After more than four decades of calling Park City home, the Sundance Film Festival is officially moving to Boulder, Colorado, beginning in 2027.
The decision is a major shift for the world-renowned festival, which has been synonymous with the Utah ski town since its inception. While it may come as a surprise to some, for those following the festival’s trajectory in recent years, the move seemed inevitable.
I’m kinda sad that Sundance is moving to Colorado. I’ve had an awesome time attending the event in Park City over the past 18 years. I also have family in the area that I can stay with for free during the event. I don’t have that in CO, so next year may be the last year I attend.
Boulder beat out Cincinnati, Ohio, and Utah’s last-ditch effort to keep Sundance in its birthplace, ultimately winning the bid with a strong financial proposal and a vision for the festival’s future.
The road to Boulder was paved by a perfect storm of industry shifts, logistical frustrations, and a post-pandemic reset. Sundance has struggled with Park City’s limitations, overcrowded venues, high costs, and accessibility challenges, all of which have made the festival experience increasingly difficult for both industry insiders and indie filmmakers scraping together travel budgets.
“Part of the decision-making process was around opportunity for growth,” said Acting Sundance Institute CEO Amanda Kelso. “That is also an important factor for us. Knowing that we can be in a town that has 100,000 people means that it has more venues, more spaces, and more opportunities in how we can be expansive of the festival moving forward.”
The search for a new home was set in motion last year when the Sundance Institute formally opened up bidding to other cities. Boulder quickly emerged as a frontrunner, thanks to its arts scene, strong local support, and a lucrative $34 million tax incentive spread over a decade.
Beyond the financial incentives, Boulder offered something Park City could no longer compete with… accessibility and sustainability. With a population of around 100,000, Boulder has more infrastructure to support the festival’s evolving needs.
It’s a vibrant college town with a strong arts and tech presence, which aligns with Sundance’s push for a broader, more inclusive audience.
“From a sense of space perspective, it’s this really vibrant town that’s surrounded by nature,” Kelso added. “You can imagine walking from venue to venue, metabolizing the film you just watched and communing with nature, which is something Robert Redford felt so strongly about.
“When you think about a sense of place perspective, Boulder is a cool town, it’s an arts town. There are poets, musicians, and filmmakers who live here. It’s a tech town. It’s also a college town—38,000 students attend the University of Colorado Boulder, and that creates an opportunity for us to think about audience development in a more expansive way.”
The success of Sundance’s Directors Lab in Boulder in May 2024 also helped solidify the move. Logistically, Boulder is closer to Los Angeles than Park City, making it easier for industry professionals to attend without dealing with the high-altitude struggles that Park City presented.
While Boulder may lack the ski-town appeal of Park City, it sits at 5,420 feet above sea level, which is significantly lower than Park City’s 7,000-10,000 feet—making the festival experience a little easier to navigate.
Utah didn’t let Sundance go without a fight. Governor Spencer Cox and state officials scrambled in the final months to pull together an offer to keep the festival in Park City. But in the end, Boulder’s bid was simply too strong to beat.
“Colorado is thrilled to welcome the Sundance Film Festival to its new home in Boulder starting in 2027,” Colorado Governor Jared Polis said. “Here in our state, we celebrate the arts and film industry as a key economic driver, job creator, and important contributor to our thriving culture.
“Now, with the addition of the iconic Sundance Film Festival, we can expect even more jobs, a huge benefit for our small businesses including stores and restaurants.”
With Boulder locked in as the future home of Sundance, the countdown begins for Park City’s final festival, set to take place from January 22 – February 1, 2026. The last hurrah is expected to be a major sendoff, with organizers already planning a festival that will honor its long history in Utah.
“We’re already hard at work at the next Sundance Film Festival,” said festival director Eugene Hernandez. “It will be really meaningful and special for us.”
The move is bittersweet for a lot of people. Park City and Sundance have been intertwined for decades, but with industry demands evolving, the festival had to adapt.
Boulder represents a fresh start and a chance to redefine Sundance for a new generation of filmmakers and audiences.
