Park City bids heartfelt adieu to Sundance in ode to Boulder

Festival goers walk on Main street during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Photo: TownLift//Randi Sidman-Moore

"Our lifts are mere minutes from those theater doors. From Boulder, it’s what, a drive through the night? C’mon, you know we’re right! So here you go – hats off, no jest, Your friends to the west with snow that’s best."

PARK CITY, Utah — The famed English poet William Wordsworth once said that “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” That sentiment appears to have resonated in Park City’s recent ode to Boulder, Colorado, on the departure of Sundance.

The Park City Municipal Communications team put pen to paper to compose the poem for the delegation from Boulder who were observing Sundance, including it in a welcome package that greeted them at their Main Street lodgings.

“What does someone do when they’re in their feelings? They write poetry, it’s a total natural human response,” said Clayton Scrivner, Park City director of communications.

The gesture landed as intended with its audience. 
“It struck the perfect balance of humor, affection, and earned confidence and it felt very Park City,” said Cris Jones, director of strategic partnerships for Boulder. Jones said he promptly recited the poem to Boulder’s mayor, city manager, city attorney and the executive director of the Museum of Boulder. “There was a lot of laughter, a lot of appreciation, and some serious consideration of preserving it for posterity at our Carnegie Library for Local History or the Museum of Boulder,” Jones said. Whether it does end up in a museum exhibit remains to be seen.

Beyond the poem, the visit itself carried weight for both communities. While the news of Sundance relocating came as a blow to many in Park City, Jones described the response in Boulder as “a mix of excitement, pride, curiosity, and healthy nerves.”

The Boulder visitors spent their days in Park City paying close attention to everything from crowd flow and transportation to communications, public safety coordination, and how the festival weaves itself into daily life for residents and businesses, according to Jones. Scrivner credited the Park City operations and public safety teams for helping Boulder learn what it takes to host Sundance.

As the festival prepares for its next chapter in Boulder, Park City’s poetic sendoff served as both a nod to the past and a goodwill — if slightly cheeky — gesture toward the future, underscoring that even as Sundance moves on, its roots in Park City remain firmly part of its story.