The Sundance Institute has announced six finalist cities in its search for a home for the Sundance Film Festival, which is set to begin in 2027.
In addition to the festival's historic hometowns of Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, other cities under consideration include Atlanta, Boulder, Colorado, Cincinnati, Louisville, Kentucky, and Santa Fe.
In the coming weeks, the Sundance Institute selection committee, comprised of board members and staff, will visit each city with plans to announce a selection late this year or early 2025.
“As we carefully consider this important decision for our festival, we believe these six finalists provide us with the best opportunity to not only secure a sustainable future for our festival, but also to build on its legacy as we continue to support the next generation of storytellers and highlight bold new works of art,” said Ebs Burnough, chair of the Sundance Institute board of directors, and Amanda Kelso, interim executive director of the Sundance Institute, in a joint statement.
Among the characteristics evaluated for each city are infrastructure, geographic footprint, event capabilities and logistics, local equity values, and costs.
The 2025 and 2026 festivals will continue to be held in Park City and Salt Lake City. Festival insiders stress that this search process is very real and not simply a negotiating tactic to gain more support for a contract renewal from the state of Utah and the cities of Park City and Salt Lake City.
“Reaching six finalists was a difficult decision,” said Eugene Hernandez, festival director and director of public programming, in a statement. “These cities understand our philosophy, are aligned with our core values, and have shown us exciting possibilities for partnership with our Festival, for our artists, audiences, and everyone who wants to be a part of the Sundance Film Festival, and that makes us want to see more.”
