A love song to the Sundance Film Festival, how not to miss out in 2026

Main Street, Park City during the Sundance Film Festival in 2023. Photo: Sundance Institute

My experiences with the Sundance Film Festival (SFF) reach back to 1985, when I saw “Brother From Another Planet” at the Egyptian Theater. For many years, I just saw an occasional film when the festival was in town. One year, I took my daughter and friends to Main Street, where they wanted to look for celebrities. It was quite funny when Johnny Depp walked right by them without them recognizing him. I did point him out before he was out of sight.

In 2012, I applied to be a signup volunteer. That changed everything. Volunteering places you into a group of people that quickly become family; some of the people working at the library with me still volunteer there. Wherever we see each other, we greet each other like old friends. It doesn’t matter which position you work—one year, I had to make announcements in the tent without a bullhorn. One of the other volunteers, an actress, taught me exercises to increase my volume. (FYI: They worked.) Volunteering gives you perks, like parties and screenings just for volunteers. I discovered documentaries during these screenings.

Many of the films included at SFF don’t make it into wide release. This is especially true for documentaries, no matter how good they are. If you catch a movie during its premiere, the director or stars may answer questions from the audience. Some of those films can change lives or highlight just what really happened in the past. 

2013 turned out to be especially memorable. As a local volunteer, I was invited to participate in the creation of the Volunteer Appreciation Short. From the back, I happened to look like the actress who filmed a segment for it in New York, so I found myself with a small part, rushing off with a badge on the way towards Main Street. I was about to start my first shift when I received a phone call that my mother had a heart attack and was on her way to the hospital in Germany. The SFF staff couldn’t have been more helpful; I checked out, headed home, and was on the next flight to Germany within hours. I missed my big-screen debut but did make it to the hospital before my panicked sister, who has Down syndrome, had to spend the night there alone. 

My Sundance family from 2012 returned to stay at my place before the festival started in 2014. They came from France, California, and Australia. That week, I hosted three more SFF volunteers from Seattle, Chicago, and New York, as well as the writer of the musical “Fela!,” who invited me to their private celebration with performances from the musical. It was magical. One of those volunteers was Devon Edwards, a Volunteer of the Year winner a few years later, and another was Carl Henderson, who has since joined me in Park City. I volunteered during the summer labs as well, some of which are expected to remain in Utah. This is where I met Cheryl Soshnik, another Volunteer of the Year winner, and Kevin Kane, who are now some of my closest friends.

Events and categories come and go, but I enjoyed many of the panels at the festivals. Most are free to the general public and take place at venues such as The Box at The Ray, which is in the basement of the The Ray Theater. 

For a while, SFF was a hotbed for new technology. New ways of telling stories appeared every year. When Oculus Rift came out, I virtually attended an EDM concert in Las Vegas. Another year, I wandered through a Syrian market when a missile struck. In 2020, I took off in a rocket wearing a headset and flotation devices while suspended in the pool of the SFF headquarters. Main Street has hosted companies presenting virtual experiences free to the public and panels if you preregister online, such as the anniversary celebrations of movies like “Napoleon Dynamite,” which handed out free tater tots from a food truck in 2024. 

As a volunteer, I have talked to stars such as John Lithgow and the climber/directors of Meru. As a reporter, I’ve interviewed directors, stars, and film subjects. Don’t miss this chance to enjoy some of the films, events, and celebrations this coming year. Volunteer applications can be found on SFF’s website, where packages for locals will be offered for the 2026 SFF. If the past is any indication, free events will still be available.