The Sundance Film Festival will make its first appearance in Boulder from January 21 to 31, 2027, marking a historic shift from its long-standing home in Park City, Utah. Passes and ticket bundles become available at 10 a.m. on October 15, covering both in-person screenings and the online platform that will stream the entire program from January 28 through January 31. Early bird buyers will gain access to the curated lineup that is released in early December, while general public ticket sales start on January 8, with members enjoying a one-day pre-sale.
Festival organizers have announced a slate of 23 screens spread across fourteen venues, all clustered within a two-mile radius, facilitating easy movement for attendees who may stay up to 11 days. In addition to the traditional screenings, new ticket concepts include an Encore Ticket Package for post-premiere showings, a Matinee Package limited to daytime showings, and a fully on-demand Online Festival Pass. Youth and student tickets start at $15, aiming to broaden the festival’s reach.
Housing demand explodes as short-term rental licenses climb
City officials report that 1,848 short-term and festival-specific lodging licenses have either been issued or are pending approval, surpassing the original goal of 1,500. Of those, 1,525 homes are cleared to advertise, and Airbnb searches for Boulder stays during the festival have surged by 500 % compared with the previous year. Local hosts like Richard Schuh, who runs a basement guest suite, note that the market is already saturated with nearly 3,000 existing short-term rentals, and the influx of an additional ~2,000 festival permits will intensify competition.
The municipality introduced a Festival Lodging Rental License that permits owners to rent out their property for up to 29 days per year during major events. Visit Boulder’s CEO, Charlene Hoffman, emphasizes that lodging is the city’s greatest logistical hurdle, especially for visitors planning to stay the full eleven-day run. Pricing guidance suggests $250-$300 per night for a one-bedroom condo and $1,100-$1,400 for a four-bedroom house, benchmarks drawn from two years of data in Park City and current Airbnb/Vrbo rates. While hotels still have availability, the first weekend is expected to fill quickly, and rooms may become visible only through direct phone inquiries.
Design-forward furniture rentals arrive to style festival spaces
Responding to the surge in event-related demand, BOHO Design Rentals launched a dedicated Sundance furniture-rental portal on October 15. The service supplies premium, modern pieces for sponsor lounges, press rooms, green rooms, after-party venues, and filmmaker dinners throughout the eleven-day period. Items range from brand-aligned lounge sofas to high-tables that become natural gathering points for standing guests. Every piece can be booked à la carte with delivery the day before and pickup the day after at no extra charge, covering a standard five-day rental window.
BOHO’s catalog draws on design influences from Paris, New York, and Miami, aiming to fill a gap in Colorado’s event-rental market that previously leaned toward utilitarian options. The company highlights client references such as agencies handling activations for major tech firms, underscoring the reliability required for high-visibility festival environments where furniture is captured on film and photography for the entire duration of the event. Interested hosts can request proposals online or call the dedicated line to secure inventory ahead of the festival’s opening weekend.
