The Sundance Film Festival is preparing to leave its long-time home in Utah, with many loyal attendees expressing sadness and uncertainty about the move to Boulder, Colorado. As this year's event concluded, a common question among festivalgoers was whether they would follow the festival to its new location.
Butch Ward, a regular since the early 1990s, said he will not attend in Boulder, asserting that "a Sundance outside Utah just isn't Sundance." Some attendees wore yellow scarves reading "Our last Sundance 2026" or held signs calling it "the last Sundance." Actor Suzie Taylor noted that Robert Redford's vision was rooted in Utah, and Julie Nunis, an actor from Los Angeles, said she does not wish to experience the festival any other way.
Robert Redford, who died in September at 89, founded the festival in Utah and gave his blessing for the relocation before his death. Boulder was chosen after a year-long search, with organisers citing that the festival had outgrown Park City and wanted to shed an "air of exclusivity." While some professionals and volunteers are open to giving Boulder a chance, concerns remain about losing the festival's unique identity.
Lauren Garcia, a volunteer from Seattle, spoke of a palpable sadness at the final Utah festival and questioned how the festival will continue Redford's legacy in a new place. Amy Redford, Robert Redford's daughter and a Sundance Institute trustee, expressed excitement for the transition but acknowledged a steep learning curve. She confirmed that the institute's lab programmes for emerging filmmakers will remain in Utah, at the resort Redford founded south of Park City.
"Boulder, Colorado, will be a new adventure," Amy Redford said. "It will feel like our beginnings when we were trying to figure things out." She added that the way the institute meets artists evolves out of a heartbeat that remains in Utah.
