Sundance's Final Park City Festival, First Since Redford's Death, Heading to Boulder

The 2026 Sundance Film Festival closed out its long run in Park City with a mix of nostalgia and forward-looking statements as organizers confirmed the event will move to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027. The departure marks the festival’s final edition in the Utah mountains and the first since the death of Sundance founder Robert Redford.

Festival leadership and guests reflected on decades of history in a small ski-resort town with a regular population of fewer than 8,500 people. Sources variously described Sundance’s Park City run as “41 years” and “40-plus years,” underscoring the sense of an era ending even as organizers framed the move as the start of a new chapter. Amy Redford, a member of the Sundance Institute board of trustees, told a press event in Park City, “These mountains have a funny way of adding perspective. Utah is the bedrock that allowed us to build. ... Park City is the portal for so many stories to be set free to the world.” She added that the filmmakers who come to Sundance “might just be the next one to change the world,” calling the festival “a shot of hope to seek out the unknowns.”

Eugene Hernandez, Sundance Film Festival Director, addressed attendees before a ceremony during the festival’s final weekend and framed the gathering as a time to “elevate vital artistic voices.” Hernandez provided selection and operational figures: “More than 16,000 features, shorts and episodic works were submitted, but only 150 were invited to this year’s festival.” He also extended thanks to staff, seasonal workers and “1,400 volunteers.”

Industry and local voices mixed at screenings and industry events. John Cooper, former festival director, spoke at a tribute gala for Redford, saying, “We worked together all the time to make sense of it all ... Residents opened their homes and their hearts; the Sundance spirit was held in the people because the show always went on, here in Park City, here in Utah.” Adrian Wootton, CEO of Film London and the British Film Commission, told attendees at the High West distillery’s Brunch with the Brits, “Obviously, there’ll be a new future in Boulder, I hope we’ll be back there; but we’ve been really grateful for this fantastic relationship with Park City, thank you to them for hosting us over so many years.”

On Main Street and in screening rooms, filmmakers and residents traded memories. Ethan Hawke captured the mood of loss and memory: “What I will miss most is my youth. The streets are full of memories,” and “It’s hard not to feel a disturbance in the force.” Park City native and producer Fletcher Keyes recalled buying his first skis in a room that once housed a Sports Authority and said, “So it’s really meaningful to have this moment at the last Sundance and to feature our film here.” A local attendee identified as Ellis described the week as an inspiration and tied festival attention to environmental advocacy, saying, “The film is already making waves in raising awareness about the Great Salt Lake … We think we helped to save the lake, the state of Utah and maybe the West.”

Programming at the final Park City festival included the Park City Legacy Program of archival screenings, the Redford tribute gala, and screenings across Park City and Salt Lake City. Organizers emphasized both the competitiveness of selection and the volunteer backbone that keeps the event running.

For Summit County, the festival’s departure closes a chapter that blended local hospitality and global attention. Residents, volunteers and small businesses who have hosted filmmakers and audiences for decades face an economic and cultural transition. As leaders and filmmakers pointed out, the festival’s spirit will persist, even as Sundance seeks a fresh home in Boulder; Kelso summed up the sentiment by invoking Redford’s words and this year’s theme: “Everyone has a story.”