Sundance officials tour SLC facilities as they weigh whether festival will stay in Utah

Actors imitate Napoleon Dynamite characters during a Sundance Institute inspection of Salt Lake City facilities. The movie has strong ties with Utah, premiering in the Sundance Film Festival in Park City in 2004. (Photo courtesy of the Utah Film Commission)

As Park City and Salt Lake City join forces in a bid to keep the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, the municipalities offered representatives of the host selection committee a glimpse of what a new vision for the festival would look like.

As part of a site inspection, the representatives toured theaters, performing arts facilities and restaurants in Salt Lake City, according to a news release, as the theme “Two Cities, One Experience” would extend the festival outside Park City’s boundaries.

“Salt Lake City is a thriving cultural hub with a deep commitment to the arts,” Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said in the release. “We are excited about the possibility of furthering our partnership with Sundance and sharing our city’s vibrant energy with filmmakers and visitors from around the world.”

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Park City has been the host of the acclaimed film festival for more than 40 years. However, its contract is set to end in 2026. That expiration date, and concerns about the city’s affordability and accessibility challenges , triggered a search from the Sundance Institute for a possible new home. However, the festival is still seriously considering keeping the festival in Utah .

Other cities in the final run to host the festival are Atlanta, Georgia; Boulder, Colorado; Cincinnati, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; and Santa Fe, New Mexico. The selection is expected to happen by the first quarter of 2025.

“The Sundance name is synonymous with Utah,” Gov. Spencer Cox said in the release. “In my travels nationally and internationally, some of the most frequent comments I get about our great State of Utah surround our national parks, skiing and of course the Sundance Film Festival. Sundance is Utah, and Utah is Sundance.”

During the tour, the Utah committee pitched a blended environment with urban and natural elements, robust infrastructure and deep connection to the arts, according to the release. The cities also made sustainability, accessibility and diversity commitments.

“From the beginning, we have recognized the need to reimagine our future together while we prepare to host an amazing festival in 2025,” Park City Mayor Nann Worel said.