Lobbyists foresaw a range of problems with the Sphere in Stratford. A group of residents in Newham started the campaign Stop MSG Sphere London, raising issues like overcrowding at Stratford’s already busy station, noise and light pollution and its residential location. It called for protestors to email both Sadiq Khan and Michael Gove saying: “It’s unacceptable that residents within 150m will have to use blackout blinds to mitigate the Sphere’s light pollution.”
A representative from Sphere told Fortune: “We are committed to continuing to work collaboratively with forward-thinking cities around the world who are serious about bringing this next-generation entertainment experience to their communities.”
Since November, the future of the Vegas Sphere hasn’t looked as bright as its $2.3 billion LED lights suggest. It reported a $98.4m loss after only a month of running its experiential events. Its billing included works by U2 and Darren Aronofsky.
Immersive experiences proliferated the art and entertainment world in 2023, but with costly projects like London’s Sphere failing to get off the ground, it’s unclear whether we will continue to see high-risk investments in this space.
