{"id":2484366,"date":"2026-07-02T02:09:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T02:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2484366"},"modified":"2026-07-02T02:09:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T02:09:13","slug":"the-domes-san-joses-newest-entertainment-venue-is-a-real-mind-trip-the-mercury-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/the-domes-san-joses-newest-entertainment-venue-is-a-real-mind-trip-the-mercury-news\/","title":{"rendered":"The Domes, San Jose\u2019s newest entertainment venue, is a real mind trip \u2013 The Mercury News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Visitors to downtown San Jose have been intrigued over the past few weeks as a 60-foot high, white geodesic dome was built on a vacant lot near San Pedro Square. Had we turned to giant igloos for housing? Was it a new bar or restaurant concept? What the heck is it?<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s called The Domes, and it\u2019s a real mind trip.<\/p>\n<p>The Domes, which had its ribbon cutting Wednesday morning on the corner of Post and San Pedro streets, is an immersive event venue, sort of like the Sphere in Las Vegas but on a smaller scaler.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-slideshow\" id=\"mng-gallery-5320a0700ac089561bc2598357510197\"><button class=\"icon-close mng-gallery-fullscreen-close\" aria-label=\"Close fullscreen slideshow\"\/><\/p>\n<ul class=\"mng-gallery-initialized mng-gallery-slider\"><button id=\"mng-gallery-prev\" class=\"mng-gallery-prev mng-gallery-arrow\" aria-label=\"Previous\" type=\"button\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"mng-gallery-list draggable\">\n<div class=\"mng-gallery-track\">\n<li data-index=\"1\" class=\"mng-ge mng-gallery-active\" id=\"mng-ge-0\" aria-hidden=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\">\n<div class=\"image-wrapper\"><\/p>\n<p>The Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce held its annual awards event at The Domes in downtown San Jose on Monday, June 29, 2026. (Sal Pizarro\/Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-index=\"2\" class=\"mng-ge\" id=\"mng-ge-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"image-wrapper\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"San Jose City Councilmember Anthony Tordillos, left, and San Jose...\" class=\"lazyload size-article_inline\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-02.jpeg?w=620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-02.jpeg?w=620 620w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-02.jpeg?w=780 780w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-02.jpeg?w=810 810w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-02.jpeg?w=1280 1280w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-02.jpeg?w=1860 1860w\" bad-src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http:=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>San Jose City Councilmember Anthony Tordillos, left, and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, center, watch a 360-degree video projected at The Domes, a new, immersive event venue in downtown San Jose on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (Sal Pizarro\/Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-index=\"3\" class=\"mng-ge\" id=\"mng-ge-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"image-wrapper\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Domes CRO Chris Lawes, left, San Jose Mayor Matt...\" class=\"lazyload size-article_inline\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-03.jpeg?w=620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-03.jpeg?w=620 620w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-03.jpeg?w=780 780w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-03.jpeg?w=810 810w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-03.jpeg?w=1280 1280w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-03.jpeg?w=1860 1860w\" bad-src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http:=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The Domes CRO Chris Lawes, left, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, center, and Councilmember Anthony Tordillos speak at the ribbon cutting for The Domes, a new, immersive event venue in downtown San Jose on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (Sal Pizarro\/Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-index=\"4\" class=\"mng-ge\" id=\"mng-ge-3\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"image-wrapper\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce CEO Harbir Bhatia and The...\" class=\"lazyload size-article_inline\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-02.jpg?w=620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-02.jpg?w=620 620w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-02.jpg?w=780 780w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-02.jpg?w=810 810w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-02.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-02.jpg?w=1860 1860w\" bad-src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http:=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce CEO Harbir Bhatia and The Domes CEO and founder Chris Lawes attended the chamber&#8217;s annual awards event at The Domes in downtown San Jose on Monday, June 29, 2026. (Sal Pizarro\/Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><button id=\"mng-gallery-next\" class=\"mng-gallery-next mng-gallery-arrow\" aria-label=\"Next\" type=\"button\"\/><\/ul>\n<div class=\"caption mng-gallery-information-container\"><button class=\"caption-expand mng-gallery-caption-expand\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-label=\"Show caption\">Show Caption<\/button><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"current mng-gallery-current-image-number-display\">1<\/span> of <span class=\"total\">4<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce held its annual awards event at The Domes in downtown San Jose on Monday, June 29, 2026. (Sal Pizarro\/Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"#\" class=\"icon-enlarge mng-gallery-fullscreen-expand\" aria-label=\"Expand fullscreen slideshow\"><span>Expand<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The 360-degree viewing experience inside the dome \u2014 with 8K projection and spatial sound \u2014 can be used for sports events like this week\u2019s World Cup watch parties as well as corporate events, art experiences and other social gatherings. The Domes has a multiyear lease on the space, and while there\u2019s currently only one \u201cdome,\u201d fundraising to build a second is in the works and a third is planned.<\/p>\n<p>Some of the projected images shown during a preview for Mayor Matt Mahan, San Jose Councilmember Anthony Tordillos and Economic Development Director Jen Baker were mesmerizing, if not a little like watching the end of \u201c2001: A Space Odyssey.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"related left\"\/>\n<p>Mahan said he was impressed by his first experience at The Domes. \u201cI don\u2019t even have to go to Vegas now, I can just come to downtown San Jose,\u201d Mahan said. \u201cI love the flexibility of the space. You can imagine not just sporting events but corporate events, all the different kinds of gatherings that could be hosted here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Domes CEO Chris Lawes launched his technology and immersive theater company in San Jose in 2015, producing events around the country and internationally before setting up shop in Austin in recent years. But he said he\u2019s happy to come full circle, bringing The Domes back to San Jose for a permanent home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is meant to be a place for people to come together to be uplifted and inspired,\u201d Lawes said. \u201cWe want this to be a place that\u2019s not just a standalone corporate experience that you go and look at and leave, we want this to feel like the San Jose dome park. We want be owned and loved by this city and this community and utilized by local residents and local businesses and nonprofits as a place to amplify great messages.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce CEO Harbir Bhatia said the group was instrumental in bringing The Domes to San Jose, so it\u2019s no surprise that one of the first events held there was its Legends and SV Biz Champions celebration Monday night. The event honored Santa Clara Weekly Publisher Miles Barber and the late Joe Siecinski, an engineer and manager with Hewlett Packard and Agilent and longtime executive coach who died in April.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A DIFFERENT BALL SPORT:<\/strong> The FIFA World Cup isn\u2019t the only game in town this week, as the U.S. National Table Tennis Championships are taking place at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center starting Friday and running through July 9. It was only a few months ago that the Timothee Chalamet movie \u201cMarty Supreme\u201d got people excited about table tennis, and this is a great chance to see some of the sport\u2019s best among the 1,100-player field, including USATT top-rated player Kanak Jha, a three-time Olympian from Milpitas.<\/p>\n<p>Get tickets and more information at <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.usatt.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.usatt.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A CHAMPION FOR SAN JOSE:<\/strong> I was sad to hear that Stew Park, the former general manager at KNTV, passed away at his San Jose home last Friday at age 83 following a long illness. Park started his 40-plus-year career with the station as a production assistant while he was still at San Jose State. He was later the host of the popular \u201cRecord Hop\u201d show and rose through the ranks at the San Jose TV station until he was program manager and then general manager and president. Throughout his career, he was active in the community, serving on the boards of the city\u2019s American Red Cross and American Cancer Society chapters.<\/p>\n<p>Retirement didn\u2019t slow him down much. He remained active in the San Jose Rotary Club, serving as president in 2014-15 and cutting the ribbon on the Rotary PlayGarden, the club\u2019s centennial project at the Guadalupe River Park, in 2015.<\/p>\n<p><strong>TEAM SPIRIT:<\/strong> With the U.S. Men\u2019s National Team in downtown San Jose for Wednesday\u2019s World Cup knockout game, the San Jose Chamber of Commerce redecorated its windows and doors with \u201cU-S-A\u201d vinyl film. Chamber CEO Leah Toeniskoetter said the quick patriotic makeover was thanks to Team San Jose Marketing VP Laura Chmielewski.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12961545\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone size-article_inline\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" lazyautosizes lazyload\" alt=\"The San Jose Chamber of Commerce building added window treatments to cheer on Team USA before its FIFA World Cup match on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (Sal Pizarro\/Bay Area News Group)\" width=\"3586\" data-sizes=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-04.jpeg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1\" data-attachment-id=\"12961545\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-04.jpeg?fit=620%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 620w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-04.jpeg?fit=780%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 780w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-04.jpeg?fit=810%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 810w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-04.jpeg?fit=1280%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1280w,https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SJM-L-PIZARRO-COL-0702-04.jpeg?fit=1860%2C9999px&amp;ssl=1 1860w\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The San Jose Chamber of Commerce building added window treatments to cheer on Team USA before its FIFA World Cup match on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (Sal Pizarro\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.mercurynews.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Visitors to downtown San Jose have been intrigued over the past few weeks as a 60-foot high, white geodesic dome was built on a vacant lot near San Pedro Square. Had we turned to giant igloos for housing? Was it a new bar or restaurant concept? What the heck is it? It\u2019s called The Domes, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2484367,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[397229,349102,22691,439261,366282,308544,22764,424977,352215,347340,370769,370771,22482],"class_list":["post-2484366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-around-town","tag-bay-area","tag-california","tag-downtown-san-jose","tag-keywee","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-news-columnists","tag-pm-report","tag-san-jose","tag-santa-clara-county","tag-south-bay","tag-things-to-do"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/The-Domes-San-Joses-newest-entertainment-venue-is-a-real.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2484366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2484366"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2484366\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2484368,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2484366\/revisions\/2484368"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2484367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2484366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2484366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2484366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}