Quick Answer: The 2027 Sundance Film Festival runs January 21–31 in Boulder, Colorado — 11 days across 15 official venues. Opening night is Thursday, January 21. The busiest stretch is the first weekend (Jan 22–25). The festival uses 11 screening theaters ranging from 70-seat arthouse cinemas to 2,036-seat Macky Auditorium, plus 4 venues for talks and programming. The specific film lineup is typically announced in December. This is Sundance's first year in Boulder after 40+ years in Park City.
Sundance is coming to Boulder. Not as a satellite event. Not as a limited run. The whole thing — world premieres, celebrity panels, midnight screenings, industry deal-making — lands in Boulder for the first time in the festival's 43-year history. The 10-year deal means this isn't a trial; it's a new era. Here's the calendar you'll need and every venue where it's happening.
The 2027 Sundance Calendar: January 21–31
Sundance doesn't release its full daily schedule — specific films, screening times, and ticket availability — until roughly December 2026. But the 11-day structure follows a well-established rhythm. Here's what each day typically looks like, adapted for Boulder's 2027 debut.
| Date | Day | What to Expect |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 21 Opening | Thursday | Opening Night premiere at Macky Auditorium or Boulder Theater. Red carpet arrivals, opening-night gala and reception. Industry VIPs and press flood Boulder. Limited public screenings — most activity is evening premieres and invite-only events. |
| Jan 22 Peak | Friday | First full day of public screenings across all 11 theaters. World premieres in U.S. Dramatic and Documentary Competition. Morning press screenings, afternoon public screenings, evening premieres. Panels and talks at Old Main and Canyon Theater. The busiest day of the first wave. |
| Jan 23 Peak | Saturday | Peak attendance day. All venues running full schedules from morning to midnight. This is the hardest day to get tickets and the worst day for parking. Plan transportation early. "Park City at Midnight"-style late screenings debut at Boulder Theater and Chautauqua Auditorium. |
| Jan 24 Peak | Sunday | Second peak weekend day. Repeat screenings of early premieres begin appearing on the schedule. Industry panels and filmmaker Q&As at eTown Hall and Dairy Arts Center. Strong local attendance throughout the day. |
| Jan 25 Full | Monday | Opening weekend energy carries into Monday. World premieres continue. Industry meetings and deal-making intensify. International and World Cinema programs screen. Still high-traffic across most venues. |
| Jan 26 Full | Tuesday | Full screening schedule continues. Short film programs and episodic content featured. This is historically a strong day for industry-focused events, sponsor activations, and filmmaker networking. |
| Jan 27 Full | Wednesday | Midweek transition. Second-half premieres begin. Slightly easier to get tickets than the opening stretch. Good day for catching films you missed during the first weekend. Local audience attendance picks up again. |
| Jan 28 Full | Thursday | Second wave of world premieres. NEXT and Spotlight programs typically screen mid-to-late festival. Strong panel programming. Closing weekend momentum starts building. |
| Jan 29 Awards | Friday | Final premieres screen. Awards anticipation builds. Some venues host encore screenings of audience favorites. Tickets for closing-weekend screenings are hot. Pre-awards buzz fills downtown Boulder. |
| Jan 30 Awards | Saturday | Awards ceremony — the festival's marquee event. Jury prizes and audience awards announced. Award-winning films often get encore screenings the same evening. High energy across all downtown venues. |
| Jan 31 Closing | Sunday | Final day. Closing-night screening and event. Last-chance screenings of award winners and audience favorites. The wind-down — but Boulder's restaurants and bars stay packed through the evening. |
Key timing note: The City of Boulder plans to offer free local bus transit on the HOP route and up to 5,000 shared e-bike passes to festival attendees during the entire 11-day run. Details on that program will come closer to January.
The 5 Days That Matter Most
If you're planning transportation, lodging, or client entertainment around the festival, these are the dates that fill up first:
- Thursday, Jan 21 — Opening night. Hotels within 5 miles of downtown will sell out months in advance.
- Friday–Sunday, Jan 22–24 — The opening weekend crush. Parking disappears. Rideshare surge pricing goes through the roof. Plan a dedicated car or book a private car service before November.
- Saturday, Jan 30 — Awards night. The single most in-demand day for evening transportation.
Tickets & Passes: What We Know So Far
Sundance typically announces ticket packages and passes in late fall. Historically, the options include single-film tickets (available to the general public) and multi-day passes that grant priority access to screenings. For 2027, expect announcements from festival.sundance.org starting around October–November 2026. Specific film programming is usually revealed in December.
Every Official Sundance 2027 Venue in Boulder
Sundance selected 15 venues across four Boulder neighborhoods: downtown, the CU Boulder campus, central Boulder, and the Chautauqua and 29th Street districts. Here's every one of them — what it is, how many people it holds, and how to reach it.
Screening Theaters
These 11 venues host official film screenings — the core of the festival.
Boulder Theater
The jewel of downtown Boulder. This art deco theater, built in 1906 on Pearl Street, is where Sundance Institute and Boulder leaders first announced the festival's move to Colorado. With nearly 1,000 capacity and a stage built for spectacle, expect this to host opening-night premieres, closing-night events, and the festival's highest-profile screenings. Two blocks from Pearl Street Mall. No dedicated parking — arrive by car service or on foot.
Macky Auditorium Concert Hall — University of Colorado Boulder
The largest venue in the Sundance 2027 lineup. Macky is a landmark Gothic-style auditorium built in 1910 on the CU Boulder campus. For Sundance, it's getting a major upgrade: a Dolby Atmos sound system that toggles between immersive cinema sound and live performance audio, new acoustic panels, a new screen, a digital projection booth ("hush box") on the balcony, and expanded ADA seating. The main floor, two loge levels, and opera boxes give it the feel of a grand premiere house. Nearest parking: Euclid Avenue AutoPark (354 spaces, 0.4 miles) and Lot 380 (142 spaces, 480 feet).
Chautauqua Auditorium
A National Historic Landmark at the base of the Flatirons — one of the most dramatic screening locations at any film festival anywhere. The original wooden auditorium (sometimes called "The Barn") dates to Colorado's Chautauqua movement and sits inside the 26-acre Chautauqua Park. This is the most remote of the Sundance venues: a 30–40 minute walk from downtown, or a 5-minute drive. With limited parking on Baseline Road, a private car drop-off is the simplest arrival. Expect this venue to host special screenings and signature events that take full advantage of the setting.
Roe Green Theatre — University of Colorado Boulder
A proscenium theater on the second floor of the University Theatre building, renovated in 2023 with strong acoustics and orchestra-plus-balcony seating. One of three CU campus venues getting upgrades for Sundance — new sound and projection systems for cinema-quality screening. Continental seating (no center aisle) means every seat has a clear sightline. Located on Central Campus Mall near the UMC. Reserved seating for festival screenings.
Muenzinger Auditorium — University of Colorado Boulder
Inside the Muenzinger Psychology building, west of Folsom Stadium. This auditorium has been showing films since 1982 as part of CU's International Film Series and was fully updated to digital cinema projection. For Sundance, it's receiving sound and projection upgrades alongside Macky and Roe Green. With 400 seats, it's a mid-size venue suited for competition screenings and second-run premieres. Closest parking: pay lot 360 next to Duane Tower.
Casey Middle School Auditorium
A 350-seat auditorium with a full stage and support spaces, built as part of Casey Middle School's performing arts focus. Located in the Mapleton Hill neighborhood, north of downtown. The school was designed for community after-hours use — the auditorium has a separate entrance from the classroom areas. A less obvious Sundance choice, but the right size for documentary screenings and smaller competition films.
Gordon Gamm Theater — Dairy Arts Center
The larger of the Dairy Arts Center's two screening theaters. Equipped with sprung Marley dance flooring (primarily a performance space), the Gordon Gamm is being configured for cinema screenings during the festival. Part of the Dairy's former milk-processing facility turned cultural campus — a hub for dance, theater, film, music, and visual art in central Boulder. Less than a 15-minute walk from the Cinemark on 29th Street.
eTown Hall
A former church one block from Pearl Street Mall, converted into a music hall by eTown — the nonprofit radio broadcast and production company focused on music and environmental causes. Founded in 1991, eTown Hall is an intimate, acoustically tuned space. Sundance describes it as "a quiet space just outside the bustle of downtown Boulder." Double-duty venue: hosts both film screenings and festival talks/programming. Perfect for short-film programs and artist conversations. 80-person café space on site.
Cinemark Century Boulder
Boulder's commercial multiplex on 29th Street, east of downtown. Opened in 2007 with all-stadium seating and digital sound across 16 screens. During Sundance, select screens will be dedicated to festival programming — this is the venue with the most screening capacity by sheer number of rooms. Located on Boulder's east side, it's the furthest downtown venue from Pearl Street (about a 20-minute walk), but less than 15 minutes on foot from the Dairy Arts Center. Plenty of structured parking at the 29th Street shopping district.
Boulder High School Auditorium
A preserved art deco auditorium inside Boulder's flagship high school, built by the WPA in 1933 on Arapahoe Avenue. The auditorium has been a community landmark for nearly a century. Its location — right on Arapahoe, less than a 10-minute walk from Pearl Street — puts it squarely in the festival footprint. A strong mid-size venue for competition screenings and repeat viewings.
Boedecker Theater — Dairy Arts Center
Boulder's dedicated arthouse cinema since 2010, nestled inside the Dairy Arts Center. "The Boe" is a first-run arthouse screening room — small, intimate, and purpose-built for film. At 70 seats, it's the smallest venue in the Sundance lineup. Expect this to host short film programs, documentaries, and the kind of intimate screenings where filmmakers sit three rows in front of you for the Q&A.
Talks & Festival Programming Venues
These 4 venues host panels, conversations, filmmaker talks, industry events, and other festival programming — not film screenings.
Old Main — University of Colorado Boulder
CU Boulder's oldest building, dating to 1876 — the year Colorado became a state. The Old Main Chapel is a beautifully refurbished multi-level theater space on the building's third floor, also home to the CU Heritage Center. Sundance named it a primary spot for panels, artist talks, and festival programming (no film screenings here). The chapel will not undergo upgrades for 2027, as its current state suits talks and events perfectly. A significant walk from downtown — plan on 20 minutes on foot or a quick car ride.
Canyon Theater — Boulder Public Library District
A staffed, fully accessible 190-seat theater in the North Wing of Boulder's Main Library, right on Arapahoe Avenue in downtown. Accessible through the Canyon Gallery entrance or via the interior bridge from the Arapahoe entrance. Dedicated to free, public community events — during Sundance, it hosts talks and festival programming. Available for after-hours events on Thursdays and Saturdays until 10 p.m. One of the most centrally located programming venues in the festival footprint.
Dairy Arts Center
Beyond its two screening theaters (Boedecker and Gordon Gamm), the Dairy Arts Center complex itself hosts festival programming — panels, talks, art exhibitions, and social events. The former milk-processing facility includes art galleries, rehearsal spaces, dance studios, and a 116-seat Grace Gamm Drama Theater. Open daily from noon to 6 p.m. year-round. Boulder's largest multi-disciplinary arts center and a natural festival hub. Box office: (303) 444-7328.
eTown Hall (also a screening theater)
Listed for both screenings and programming — eTown Hall pulls double duty as one of the festival's most versatile venues. Its intimate scale and proximity to Pearl Street make it a natural fit for filmmaker conversations, music events, and smaller panel discussions during the day, with screenings in the evening.
Venue Neighborhoods at a Glance
Boulder's Sundance venues cluster into four walkable zones:
- Downtown (4 venues): Boulder Theater, eTown Hall, Canyon Theater, Boulder High School — all within a 10-minute walk of Pearl Street Mall.
- CU Boulder Campus (4 venues): Macky Auditorium, Roe Green Theatre, Muenzinger Auditorium, Old Main — on the University Hill area south of downtown, 15-minute walk from Pearl Street.
- Central Boulder (3 venues): Dairy Arts Center (Boedecker + Gordon Gamm + programming space), Casey Middle School — between downtown and 29th Street.
- 29th Street (1 venue): Cinemark Century Boulder — on Boulder's east side with structured parking.
- Chautauqua (1 venue): Chautauqua Auditorium — at the base of the Flatirons, south of downtown. The scenic outlier.
Most venue-to-venue connections are under 15 minutes on foot, but the farthest pair (Cinemark to Chautauqua) is a 50-minute walk. On a 20-degree January evening after a 10 p.m. screening, that math changes fast.
Getting Between Venues: Transportation That Actually Works
Boulder is planning free HOP bus service and e-bike passes during Sundance. Those help for daytime venue-hopping. They don't solve the problem of getting from DIA to Boulder, moving between venues after dark in January cold, or arriving on time to a premiere when 40,000 other people are trying to do the same thing.
For Sundance 2027, Arion is offering:
- DIA to Boulder transfers — 45 miles, 50 minutes without traffic, private vehicle
- Venue-to-venue shuttle service — on your schedule, not a bus route
- VIP transportation — for studio clients, press, and festival sponsors
- After-hours pickup — midnight screenings end around 2 a.m., and even if you find a rideshare driver, surge pricing at that hour will cost more than a pre-booked car service
Availability is limited. We'll update this page with booking information as the festival approaches.
Need a Ride During Sundance 2027?
DIA transfers, venue shuttles, VIP service, and late-night pickups.
Book early — January fills up fast.
FAQ
When is the 2027 Sundance Film Festival?
January 21–31, 2027 in Boulder, Colorado. This is the first year of a 10-year agreement bringing the festival to Boulder after four decades in Park City, Utah.
How many venues does Sundance 2027 use?
15 official venues: 11 screening theaters for film screenings and 4 additional venues for talks, panels, and festival programming. They're spread across downtown Boulder, the CU campus, and surrounding neighborhoods.
What is the largest Sundance 2027 venue?
Macky Auditorium Concert Hall on the CU Boulder campus — 2,036 seats. It's being fitted with a new Dolby Atmos sound system, screen, and projection booth specifically for the festival.
When does the Sundance 2027 film schedule get announced?
The specific film lineup, screening times, and daily schedule are typically announced in December — roughly 4–6 weeks before the festival opens. Ticket and pass information usually comes in late fall. Check festival.sundance.org for official announcements.
Are the Sundance Boulder venues walkable?
Mostly, yes. Most downtown and CU campus venues are within a 15-minute walk of each other. But Chautauqua Auditorium and Cinemark Century Boulder are 30–40 minutes on foot from downtown, and January weather in Boulder averages a high of 45°F and a low of 18°F. The City of Boulder plans to provide free HOP bus transit and up to 5,000 e-bike passes during the festival.
Does Arion offer Sundance transportation packages?
Yes. DIA airport transfers, venue-to-venue shuttles, VIP transportation, and after-hours service throughout the 11-day festival. Contact us early — availability is limited during the festival.