After what feels like an eternity, the Sundance Film Festival is finally ready to officially start anew in the college city of Boulder, Colorado. The news came out way back in March 2025 about the possible shift in venue from Park City, Utah, to either Boulder or Cincinnati. It was later confirmed that the former has made the cut for the 2027 event. 

It is a rather emotional shift, but it adds a new chapter in the journey of the prestigious institution that has given a much-needed stage to countless classics of cinema history.

With the same zeal to provide global recognition to independent films, the Sundance Film Festival has dropped the dates and venues for 2027.

The mecca of indie films will hold screenings from January 21-31, 2027, at different locations throughout the college town. The Boulder Theater, Casey Middle School Auditorium, Boulder High School Auditorium, Chautauqua Auditorium, Cinemark Century Boulder, eTown Hall, and the Gordon Gamm Theater and Boedecker Theater at the Dairy Arts Center are all among the official movie theaters to be used for screenings. 

The festival will also make use of a number of University of Colorado Boulder venues, such as the Roe Green Theater, Muenzinger Auditorium, and Macky Auditorium Concert Hall. The Boulder Public Library District's Canyon Theater, the Dairy Arts Center, eTown Hall, and Old Main at the University of Colorado Boulder will host talks and festival activities.

With the details of the festival, there were some encouraging words about the venue by the Sundance Film Festival and Public Programming Director, Eugene Hernandez.

“Working closely with the Colorado community, the 2027 Sundance Film Festival is already in our sights as we build towards an exciting debut in Boulder where our programming will meet audiences next January.”

This announcement has established that the institution is at the cusp of a new era, which will surely lead to new and greater things for the film fraternity. 

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However, there are still quite a few who are wondering what went wrong with the old Sundance Film Festival location.

It was suggested by the organizers that in the course of its 40 years of existence, the festival has outgrown Park City. According to them, the city lacked the theaters or reasonably priced housing needed to continue holding what has grown to be one of the largest film events in North America.

Cincinnati, Boulder, and Salt Lake City were all in the running for the next home of the Sundance Film Festival. In the end, Boulder was chosen for its closeness to nature, small-town charm, and active community, which the organizers claimed would give Sundance the perfect environment for its future. 

Amanda Kelso, acting chief executive of the Sundance Institute, shared her thoughts on the move to Boulder in an interview in 2025.

“Boulder is a tech town, it’s a college town, it’s an arts town, and it’s a mountain town. At 100,000 people, a larger town than Park City, it gives us the space to expand.”

Now that Boulder has been chosen as the new venue for the Festival, the only thing that remains to be seen is how it suits the lively and fervent film extravaganza.

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What do you think of this shift from Park City to Boulder? Do you think the festival might lose its charm, or will it add a fresh outlook to the event? Let us know in the comments.