The Sundance Film Festival will relocate to Boulder, Colo. in 2027, ending its decades-long run in Park City, Utah. The festival reached a 10 year-deal with city officials after an extensive search for a new base of operations. The snowy haven prevailed against two other finalists: Cincinnati, Ohio and Salt Lake City and Park City.
In selecting Boulder, the festival’s leadership cited the fact that it is a college town as well as a tech hub. It also highlighted the community’s natural beauty, something that has been a key component of Sundance, which has always boasted itself as an opportunity to watch great movies against an alpine backdrop.
“One of the things that we also thought about is one of Robert Redford’s founding principles, which is this notion of making sure that the festival has a sense of space and a sense of place,” said Amanda Kelso, Sundance Institute’s acting CEO. “One of the things that you’ll see when you walk around [Boulder] is we are surrounded by this breathtaking Flat Iron Mountain Range, and it’s truly an incredible vibe. So when you’re walking from theater to theater, you’ll really get this opportunity to sort of metabolize what you just watched while convening in nature.”
The city has earned the nickname “People’s Republic of Boulder,” which one popular tourism site attributes to “unique character, progressive values and engaged citizenry.” It’s known as eco-friendly and open to artists and countercultures.
Still, the move to Boulder begins a new and uncertain era for the film festival. After all, Park City has become synonymous with Sundance, having served as its home since 1985. Over the years, it has hosted the premieres of films like “Reservoir Dogs,” “Napoleon Dynamite,” “Sex, Lies and Videotape,” and “Little Miss Sunshine” that ignited the indie revolution of the ’90s and early aughts. This helped redefine moviemaking into something edgier, sexier and more subversive.
But the art form that Sundance celebrates has struggled amid a global pandemic and a prolonged box office slump. The 2024 edition lacked the kind of buzzy new films that once used the festival as a launching ground. Though a few movies like the horror film “Together” and the historical drama “Train Dreams” were sold during Sundance, it’s taken months for other films to find distribution. It’s not just a sign of the punishing new economics of releasing these kinds of movies in theaters. It also signals that streaming services like Netflix that were once aggressive buyers at film festivals have tightened their acquisitions spending.
At the same time, the festival’s relationship with the town has also become strained. Studio executives and agents have been frustrated by the high cost of sending people to Park City, while some locals have grown disenchanted with the influx of fans and press into their tiny hamlet. The fact that the festival is held in the height of ski season, the main source of revenue for the community, has also been a source of tension.
From Sundance’s perspective, the festival was struggling to find enough places for filmmakers to showcase their work. During COVID, the town lost theaters after one venue went bankrupt and another, the Redstone, was remodeled into a luxury venue with fewer seats. Even if Sundance had stayed in Utah, Park City was going to play a much smaller role, hosting only a few events. Under that plan, Salt Lake City would have become the festival’s main hub.
In April 2024, The Sundance Institute, the nonprofit behind the festival, announced that it was entertaining proposals from “viable locations in the United States” to host the festival when its current contract expired with Park City in 2026. Over 100 potential cities and town expressed interest, 13 of which submitted proposals. After several rounds, three finalists emerged. One of these was Cincinnati, Ohio and the other was a proposal that would keep Sundance in Utah.
Sundance appointed a task force to vet potential new home bases. Amy Redford, the daughter of the festival’s founder Robert Redford, was part of that group. As part of the process, the team evaluated the various locations’ infrastructure and event capabilities. The task force offered its recommendations to Sundance’s board, which voted on Wednesday.
In a statement, Robert Redford expressed his gratitude to the state of Utah, while characterizing the organization’s decision to move as a necessary step. “What we’ve created is remarkably special and defining,” he said. “As change is inevitable, we must always evolve and grow, which has been at the core of our survival. This move will ensure that the Festival continues its work of risk taking, supporting innovative storytellers, fostering independence, and entertaining and enlightening audiences. I am grateful to the Boulder community for its support, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for the festival there.”
Boulder’s downtown will become the central hub of the festival, with the city’s theaters and venues hosting screenings and events. There’s also a pedestrian-only block called Pearl Street that will be a locus of activity. The festival said it will also use select spots on the University of Colorado Boulder campus. It said it is working with the city to enhance its infrastructure and accommodation options. Sundance’s leaders expect that Boulder will have more theaters and venues than Park City.
In a statement, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said his state was “thrilled” to welcome Sundance. “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,” he said. “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.”
The festival’s leadership declined to detail what tax breaks and other financial incentives Boulder offered it to relocate and how those compared to the other finalists.
“Each city and state came to the table with incredible packages, with incredible incentives, but also more more importantly, with incredible passion,” said Ebs Burnough, chair of the Sundance Institute’s board. “We were very diligent in our process to have the financial piece of it be just that — a piece of it.”
In an interview before the news was announced, the festival’s leaders talked excitedly about Boulder, but they also acknowledged that there was something bittersweet about having only one more year left in Park City.
“The Utah audience has for 40-plus years, shown up year after year and been an incredibly enthusiastic and embracing audience for this festival,” said Eugene Hernandez, Sundance Film Festival Director. “I frankly, can’t wait to be there on day one, on January 22, 2026, to start unveiling the next program and and in all sincerity, invite that loyal, committed audience of Sundance Film Festival fans to continue that relationship with us in 2027 and beyond.”