On March 27, 2025, the search for the Sundance Film Festival’s next home ended in Boulder. The Sundance Institute, the nonprofit that presents the Festival, announced that its Board of Trustees had chosen Boulder, starting with the 2027 edition.
Boulder was one of three finalists, with Cincinnati and Salt Lake City. The Institute said the search took a year, from a request for information through full proposals, meetings and site visits, with finalists judged on infrastructure, values and their capacity to host.
What the Institute planned for Boulder
The Institute’s outline that day anchored the Festival downtown, in theaters and venues there and in spaces around the Pearl Street Mall, with some gathering places on the University of Colorado Boulder campus. It said lodging and infrastructure would be worked out with Boulder’s host committee to keep attending affordable.
Who put the bid together
The winning proposal came from Visit Boulder, Boulder’s convention and visitors bureau, according to Governor Jared Polis’s office. It was backed by state offices, including the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade and the Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media, and by a regional coalition that included the City of Boulder, CU Boulder and the Boulder Chamber, which the Film Commission is part of.
John Tayer, the Chamber’s President and CEO, thanked Governor Polis and Visit Boulder that day for their leadership. He said the Chamber understands the responsibility that comes with hosting and is committed to its role.
What has happened since:
- April 8, 2025: Governor Polis signed HB25-1005, Tax Incentive for Film Festivals. As enacted, it allows a qualifying global film festival up to $34 million in refundable tax credits in total over calendar years 2027 through 2036, and existing or small Colorado festivals up to $5 million between them.
- January 22 to February 1, 2026: The Festival’s last edition before the move ran in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, its home for more than 40 years.
- February 24, 2026: The Festival set its first Boulder edition for January 21-31, 2027, and named its official venues, including 11 theaters, three on the CU Boulder campus.
The Film Commission does not run the Festival, but we can point you to the people who do. Our Sundance Film Festival page has the Sundance Film Festival Partner Hub for local businesses and spaces, and an FAQ with the right contact for volunteering, sponsorship, city permits and lodging.
Read the full story at Sundance Institute.
