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If you looked up at the sky over Fourth of July weekend and saw “Surrender Dorothy” floating above the beaches — you weren’t dreaming. And you definitely weren’t in Kansas.
The eerie skywriting message, a nod to the Wicked Witch of the West from “The Wizard of Oz,” was spotted from Robert Moses State Park to the Hamptons as part of a promotional stunt for a new immersive film experience heading to Las Vegas this summer.
The message was created by the SkyTypers, the Farmingdale-based aerial team that flies out of Republic Airport.
It’s all to celebrate the upcoming Wizard of Oz at Sphere, which officially opens Aug. 28.
A trip down the yellow brick road — in Vegas
The show will take place inside The Sphere, Las Vegas’ new 366-foot-tall entertainment marvel. Located just off the Strip, Sphere debuted in 2023 and is the world’s largest spherical structure, capable of hosting mind-blowing concerts, film experiences, and live events with its 580,000 sq. ft. fully programmable LED exterior and 160,000-square-foot interior wraparound display.
For “The Wizard of Oz at Sphere,” the 1939 classic will be reimagined into a multisensory journey that lets audiences feel like they’re walking alongside Dorothy, the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion — complete with immersive sound, haptic seats, environmental effects and even custom scents of Kansas and Oz.
The film’s original songs have been remastered and reorchestrated, and the audio will play through Sphere’s 167,000 speakers using its state-of-the-art Immersive Sound technology.
If you go
The “Wizard of Oz at Sphere” premieres Aug. 28 with multiple showtimes daily. Tickets start at $104 and are available now at thesphere.com.
Top photo: “Surrender Dorothy” skywriting stunt spotted over Long Island. (Courtesy photo)
