X, the Abu Dhabi Sphere will have a glowing exoskeleton, similar to its Las Vegas predecessor.
Hello UAE, Hello @SphereAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/AEcs66jlYa
— Sphere (@SphereVegas) October 16, 2024
Abu Dhabi Tourism Strategy 2030
Establishing a Sphere venue in Abu Dhabi supports the city’s Tourism Strategy 2030, which was approved in May last year. The strategy, led by DCT, will expand and strategically develop the city’s travel and tourism sector.
The strategy seeks to achieve a 7% year-on-year growth by increasing the number of visitors from 24 million in 2023 to 39.3 million by 2030.
The plan also aims to increase the tourism and travel sector’s contribution to the UAE’s GDP from about AED49bn ($13.3bn) in 2023 to AED90bn ($24.5bn) by 2030.
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