January 2026 - Cover Story: Sundance 2026: A Farewell to Park City and the Dawn of a New Era

This year's Sundance Film Festival will be the last in Park City after over 40 years. Photo Credit: Teresa Robinson, New Mexico Entertainment Magazine

Every January, as fresh snow dusts the mountaintops of Park City, a familiar beat starts to take hold. For more than forty years, the Sundance Film Festival has transformed this quiet ski town into a global launchpad for independent storytelling. But this year, that transformation will have a powerful undertone: farewell.

As this year’s festival approaches, anticipation is building for what is expected to be one of the most ambitious editions in Sundance history. The final Park City festival comes packed with first-time directors, boundary-pushing narratives, and international voices—an expansive slate that seems intent on celebrating everything Sundance has stood for.

“It’s incredibly vibrant,” shared Festival Director Eugene Hernandez. “Audiences can expect bold first-time directors, global storytelling, and a slate that really pushes boundaries. In a way, it’s everything Sundance has always been—but turned up. We wanted this final Park City year to feel expansive, celebratory, and full of discovery.”

The festival plans to meet that moment with unmistakable energy. As attendees fill theaters and conversations spill into coffee shops and streets, there will be an intimate awareness that this chapter is coming to a close. Park City, the heart and spirit of Sundance for the past 48 years, will host the festival one last time.

“It’s emotional,” Hernandez reflects. “Park City is deeply woven into the identity of Sundance. There’s nostalgia, gratitude… even a little sadness. But there’s also pride. We’ve grown up here. We’ve made history here. And this final year is our way of saying ‘thank you.’”

Sundance may be preparing to leave Park City, but its imprint will remain in the town’s streets, screens, and story. Beginning in 2027, the festival will relocate to its new home in Boulder, Colorado. The move sparked passionate conversations across the industry, but festival leadership sees the transition not as an ending, but as a leap into possibility.

“Boulder is a tech town, a college town—it's a really creative town,” Hernandez explains. “That integration of the artsy community with the university side of it all is really dynamic.” With larger-capacity venues, broader transportation options, and a growing arts infrastructure, Boulder offers space to innovate and evolve. “Sundance… will be Sundance wherever we go,” he continues. “What’s consistent is our mission. This is a festival of global discovery. What’s exciting about Boulder is that this is a place we can build.”

This year’s transition also arrives in the shadow of profound loss. The passing of Robert Redford, Sundance’s founder, champion, and beacon, left a void that will be deeply felt as the festival opens. Vintage footage of Redford being shared in previews and conversations is already stirring emotion: his steadfast presence at premieres, his early interviews with emerging filmmakers, the snow-dusted snapshots that became synonymous with Sundance.

“Morale has been tender,” Hernandez admits. “Bob wasn’t just our founder; he was our compass. Losing him was hard. But it also united us. Everyone—staff, artists, alumni—felt a responsibility to honor his mission. If anything, his passing strengthened our resolve. We’re carrying him with us into this new era.”

Redford’s legacy will shape much of the festival’s tone—from panels reflecting on his influence, to artists dedicating premieres to his spirit, to the renewed urgency to spotlight independent voices.

As Park City prepares for this last winter dance with Sundance—lights warming against snowy nights, thousands of festivalgoers readying themselves for discovery—the moment feels both familiar and fleeting. This year carries the weight of reflection and the spark of reinvention.

Sundance 2026 stands poised to offer both a final bow and a first step: a tribute to a mountain town that nurtured a movement, and a hopeful stride toward a new chapter in Colorado. As always, the festival marches forward, guided by the conviction Robert Redford instilled from the beginning - that stories, especially the small ones, can change everything.

For more coverage of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, visit: nmentertains.com or sundance.org.