Organizers for the Sundance Film Festival have released more information on the world-famous event ahead of its Boulder debut in January 2027. In late February, Sundance announced the dates for bringing the marquee event to Colorado. Now, as fall approaches and plans accelerate, organizers have announced further details around events, dates and volunteering.
The latest planning details give Boulder residents a clearer picture of what to expect. World premieres are scheduled for Jan. 21 to 26, with the annual festival gala set for Jan. 22. Online screenings are planned for Jan. 28 to 31, and awards are scheduled for Jan. 29. Sundance has also identified Hotel Boulderado as festival headquarters, placing a major hub steps from Pearl Street and near several downtown venues.
“Nestled at the base of Colorado’s iconic Flatirons, venues across the city and CU Boulder’s campus provide an ideal setting for festivalgoers from across the world to come together, revel in art, spark conversation, and create unforgettable memories. Boulder offers a renowned creative arts and tech scene, paired with the vibrant CU Boulder students, faculty and staff,” Eugene Hernandez, the festival director, said.
State lawmakers and a Boulder coalition, including the Chamber of Commerce and the University of Colorado Boulder, are offering $70 million in incentives over the next decade for the world-famous film festival.
Boulder was selected in March 2025 after a multi-city search for Sundance’s post-Utah home. Beginning in 2027, the festival is expected to make Boulder its home for the next decade, after decades in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah.
One of the biggest changes from Sundance’s Utah era may be geographic. Organizers have described the Boulder festival footprint as concentrated within roughly a two-mile radius, rather than spread across multiple communities. That smaller footprint could make the festival easier to navigate, but it also raises familiar local questions about lodging prices, parking, transit, short-term rentals, downtown crowds and how neighborhood impacts will be managed during the 11-day event.
Ticket pricing and pass details had not been fully released by late summer, though more information was expected in September. Volunteer applications for the 2027 festival are scheduled to open Aug. 31, with Sundance expected to rely on a large volunteer corps for its first Boulder edition.
CU Boulder’s role has also expanded. The university has been named an official university partner, with plans for academic programming, student volunteer and internship opportunities, discounted student tickets, free on-campus screenings and student-only conversations with filmmakers and festival participants. Campus venues will include Macky Auditorium, Roe Green Theatre, Old Main Chapel and Muenzinger Auditorium.
Programming is also expected to grow for the Boulder debut. Sundance has said its four central competition categories—U.S. Dramatic, World Cinema Dramatic, U.S. Documentary and World Cinema Documentary—will expand to 12 films each. Offscreen programming, including Cinema Café, The Big Conversation and Power of Story, is also expected to expand, with live podcast recordings and the return of New Frontier FLUX.
Sundance’s confirmed venue list includes screening theaters in downtown Boulder, on CU Boulder’s campus, at Dairy Arts Center and at Boulder Valley School District sites, plus several spaces for talks and festival programming.