Utah’s bid for Sundance Film Festival could take the spotlight off Park City

The Egyptian Theater. Photo: Courtesy of the Sundance Institute.

'Sundance would mostly transplant itself to Salt Lake; Park City would become a minor satellite. This would mark a profound change, logistically and spiritually.' - Variety writer Owen Gleiberman

PARK CITY, Utah —  After the 2026 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, festival organizers are considering new locations to anchor the festival. While Utah is in the running, Park City may no longer be the star of the show.

A recent announcement by the Sundance Institute stated that Salt Lake City/Park City, Boulder and Cincinnati are the three cities in the running to host the Sundance Film Festival starting in 2027. However, if Utah wins the bid for 2027 and beyond, the order of the names in the finalist announcement “Salt Lake City / Park City” may not just be a coincidence.

Virginia Pearce, director of the Utah Film Commission recently shared with ABC4 that one of the bid committee’s most notable pitches is to move the majority of the festival from Park City to Utah’s capital. “That proposal of moving the majority of the festival to Salt Lake would be kind of an entirely new approach to the festival experience than we’ve known in the past,” Pearce said.

The Sundance Film Festival selection committee spent time in late August touring key venues, theaters, performing arts facilities, and restaurants across Salt Lake City, highlighting the theme of Two Cities, One Experience, preserving the legacy of the Park City experience while expanding the Salt Lake City footprint.

Variety writer Owen Gleiberman said in a recent article “I’ve been going to Sundance since 1995, and I have never once been to a screening in Salt Lake City. But in the new arrangement, if the dual Utah locales were to win out, Sundance would mostly transplant itself to Salt Lake; Park City would become a minor satellite. This would mark a profound change, logistically and spiritually.”

Deadline has also commented on the Utah bid focusing on making Salt Lake City the main festival hub by saying “It’s an ambitious plan that, at its core, would see the much larger and more accessible Salt Lake City become the festival hub and Park City highlighted as more of a special events and weekend satellite.”

Current contractual obligations through 2026 require the majority of festival programing to occur in Park City, however satellite locations like Salt Lake City and Sundance Mountain Resort are allowed to host festival programming such as film screenings and events. This structure is all up for reconsideration in the Salt Lake City/Park City 2027 Festival bid.

“Park City has been the heart of the Sundance Film Festival for over four decades, and we are thrilled to have a chance to continue being a host city in partnership with our neighboring communities,” said Park City Mayor Nann Worel.

Can Utah keep Sundance in the state?

In a joint effort with Salt Lake City and other state partners, Park City has emphasized a collaborative approach to meeting Sundance’s needs for the future and to keep the festival in Utah.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox shared in a press conference on Thursday, “Sundance and Utah are connected in ways that it would devastate both of us to have that separation happen”

“We are very proud of the proposal we put together with Salt Lake City and all our Utah partners. We are working hard to keep Sundance in Utah. Based on Sundance’s expressed interest, our group effort includes expanding into Salt Lake City for affordability and access to more venues,” Park City Sundance bid officials said in a shared statement.

Can Sundance endure leaving Park City?

Many have debated whether Sundance will retain its nostalgic feel if it stays in Utah but moves its primary roots from Park City. As Owen Gleiberman wrote in Variety, “I pray that they don’t take what began as the reel thing and drain it, through geography, into a ghostly imitation.”

Sundance has long been a cultural and economic driver for Park City, making these discussions significant as the community looks ahead to 2027 and beyond. The Sundance Institute will announce its selection of the host city sometime after the 2025 Festival has concluded.

Park City, Salt Lake face stiff competition from Boulder, Cincinnati for the future of Sundance Film Festival

Editors Note: Rebecca Brenner, Laura Modena and Brian Modena contributed to this article