Sundance Film Festival

Park City's Sundance years, then Boulder

Sundance is moving to Boulder in 2027. Park City hosted the Festival's best-known Utah decades, when snowy Main Street, scarce tickets, packed restaurants, and independent-film premieres filled the ski town each January.

What changed

Boulder is the new home

The 2027 Festival is planned for January 21–31 in Boulder, Colorado. Treat that as a relocation, not a simple extra satellite stop.

What remains

Main Street became the winter theater district

Theater lines in snow boots, steep Main Street blocks, crowded restaurants, and screenings spread across town defined the festival’s Utah years.

How to visit

Trace the former Park City venues

After the move, follow the Park City chapter through the Egyptian Theatre, Main Street, former screening venues, and the town’s independent-film history.

A contextual winter theater street scene in a Wasatch mountain town
Contextual art recalling Park City's winter theater streets; not a documentary image of a specific Sundance edition or venue.

So, is Sundance leaving Park City?

Yes. The Sundance Institute announced Boulder, Colorado as the Festival's home beginning in 2027, and the 2027 Festival is scheduled for January 21–31 in Boulder. The 2026 Festival was the farewell Utah edition in the old Park City / Salt Lake City format.

That changes the practical trip. If you want the current Festival, watch Boulder now. Park City still holds the Main Street venues and winter setting that defined the Festival's Utah decades.

Timeline

How a small Utah festival became Sundance

1978

The Utah festival begins in Salt Lake City

The original Utah/United States Film Festival was created to bring independent film attention to Utah and give filmmakers a serious mountain-state showcase.

1981

Park City becomes the winter home

The festival moved into January and Park City. The compact theater district, winter lodging inventory, and ski-town setting gave screenings a distinctive home for more than four decades.

1985

Sundance Institute takes the reins

Robert Redford's Institute gave the festival a deeper mission: not just screening films, but developing new voices through labs, mentorship, and year-round artist support.

1991

The Sundance Film Festival name sticks

The familiar name arrived the same year Park City at Midnight and the modern Shorts Programs took shape — two clues that Sundance was becoming its own cinematic culture.

2026

A final Utah edition before the move

The 2026 festival was scheduled for Park City and Salt Lake City, with the Institute publicly acknowledging the Utah roots before the Boulder transition.

2027

Boulder becomes the new home

Beginning January 21–31, 2027, the festival moves to Boulder, Colorado. Park City's former theater district and festival history remain visible along Main Street.

Why Park City mattered

Main Street concentrated the festival experience

Screenings, dinners, shuttle waits, hotel lobbies, and snowy sidewalk conversations clustered around Main Street and nearby venues. Audiences and filmmakers repeatedly crossed paths while moving between theaters, restaurants, and lodging.

That pressure also made the weekend expensive and occasionally maddening. Rooms booked early, restaurants filled fast, and the best night often meant choosing fewer films so you could actually enjoy the town around them.

Practical Park City weekend

See the Park City chapter on foot

Walk Main Street slowly

Start near the Egyptian Theatre, continue through the Main Street gallery blocks, and reserve dinner nearby. Many of the Festival’s best-known Utah years unfolded in this district.

Pair film lore with a ski day

Park City paired independent-film screenings with an operating winter resort town. Ski in the morning, visit Main Street in the late afternoon, and leave enough time to reach dinner.

Reserve the dinner you want

Winter weekends still fill Park City dining rooms even after the Festival relocation. Reserve the meal you care about and keep one casual fallback for bad weather or a crowded Main Street.

Useful Sundance links

Official source

Official festival site

Use the live Festival site for current dates, passes, ticket windows, venues, and announcements.

Open source →

Official source

Sundance history

Browse the official year-by-year history for films, program changes, awards, and festival milestones.

Open source →

Official source

2027 Boulder move

Read the Institute's announcement naming Boulder as the Festival home beginning in 2027.

Open source →

Before you go

Festival schedules, tickets, and venue logistics

The current Festival schedule, tickets, and venues now belong to the Boulder event. Use the official sources below for present-day screenings.

Official sourcePark City MountainUse the official resort site for lift tickets, maps, mountain operations, lessons, and events.Official sourcePark City mountain conditionsCheck terrain, lifts, snow, and weather before choosing the day’s ski area.Planning detailSundance Film FestivalCheck official festival schedules, tickets, venue details, and future host-city notes before booking around Sundance.