While the Sundance Film Festival is not expected to roll the projectors until 2027, the venues where organizers may want movie-goers to catch future screenings are starting to fall into place.

Boulder has a handful of traditional cinemas. There is the Cinemark Century theater, 1700 29th St., and the Boedecker Theater at the Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St. Conscience Bay Company, a local private developer, also hopes to have a venue near 33rd and Bluff streets that could seat up to 2,500 ready for the festival’s arrival in January 2027.

In 2025, Sundance used eight theaters in Park City, Utah, and in Salt Lake City, about 33 miles away from the festival’s long-time home. The festival also used five other venues, including hotels and a fraternal lodge.

“The Sundance Film Festival is considering a variety of Boulder venues that could serve as screening venues when the festival comes to Boulder in 2027,” Visit Boulder said in a statement to The Daily Camera.

The number of venues Sundance uses varies by year. That could mean venues such as Muenzinger Auditorium used for the International Film Series near Folsom Stadium on the CU campus and the Boulder High School theater may be on the table. Boulder Valley School District spokesperson Randy Barber said the school district is in touch with Sundance and the city.

Beyond Boulder?

Other municipalities in Boulder County may also be considered. Longmont, for example, is closer to Boulder than Salt Lake is to Park City.

That would give Sundance more options for traditional theaters.

“Our hand is raised high and we’re waving,” said Justin Veach, auditorium and events manager at the Longmont Museum, noting that his office is “excited by the possibilities but there hasn’t been any formal conversation.”

The Longmont Museum boasts a 250-seat auditorium with a 26-foot screen.

The museum is also about to break ground on a major expansion that will add a 4,000-square-foot gallery space, Veach said, and a remodel of the lobby.

Even if Sundance doesn’t make its way beyond Boulder’s heart, Veach is hopeful that Longmont will reap the benefits of the festival’s arrival.

“I think with Sundance comes a lot more major sponsors and brands looking to have satellite events or programs or parties,” he said.

“I think there’ll be demand for other spaces around the county.”