I’ve always believed festival is the right word to describe the Sundance experience. The cultural boost the festival brings to ski season is a Sundance hallmark, mirroring the artistic sophistication of our community. We’re feeling it all over town this week as we shine brightly in the global spotlight. 

While awaiting the Sundance Institute’s decision later this spring on the festival’s post-2026 host venue, let’s take a moment to bask in the growth Sundance and Utah have shared over decades. Numbers tell the story: 

  • In 2000, Utah’s national parks drew 5.3 million visitors. Last year, our Mighty Five parks hosted a staggering 10.6 million.
  • Utah ski days were at 3.3 million in 2000. By 2023, the number reached 7.1 million.
  • In 2024, Salt Lake International saw a record of more than 28,300,000 travelers passing through the airport. The $5.1 billion redevelopment/expansion program is on track for completion by 2026.
  • Park City now hosts a steady year-round stream of visitors while statewide, skier/snowboarder spending has risen from $1.17 billion in 2010-11 to $2.68 billion in 2022-23.
  • The 2034 Olympics Games are on the horizon, and major regional infrastructure expansion is underway.

As Park City became a world-class winter destination, the festival achieved global fame, a far cry from its inception 40+ years ago when chamber staff sold tickets from a rented double-decker bus doubling as a box office. Today, celebrities, full houses, international attention and Oscar nominations go hand in hand with Sundance, and all of Utah feels the impact of its $165 million contribution to our GDP.

A united statewide team is working to keep the festival in Utah. Together, Gov. Spencer Cox and Utah legislators, the Utah Office of Tourism, the Utah Film Commission, the City and County of Salt Lake, Park City Municipal, Visit Park City, and Visit Salt Lake, make a compelling case, directly addressing the Sundance Institute’s priorities.

Our vision reimagines a downtown Salt Lake “Sundance Festival Quarter” that reduces festival transportation and lodging expenses by more than $1 million while broadening  the urban flavor offered by the Salt Lake venues. At the same time, our proposal continues the tradition of a vibrant opening weekend in Park City.

Woven throughout are celebrations of multicultural film programming, partnerships with the University of Utah and Silicon Slopes, and events showcasing our natural beauty and the diversity of the Sundance community. We are also proposing creative ideas to spotlight the unique “Two Cities/One Experience” with a “Main Street to Main Street” theme that only Utah can provide. The team has welcomed fresh new ideas and innovation that are typical of today’s Utah and necessary to keep pace with the festival’s evolving needs.

This year’s Sundance is as exhilarating as ever, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the festival through the weekend. The coming days are a great opportunity to see films you may have missed or want to see again, and the online screenings are an excellent addition to festival viewing options. 

On behalf of our statewide partners and community, thank you, Sundance! It’s our privilege to welcome you to town each year. We’re proud of what we have built together and the beautiful leading role you have played in our story. We’re looking forward to our next act.

We wouldn’t be the same Park City, or Utah, without you.

Jennifer Wesselhoff is the president and CEO of the Park City Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau.