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Sundance Film Festival has lived in Park City, Utah for over forty years, since the non-profit organization coupled with their independent film festival made its debut in Salt Lake City in 1978. Independent filmmaking storytellers, with their films in tow, premier their projects at the ten-day movie lover event, in which moviegoers are the first to see films premier before they are potentially acquired for distribution and eventually appear in categories during Hollywood’s esteemed awards season. 

Park City and the legendary Egyptian Theater will bid farewell to the 2026 Sundance Film Festival (January 22—February 1), and the non-profit organization will make themselves at home at the Boulder Theater of Boulder, Colorado in 2027. The Rocky Mountains are the festival’s new backdrop, and the quaint mountainous college town is comprised of a flourishing art and tech scene. With a plethora of theaters, social settings, and an essential pedestrian-only street via Pearl Street Mall, downtown Boulder offers the perfect infrastructure for attendees. 

Board of Trustees of the Sundance Institute diligently sifted through the information presented in the proposals from finalists in the contest, which were Cincinnati, Ohio, and Salt Lake City, Utah, before selecting Boulder. “This decision was informed by a detailed evaluation of the key components essential to creating our Festival. During the process, it became clear that Boulder is the ideal location in which to build our Festival’s future, marking a key strategic step in its natural evolution,” said Ebs Burnough, Sundance Institute Board Chair. 

Sundance Institute was named after Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, a movie the institute’s founder, Academy award winning actor Robert Redford, starred in with Paul Newman. Redford created the organization with the intention of dedicating a space in which independent national and international filmmakers may showcase their movies. “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,” said Robert Redford, Sundance Institute President and Founder.

Visit Sundance Institute for more information on how to submit your film, festival dates, and all things Sundance, and follow them on social media at @sundanceorg.

 

Photo Credits: D. Scott Clark and Sundance Institute