Sundance Film Festival will officially make the jump from the snowy mountains of Utah to its neighboring state of Colorado, following a yearlong search for potential new locations.
Hosted by the Sundance Institute every January, the independent film festival is considered to be the largest in the U.S. and has remained in Utah since its 1978 inception. It was founded there in an effort to attract more filmmakers to Utah.
However, organizers have said the festival has outgrown its Park City location and is ready to move to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027, after one final year in Utah. Sundance’s 2026 edition will take place in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, from January 22 to February 1, 2026.
“Boulder is a tech town, it’s a college town, it’s an arts town, and it’s a mountain town,” Amanda Kelso, acting chief executive of the Sundance Institute, said in a Thursday interview from Boulder, per The Associated Press. “At 100,000 people, a larger town than Park City, it gives us the space to expand.”
Organizers said that Boulder emerged as the winning location due to its close proximity to nature, small-town charm, vibrant arts scene, and an engaged community that provides Sundance the ideal setting for its future.
Boulder officials managed to entice Sundance with the offer of $34 million in tax credits over 10 years. Salt Lake City had offered $3.5 million to have Sundance remain in Utah, while Cincinnati, Ohio had set aside $2.5 million for Sundance and an additional $2.5 million if it was selected.
“Colorado is thrilled to welcome the Sundance Film Festival to its new home in Boulder starting in 2027,” said Colorado Governor Jared Polis in a statement. “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.”
The festival began in Salt Lake City as the Utah/United States Film Festival before moving to Park City in 1981. It was later renamed the Sundance Film Festival in 1991.
The decision to move Sundance outside Utah caused worry among many festival attendees and industry leaders who feared it would lose its identity outside its idyllic mountain hometown.
Throughout the years, Sundance has become a major presence in the film industry, offering launchpads for several big-time filmmakers, including Steven Soderbergh and Ryan Coogler. Its latest iteration in January was attended by several A-list celebrities including Jennifer Lopez, Bowen Yang, Ayo Edebiri, Dylan O’Brien and Lauren Graham.
