Boulder prepares for Sundance’s 2027 debut as local plans take shape

Sundance’s first Boulder festival is scheduled for Jan. 21–31, 2027, with events planned at venues across the city and the University of Colorado Boulder. The festival expects roughly 100,000 visitors, but transportation plans, lodging capacity and public costs remain unsettled.

The Sundance Institute’s announcement of the 2027 dates and venues lists the Dairy Arts Center, Boulder High School Auditorium, Boulder Theater, Casey Middle School Auditorium, Chautauqua Auditorium, Cinemark Century Boulder, eTown Hall, Macky Auditorium, Muenzinger Auditorium and CU Boulder’s Roe Green Theatre. Talks and other programming are planned at the Boulder Public Library District’s Canyon Theater, the Dairy Arts Center, eTown Hall and CU Boulder’s Old Main.

At a Superior Town Council presentation Aug. 24, Sundance representatives said the festival could draw roughly 100,000 visitors over 11 days. The estimate was based on about 85,000 attendees in 2025 and a higher 2026 figure, according to the presentation, which did not provide a separate methodology or final Boulder-specific forecast.

The presentation cited about 500 screenings during the 2025 festival and said Boulder would have “a bit more than that.” It also referenced roughly 3,000 jobs generated by hiring and surrounding activity in a comparable prior year. Those are comparison figures, not final 2027 commitments; no Boulder-specific jobs projection or economic-impact estimate was provided.

Sundance expects ticket packages and passes to go on sale in October, the program and schedule to be announced in December, and single tickets to become available in January. The presentation also lists early-January ticket-package fulfillment. Those milestones are still in the future.

Superior officials expressed interest in partnering with Sundance. Council Member Mike Foster said the town wanted to “partner, collaborate, [and] be a part of the process,” while Mayor Mark Lacis said Superior was interested in continuing to work with staff on possible participation. Sundance representative Jeff Levine said the festival welcomed a partnership. A proposed hub for businesses, property owners, brands and community organizations could include promotional materials, website listings and limited tickets, but no Superior participant, agreement, funding request or infrastructure commitment has been identified.

The festival’s recent Utah results offer context, not a Boulder forecast. Sundance’s 2025 attendance and economic-impact report says 85,472 people attended in person and redeemed 130,710 screening tickets. The festival estimated $196.1 million in total economic impact, 2,697 Utah jobs and $103.3 million in Utah wages. About 33% of attendees came from outside Utah and spent an estimated $162.4 million in the state. The report covers an 11-day festival in Park City and Salt Lake City, whose scale and distribution of activity may differ from Boulder’s.

Boulder has created a Festival Lodging Rental License for homeowners and qualifying tenants renting homes for 29 days or fewer during an approved festival. Visit Boulder is working with property-management companies on licensing, guest services and listings, including possible placement on Sundance’s 2027 website. The city has not released a room target, hotel-block agreements or expected lodging inventory.

The city is promoting HOP buses, walking, biking, e-bikes and e-scooters, paratransit and transit connections from Denver International Airport. It has not announced additional bus service, dedicated shuttles, parking facilities, road closures or a Sundance-specific transportation budget. Sundance representatives told Superior officials they were discussing transportation options with city and state partners, including existing bus routes and park-and-rides, but the meeting record contains no Superior transportation commitment.

Boulder says its police and fire departments are meeting with the Office of Disaster Management, CU Boulder Police Department and Colorado State Patrol to prepare safety measures. The city’s festival operations guidance says events may require revised site layouts, staffing plans, medical coverage, traffic control, emergency-action-plan review and inspections. Those requirements establish a permitting framework, not a finalized staffing or emergency plan.

A 2026 city budget announcement says Boulder included equipment and venue investments to prepare for Sundance, but does not identify a festival-specific appropriation, the equipment involved or the total public cost. The city has not released an infrastructure plan or reimbursement arrangement for added police, fire, streets, transit, sanitation or other services. Sundance and local governments have yet to publish final neighborhood assignments, detailed transportation operations, lodging inventory or public-cost arrangements.