Since 1985, the Sundance Film Festival has called Park City home and it’s no secret they’re in the market for a new one.
“Sundance is Utah and Utah is Sundance,” Gov. Spencer Cox points out. “You can't really separate those two.”
Sundance Ohio? Sundance … Colorado? It’s a possibility. Both Cincinnati and Boulder remain in the running for the festival alongside staying put in Utah. In fact, it wouldn’t be the first time Colorado lured away a Utah institution — something the governor remembers well.
“It would be a huge mistake for Sundance themselves to move,” he told reporters during his Jan. 16 monthly news conference. “I think it would really be a death knell for Sundance.”
Outdoor Retailer traded out Salt Lake City for Denver a few years ago and then came back. Having been through this before, Cox isn’t worried because of the strength of the state economy.
“There's a reason these other states are chasing it so desperately because they're trying to catch up with Utah. Their economies aren't as good as Utah's economy right now and so they're desperate for some of the advantages that we have.”
Even though he thinks Utah can weather a Sundance departure, “that doesn't mean we shouldn't do everything we can to keep it here,” the governor said. In 2024, the festival said it generated an estimated economic impact of $132 million in two weeks. In 2020, the festival bumped Utah’s gross domestic product by an estimated $167.5 million. So in an effort to get them to stay, Cox recommended giving Sundance $3 million in his 2026 budget proposal. The Utah Legislature will ultimately decide how much taxpayer money will be dedicated to the festival during its upcoming legislative session.
Cincinnati and Boulder are forking over more money than Utah in an attempt to entice the festival to make a move. Cincinnati announced it would set aside $5 million to bring Sundance to the Midwest. Colorado legislators and their governor laid out an offer of $34 million in tax incentives.
“We're not going to throw $34 million in tax incentives,” Cox said. “If it's only about chasing money, then they [Sundance] can do that. And, that's what Outdoor Retailer did, and the money wasn't worth it, and they ended up making a mistake, and they ended up coming back.”
Cox doesn’t mind the competition from other states. As he noted, it’s part of living in a free country. Even if Colorado wants to spend more.
“I don’t think the taxpayers of Utah would appreciate a number of that size.”
The governor said he feels good about the state’s pitch to help Sundance stay, which includes a partnership with the government and private sector. But he isn’t privy to Utah’s odds of retaining the festival, although he hopes it’s “really high.”
Most importantly, Cox said he doesn’t want the festival to chase the money.
“There are some other states who can probably throw some more money at it, but if they want to stay successful, have a destination,” then Sundance should stay with Utah he said.
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival opens Jan. 23 in Park City. The 2025 and 2026 festivals are the last dates on Sundance's current contract. The 2027 festival could open to a new host city. An announcement is expected early this year.
