PARK CITY, Utah — The Sundance Film Festival begins its last run in Utah on Thursday, marking the end of a 40-year tradition that has brought thousands of independent films, blockbuster premieres and Hollywood's biggest names to Park City.
The 10-day festival, which runs through Feb. 1, contributed a record $196 million to Utah's economy last year, but local businesses and officials say they're prepared for the transition as Sundance moves to Boulder, Colorado, next year.
"We like Sundance. I didn't want to see it go, but we always have a good time with it," said Marco Peretti, day manager at the No Name Saloon on Park City's Main Street.
For Peretti's establishment, the festival represents their 10 busiest days of the year. However, he remains optimistic about the future.
"It won't hurt us that bad. I mean, we'll have the skiers, so it'll just now the town will fill back up with skiers instead of the film stuff," Peretti said.
Park City Mayor Ryan Dickey echoes that sentiment, drawing from the city's experience during the COVID-19 pandemic when Sundance was scaled back.
"I think we have a little bit of an experience of Park City without Sundance because of those two years during COVID, and back then we wondered what would happen. And what happened is we really had 2 more, you know, 2 more each year, monster ski weekends," Dickey said.
What are fans looking for during final Sundance Film Festival?
"People want to come to Park City, so when we have Sundance, they come for Sundance. If we don't have Sundance, they come to ski. We have just become an international destination to the point where we're really not so much concerned about the economic impact," Dickey said.
The mayor plans to meet with Boulder officials who are preparing to host the festival. His advice comes with a touch of humor about the festival's unique atmosphere.
"Well, I'm gonna tell them, you know, enjoy that film festival. It brings a little bit of traffic, you know, that those, those people from LA, you know, our locals will tell you require a little bit of an adjustment. Of course we don't feel that way at the city," Dickey said.
This year's festival is set to be the biggest yet. Since moving to a hybrid format during the pandemic, attendance has tripled, with viewers from all 50 states and more than 120 countries participating.
When asked what he would tell Sundance organizers to convince them to stay, Peretti offered a simple prediction: "They're not gonna have as much fun in Boulder."
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