New Park City Film Festival to Replace Sundance

Park City may have lost the Sundance Film Festival, but the mountain community isn’t ready to give up its place in the independent film world.

A new film festival is being planned for Park City, giving Utah movie fans something to look forward to following Sundance’s departure for Boulder, Colorado. The announcement comes just months after Sundance wrapped up its final Utah festival, ending a run that made Park City nearly synonymous with independent filmmaking.

Sundance on the Move

Sundance had been based primarily in Park City for more than four decades. The Sundance Institute announced in March 2025 that Boulder would become the festival’s new home beginning in 2027 following an extensive search for a location that could accommodate future growth. The first Boulder festival is scheduled for Jan. 21-31, 2027.

Major Economic Impact

Losing Sundance was more than a cultural blow for Utah. The festival routinely brought tens of thousands of visitors to the state and generated a major economic boost for hotels, restaurants, shops and other businesses during the middle of winter. Sundance estimated its 2024 festival generated about $132 million in economic impact for Utah. That history makes the announcement of another Park City film festival particularly significant.

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While replacing Sundance’s international profile overnight would be nearly impossible, Park City already has the theaters, hospitality industry and decades of experience that come with hosting filmmakers, actors, journalists and movie fans from around the world. The new festival also provides an opportunity to build something distinctly Utah rather than simply trying to recreate Sundance.

Park City Trek

Those traveling north from Southern Utah to Park City could remain a destination for independent film, even as Sundance begins its next chapter across the state line in Colorado.