Park City Issues Rules of the Road for Sundance

Park City City Hall issued its annual Rules of the Road guidance on January 2 to set expectations for businesses, event organizers and residents ahead of the Sundance Film Festival, which runs Jan. 22 to Feb. 1, 2026. The document lays out a range of permitting, licensing and operational requirements for temporary festival activations and specifies timelines festival participants must follow.

Key administrative items include an explanation of how the Main Street chain-business cap will be applied during festival activations and detailed requirements and deadlines for convention sales licenses and temporary beverage permits. The guidance also reiterates rules governing building, sign and film permits so that storefront activations and on-location filming comply with local codes.

Operational controls in the document are focused on public safety and traffic flow. Crowd-management plans and safety protocols are required for any venue expecting public crowds. The city also imposed load-in and load-out restrictions, allowing load-in only on city-specified dates, and announced parking restrictions on Main Street during the event. Main Street will again be pedestrian-only early in the festival, a move organizers say is intended to prioritize foot traffic and on-street activations while reducing vehicle congestion.

For Summit County residents and local businesses, the guidance carries several practical implications. Retailers, restaurants and temporary vendors planning activations or special sales must secure the appropriate licenses and permits within the timelines on the city’s permitting calendar or risk denial or fines. Hospitality and transportation services should anticipate heightened pedestrian activity, altered traffic patterns and limited curb access on Main Street during peak festival days. Residents should expect a denser international and national visitor presence, changes to street parking availability and increased enforcement of loading and signage rules.

The Rules of the Road document and the accompanying permitting calendar are posted by City Hall on the municipal website; businesses and property owners are advised to consult those resources immediately to confirm deadlines and submission requirements. Early planning and coordination with city permitting staff remain the most reliable way to avoid disruptions and ensure that festival activations comply with public-safety and neighborhood-preservation objectives.