More than $130 million in spending. Almost 2,000 Utah jobs. About $70 million in wages. Close to $14 million in tax revenue. And more than 24,000 out-of-state visitors.
That’s what the Beehive State stands to lose when the Sundance Film Festival moves to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027, according to an economic report generated by a market research firm.
[Read more: Sundance Film Festival is leaving Utah. Here’s why, and what Utah offered it to stay.]
Despite those stark numbers and widespread disappointment over the loss of the iconic independent festival, Utah tourism and business leaders are projecting confidence.
“Today, we received disappointing news that the Sundance Film Festival will be moving to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027,” Utah Office of Tourism Managing Director Natalie Randall and Utah Film Commission Director Virginia Pearce said Thursday in a joint statement. “While the Sundance Film Festival has been an incredible part of Utah’s history, and we wish them the best in Boulder, the fact remains that Utah’s creative spirit, innovative energy and passion for film are bigger than any one event.”
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Sundance has been based in Utah for more than four decades, holding most of its events and screenings in Park City. It has launched fan favorites and cult classics like “Napoleon Dynamite,” “American Psycho,” and “Whiplash” into the American consciousness. The destination festival brings celebrities, industry professionals and movie fans to the Beehive State, pumping millions of dollars into the winter economy.
The Sundance Institute, which stages the event, wrapped up a yearlong search process Wednesday evening that resulted in the organization’s board of trustees voting to move the festival to Boulder over a combined bid from Park City and Salt Lake City and an application from Cincinnati.
Sundance “has a sizable impact on the state economy,” according to a report prepared by Y2 Analytics, a Utah market research firm, recapping the 2024 version of the festival. The report’s authors, including Brigham Young University political science professor Quin Monson, estimated that year’s edition contributed $132 million to the Beehive State’s economy. Out-of-staters spent $106 million during the festival.
That was hardly the only positive impact, though. The authors also found Sundance generated $13.8 million in tax revenue, 1,730 jobs and $69.7 million in wages that otherwise wouldn’t exist if the festival didn’t spend its 11-day run in Utah.
The report doesn’t include spending by festival sponsors or unaffiliated businesses, airport taxes or money spent by visitors who return after Sundance.
While Utah stands to lose all that positive economic impact, some also worry about the artistic impact.
“It’s a tragedy for Utah, Park City and Salt Lake. It will be a huge economic hit for us, but the loss of the culture, people, creativity and ideas that are inspired by Sundance will be an even bigger hit on our communities,” said Utah Arts Alliance Executive Director Derek Dyer. “I’m very sad and disappointed about this personally. We have been very lucky to have Sundance for the last 40 years, though, so we should celebrate that.”
Other tourism leaders projected confidence Thursday, even as they acknowledged disappointment in surrendering the event.
“It’ll be a tremendous loss for us, but I just want to remind our community that Sundance comes during our most busy time of year,” said Visit Park City President and CEO Jennifer Wesselhoff. “Because of that, a lot of our skier visitation is displaced during that time. We’ll continue to promote Park City as winter’s favorite town.”
A Visit Park City spokesperson added that during the two years the festival was only online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, skiers still provided “strong economic impact over those dates.”
“We look forward to continuing to build our industry and sustain Utah’s visitor economy through the new exciting opportunities being advanced at the state and local levels,” said Utah Tourism Industry Association Executive Director Celina Sinclair, “including future festivals, arts, entertainment and sports culture, and our downtown convention center.”
Sundance will host one more festival in Utah next year before it moves to Boulder for the 2027 installment.
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