Sundance Moving to Boulder, Colorado in 2027

variety.com:

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.