When is the 2027 Sundance Film Festival?

21–31 January 2027, in Boulder, Colorado — the first edition outside Park City.

Do I have to go for opening weekend?

No. Every film in competition screens several times across the eleven days, so midweek gets you the same programme with shorter queues and cheaper beds.

Can I stay in Denver and commute?

You can, and many people will. It is 45–60 minutes each way by car and about an hour on the Flatiron Flyer, which runs late enough for an evening screening.

How many hotel rooms does Boulder have?

Roughly 2,000 across the whole city — a fraction of what Park City offered. That, not the ticket queue, is the binding constraint on this festival.

Where are the venues?

Eleven of them, split between downtown (Boulder Theater, the Dairy Arts Center, eTown Hall, Boulder High) and the CU campus (Macky, Muenzinger, Roe Green).

Sundance Film Festival 2027

Name: Sundance Film Festival 2027
Start: 2027-01-21
End: 2027-01-31
Location: Boulder Theater

Boulder, United States

21–31 Jan 2027

Confirmed by organizer

Dates and the eleven Boulder venues were announced on 24 February 2026, the festival's first edition outside Park City.

82days to go

Hotels for these dates

Right Weekend earns a commission when you book through links on this page. It never affects which days or districts we recommend.

Our verdict

Go: Monday 25 – Thursday 28 January
Stay: Downtown Boulder
Book by: Now — Boulder has roughly 2,000 hotel rooms in total

The same films play twice. Midweek screenings cost less, the queues are shorter and a downtown room is still gettable; opening weekend is where the premieres, the industry and the price spikes are. Boulder is a third of Park City's size, so the first decision is a bed, not a ticket.

Illustration: a small mountain town main street deep in winter, snow banked along the kerb, warm light spilling from a single-screen cinema at blue hour — Illustration — a generated image of the kind of scene, not a photograph of the venue.

Which days to go

Day	What happens	Hotel price	Our call
Opening weekend21–24 Jan 2027	Premieres, directors in the room, the industry in town	×2.6	Only worth it if you want the premieres — this is where every price doubles
Midweek25–28 Jan 2027	The same films on repeat screenings, panels and talks	×1.5	The sweet spot — same programme, walk-up tickets, a downtown room you can afford
Closing weekend29–31 Jan 2027	Award winners play again, the audience is local rather than industry	×1.9	Good compromise if you can only travel on a weekend

Hotel price is what the same hotel costs on these dates against its rate four weeks before the event. Crowd and price are our estimates from how the event has run, not live rates.

Where to stay

Boulder TheaterNorth is up. Numbers match the table.A number too close to read sits beside its dot, on a thin line.

#	District	To the venue	Price	What it is
1	Downtown Boulder	5 min walk	$$$$	Pearl Street, the Boulder Theater and the Dairy Arts Center within four blocks
2	University Hill & CU	20 min walk	$$	Student side of Broadway, walking distance to Macky Auditorium and Muenzinger
3	East Boulder & 29th Street	15 min bus	$$	Chain hotels around the mall, the HOP bus runs to downtown every 10 minutes
4	Louisville & Superior	25 min drive	$	Twenty minutes down US 36, where the chain hotels are half the Boulder price
5	Denver & Westminster	55 min drive	$$	The fallback when Boulder County is gone; the Flatiron Flyer bus runs late

Hotel	What it is	Book
Downtown Boulder
Hotel Boulderado	1909 building two blocks from the Boulder Theater; books out first	Booking Expedia
St Julien Hotel & Spa	The largest downtown hotel and the default industry base	Booking Expedia
The Bradley Boulder Inn	Twelve rooms on Walnut Street — one phone call, no app	Booking Expedia
University Hill & CU
Best Western Plus Boulder Inn	Across 28th Street from CU, walking distance to the campus venues	Booking Expedia
East Boulder & 29th Street
Embassy Suites by Hilton Boulder	Next to the 29th Street mall, on the HOP bus line	Booking Expedia
Basecamp Boulder	Cheapest reliable option inside the city, 15 minutes to downtown	Booking Expedia

When to book

12 mo beforeJanuary 2026
Downtown Boulder hotels for opening weekend
Already gone
6 mo beforeJuly 2026
The rest of Boulder, including the 29th Street chains
Already gone
3 mo beforeOctober 2026
Louisville and Superior; Boulder short-lets at festival pricing
Already gone
1 mo beforeDecember 2026
Anything in Boulder County — what is left is Denver and the airport

Getting there

Denver International is the only sensible airport: 75 minutes to Boulder by road, longer when it snows. The RTD AB1 bus runs from the airport to Boulder’s Downtown Station for a few dollars and takes about an hour.

Inside Boulder, the downtown venues are walkable from each other. The CU venues — Macky, Muenzinger, Roe Green — are a 20-minute walk uphill from Pearl Street, or two stops on the bus.

January in Boulder sits at 1,655 m: snow is likely, and the altitude is noticeable on the first day.

Flights to DEN Trains and buses

Tickets

Passes, packages and single tickets (festival.sundance.org)Official

Questions

When is the 2027 Sundance Film Festival?: 21–31 January 2027, in Boulder, Colorado — the first edition outside Park City.
Do I have to go for opening weekend?: No. Every film in competition screens several times across the eleven days, so midweek gets you the same programme with shorter queues and cheaper beds.
Can I stay in Denver and commute?: You can, and many people will. It is 45–60 minutes each way by car and about an hour on the Flatiron Flyer, which runs late enough for an evening screening.
How many hotel rooms does Boulder have?: Roughly 2,000 across the whole city — a fraction of what Park City offered. That, not the ticket queue, is the binding constraint on this festival.
Where are the venues?: Eleven of them, split between downtown (Boulder Theater, the Dairy Arts Center, eTown Hall, Boulder High) and the CU campus (Macky, Muenzinger, Roe Green).

Updated 2026-10-29 ·See every event in 2027