A new, $34 million incentive package from a coalition of Boulder’s biggest civic and cultural boosters will help sustain the Sundance Film Festival over the next 10 years, according to Visit Boulder, which led the effort to collect the additional funds.
Sundance, currently based in Park City, Utah, and moving to Boulder in 2027, is already set to receive a $34 million tax credit passed by state lawmakers last month. The new incentives would bring the total support for the event to more than $70 million, which would further help its ability to grow in Colorado and contribute financially back to the state, said Karleen Lewis, director of marketing and communications for Visit Boulder.
City officials and state lawmakers expect the festival to add millions to the state’s coffers from travel, hospitality, entertainment and lodging receipts during its January-February run — an exceedingly lean time of year in Boulder.
Visit Boulder’s new incentive package would divert $2.1 million annually to Sundance by waiving city fees and various in-kind services, such as parking and street permits, for a total of $21 million over the next decade. The remainder of the $34 million would come from other sources, including $250,000 from Visit Boulder, $400,000 in cash contributions, and $300,000 from the Boulder Chamber, private donors and other partners.
Lewis said her organization and the city “are not approaching this opportunity as a call to write a lump-sum check,” however, and the city hasn’t yet committed to providing any direct contributions.
“This local incentive package for the Sundance Film Festival was structured to reflect the city’s long-standing model for supporting large cultural and community events, like the Bolder Boulder,” Lewis said in a statement. “Even without the festival, arts and culture events are key economic drivers in Boulder, with substantial and positive impact on our local vitality …”
Boulder saw an economic impact of $115 million from cultural nonprofits in 2022 – four times that of other cities the same size, according to Americans for the Arts. Another study found that Boulder is in the top 10 in the United States for “arts vibrancy,” which is evaluated on a mix of arts concentration, funding and programs, according to Visit Boulder.
The new money is being promised as Utah officials continue to pull back financial support from Sundance in advance of its final event in Park City in January 2026. This month, officials yanked millions in tax receipts from restaurant sales as well as state marketing support, according to local affiliate ABC4.
Boulder is set to host the event from 2027 through 2036, with a potential 86,000 attendees and $132 million in annual economic activity, as Park City reported in 2024.
“The Festival will also introduce thousands of filmmakers and industry professionals to Colorado, increasing the likelihood they’ll return to film future projects, bringing continued economic benefit,” Lewis added.