Utah lawmakers pony up some money to keep the Sundance Film Festival in the Beehive State
Tom Haraldsen
The City Journals
For 47 years, millions of moviegoers, producers, directors and actors have flocked to Park City for the Sundance Film Festival. But next year might be the final time that happens. The 2026 festival is scheduled for Jan. 22–Feb. 1.
The festival’s organizers have been exploring the idea of finding a new host site starting in 2027, after complaints have surfaced from independent filmmakers and the general public about costs and lack of venue space. Salt Lake City (along with co-host Park City) is one of the “finalists” for the festival's new host site, along with Boulder, Colorado and Cincinnati, Ohio.
Among the budget considerations at this year’s Utah State Legislature is a $3.5 million appropriation to help keep Sundance in Utah. Gov. Spencer Cox started with a $3 million request in his initial budget but that amount was bumped up near the end of the legislative session. Compared to Boulder’s efforts, Utah’s change in amount was small.
Colorado lawmakers have created a 10-year incentive plan, with a max of $34 million, if Sundance moves the festival to Boulder. It would allocate $4 million to $5 million a year in incentives through 2030, then $3 million a year through 2036. The Cincinnati City Council last fall approved a $5 million allocation spread out over 10 years to lure Sundance to Ohio.
In 2024, Sundance drew 72,000 in-person attendees, according to a state economic impact report, with out-of-state visitors spending $106.4 million. Figures for this year’s festival have not been released, but there was a noticeable difference in the “look and feel” to Sundance this year, largely because of the economy. That might be the biggest challenge Park City has faced in recent years – increased costs for hotel rooms and food, along with the constant traffic bottleneck in downtown Park City during the festival. Public transportation is well organized, but buses are often full and those who do choose to drive into the town often have problems finding places to park.
“It’s very difficult for an independent filmmaker and his or her crew who made their movies for a couple million dollars to justify spending another $400-500,000 to bring the team to Park City for a week,” said Julia, a publicist with New York PR firm 42 West.
That sentiment impacts Sundance attendance, particularly the last few years following the COVID-19 pandemic when fewer big studio movies have been released and brought to the festival. Most of this year’s screened movies were made by smaller independent studios, and fewer celebrities and musical performers came to SFF.
One actor interviewed this year at Sundance wants the festival to stay in Utah, albeit they want most of the screenings held in Salt Lake City, with a few in Park City. Bowen Yang, “Saturday Night Live” comedian who starred in “Wicked” in 2024 and had a film premiering at Sundance this year, prefers Utah over Colorado or Ohio.
“I love it here, the quaintness, the ski resort experience,” he said during a 20-minute visit at Eccles Theatre. “If they combine it with Salt Lake City, it’d still be just a 15- or 20-minute drive to come up here to the mountains. It adds to the unique feel of the festival compared to others. I hope it can stay.” Plus, he said, he likes it being in the Mountain time zone and only a short flight from Los Angeles.
Actress Marlee Matlin echoed those thoughts, expressing her love and appreciation for Sundance, which she has visited many times. Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardean came to SFF for the first time this year, loving the area and the state. A documentary on her life premiered at Sundance.
Wherever people gathered this year at the festival, talk about its future dominated conversations. Main Street became a pedestrian-only zone this year, which was great for attendees, but not so great for Main Street businesses that saw reduced sales.
Organizers are remaining mum on their decision, which is expected to be announced in late March or April. If Utah keeps the festival, most events would be held in downtown Salt Lake City with several screenings in Park City. Whichever way the decision goes, the Sundance Film Festival will no longer be solely hosted in Park City after Feb. 1.