Sundance returns to Park City for final Utah edition before move

The Sundance Film Festival will return to in-person programming in Park City and Salt Lake City from Jan. 22–Feb. 1, 2026, marking what organizers frame as the festival’s final Utah edition before a scheduled relocation to Boulder, Colorado in 2027. The event will also include an at-home program running Jan. 29–Feb. 1 to broaden access for audiences who cannot travel.

Organizers expect roughly 90 films to premiere across the 10-day window, spanning comedies, dramas, documentaries, thrillers and projects that resist simple categorization. The line-up is being presented as a mix of emerging voices and established alumni, with filmmakers such as Gregg Araki returning to reflect on the festival’s role and Daniel Roher bringing two films: his narrative debut Tuner and the world premiere of The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, co-directed with Charlie Tyrell. Roher previously screened Navalny at Sundance in 2022.

The 2026 Festival will foreground its Park City legacy with archival and restoration screenings grouped under a Park City Legacy program that explicitly cites restored titles including Little Miss Sunshine, Mysterious Skin, House Party, Humpday and Robert Redford’s 1969 independent film Downhill Racer. The retrospectives and artist talks are being presented as a tribute to Redford and his vision for independent cinema, and select events tied to that programming are scheduled during the festival.

Star power and high-profile honorees are expected to draw attention from buyers and the wider industry. Natalie Portman and Charli XCX are listed as on-site attendees, and a fundraising event that honors Redford will recognize filmmakers and actors including Chloé Zhao, Ed Harris and Nia DaCosta. Trade coverage anticipates that several festival selections could emerge as future awards contenders, continuing Sundance’s tradition as a launchpad for projects that cross into mainstream prestige conversation.

Main Street in Park City will again be a hub for pop-ups, sponsor activations and networking, with volunteer-staffed venues and long lines likely amid subfreezing temperatures. Notable activations include the Cinema Café at the Filmmaker Lodge, 550 Main St., presented by Audible from Jan. 23–29; the Dropbox House at 501 Main St., a creator-focused space in partnership with IndieWire hosting panels and premiere parties for films such as Hot Water, American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez and Once Upon a Time in Harlem; and a free afternoon program called Everyone Has a Story: Four Decades of the Sundance Film Festival in Utah at The Marquis, 427 Main St. Community-focused events such as CAPE Presents Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience at Alpine Distilling will provide final-bow gatherings for regional filmmakers and allies.

The festival remains organized by the nonprofit Sundance Institute, and proceeds from ticket sales are earmarked to support year-round artist development through labs, grants, fellowships and residencies. That institutional mission frames the festival’s move as both an operational shift and a cultural moment for Park City, which has hosted Sundance for more than 40 years and relied on the economic and creative spillover the event generates.

Ticket packages and passes went on sale Oct. 22, 2025, and single-film tickets went on sale Jan. 14, 2026. Passes and packages are available at festival.sundance.org/tickets. As the industry watches how Sundance balances celebration and transition, the 2026 edition will serve as both a showcase for contemporary independent film and a final salute to the festival’s Utah home.