Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Visitors

As the largest festival ever hosted by Boulder, the Sundance Film Festival is expected to draw tens of thousands to the city. Visitors can expect no less than a red-carpet welcome planned by city and state tourism offices, who say they’re ready to roll!

Boulder is already a popular tourist destination, with a stunning Flatirons backdrop, nearby outdoor recreation, a vibrant cultural heart, college-town energy, and a newly named art district in NoBo. It’s no wonder it won the high-stakes bid against over 100 cities to host the Sundance Film Festival.

Tim Wolfe, director of the Colorado Tourism Office, says the Festival represents a major opportunity to expand Colorado’s brand. “Colorado is known for its outdoor recreation and natural beauty, which brings people to visit, but it also has art and creative industries. So travelers who haven’t previously considered Colorado may find we also cater to film, music, culinary, and cultural interests year-round. So people can plan different times of the year they may want to come, and that makes it better for everybody: local communities and the businesses across the state.”

The economic impact is certainly desirable, especially given that the Sundance Film Festival takes place in the winter, at the start of the year. According to Karleen Lewis, director of marketing for Visit Boulder, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, historically, January is the quietest month for Boulder in terms of tourism. 

“When people come to Colorado during that time, they usually go to the mountains to ski. They’re not coming to Boulder. It’s a tough month for our visitor economy, especially hotels, restaurants, retail, and small businesses. To have a festival for 11 days during that time can really make an economic impact that lasts year-round.”

In preparation for the influx of visitors, Visit Boulder launched a microsite off their main website, bouldercoloradousa.com, specifically for the Sundance Film Festival, with guides for visitors to find things to do, where to eat, FAQs, and even an extensive 56-page downloadable PDF guide featuring year-round attractions.

Karleen says they will also have trained ambassadors on hand during the Festival to provide information and guidance. You might spot them at a vintage Volkswagen bus around town!

“We’ll have Delilah, our orange 1975 VW bus, out and about with our ambassadors to give recommendations, answer questions, and hand out visitor information. We’re also running training programs for Sundance Film Festival volunteers and hospitality frontline workers, like hotel concierges and restaurant staff, so they can be knowledgeable ambassadors for Boulder. So if somebody asks, ‘What do you recommend I do after this event?’ or ‘I’ll be here for three days after the Festival, what should I see?’ they can give well-informed answers.”

In addition, Visit Boulder is partnering with Wheel the World, a travel platform for travelers with accessibility needs, to ensure the Festival is an inclusive space for all.

Tim hopes the Festival will prompt attendees to return at different times of the year, especially since his research indicates Colorado has a consistently high rate of repeat visitation. 

“Having the Festival annually really puts what we have to offer on the world stage,” he says. “Sundance Film Festival attracts the storytellers. It gives them a chance to experience Colorado firsthand and share those stories with their friends and families that are far beyond the Festival.”

Along with making sure Colorado is ready to receive visitors from other states and countries, both Tim and Karleen stressed that the public should know the Festival is open to everyone, not just the film industry. They especially want to get the word out to residents that this is an opportunity to be part of a cool experience of seeing films on the cusp of being the next big blockbuster with the next big director or actor, as well as to explore Boulder if they’ve only seen other parts of Colorado.

“We know from Utah that the majority of attendees were from there, so it’s really an opportunity for Coloradans to have a staycation, and for people across our great state to be able to participate and explore other areas where they live,” says Tim.

Currently, the Sundance Film Festival is contracted to be in Boulder for the next 10 years. What happens after that is anyone’s guess, but Tim sees it as a way for the state to build on its creative ecosystem. “I think the infrastructure is going to be permanently altered. The legacy will be a deeper network of filmmakers, educators, and artists. It’s already driven improvements to our theater, accessibility, and audiovisual technology.”

He also hopes it will inspire students and create a pipeline for future talent. After all, one of the goals of the Sundance Film Festival is launching the next generation of storytellers and filmmakers.

“More important than any single building is establishing a place where artists, filmmakers, and entrepreneurs want to live, work, and create long after the Festival,” says Tim.

Both Tim and Karleen say that, for those concerned about Boulder being the right place for the next chapter of the Sundance Film Festival, they know it will be different and are open to learning from this first run. But they’re also excited about how the Festival fits right into the creative community they’ve known here all along.

 “I think it’ll help people feel more connected to Boulder. The artist community here is like a best-kept secret,” says Karleen. “People are going to come to experience the Festival, and they’ll get to experience Boulder. We’re excited for people to see what Boulder is all about.”