Last year the Sundance Film Festival announced it would explore moving to a new location starting in 2027, citing financial pressures and a lack of accessibility in Park City.
Along with Utah, the finalists to land a new ten-year contract with Sundance are Boulder, Colorado and Cincinnati, Ohio. A decision is expected in the next several months.
Park City Chamber CEO Jennifer Wesselhoff said the group leading Utah’s bid includes a number of parties.
“We’re part of really a united statewide team that includes the governor and Utah legislators,” Wesselhoff said. “It includes the Utah Office of Tourism, the [Utah] film commission, Park City and Summit County, also the city and county of Salt Lake. And of course, Visit Salt Lake. We’re all working really closely to put together a bid.”
Utah’s pitch to keep Sundance involves a new festival layout that would differ from how the event typically operates, with more screenings and events in Salt Lake City.
“The bid is really kind of bringing Salt Lake City more into the footprint,” Wesselhoff said. “Some of the concerns that we’ve heard early on, and really weren’t a surprise to us, is just the general cost here in Park City, particularly with the over 800 people that they house as part of their staff and volunteers and contract workers. So trying to find a way to really address their needs, but still have a really strong footprint in Park City and partner with Salt Lake.”
Wesselhoff said she met officials from Boulder and Cincinnati who scouted the film festival over the weekend.
According to a report from Sundance, the 2024 festival drew over 70,000 attendees and generated over $130 million in GDP for Utah.
Along with providing a strong economic impact, Wesselhoff said Sundance is also vital to Park City’s identity.
“It really celebrates who we are in our community, and we want to continue to do that, and we feel like we’ve put together a really great bid,” she said. “We’d rather focus on 2025 and 2026 and wait for news to respond about what that impact might be until we really know what the decision is.”
Sundance Film Festival Director Eugene Hernandez said last week the nonprofit intends to make a final decision about relocation in the late winter or early spring.
