Colorado partners plan millions in contributions to Boulder Sundance Film Festival
Colorado partners plan millions in contributions to Boulder Sundance Film Festival 00:35
As the Sundance Film Festival prepares to move to Colorado, the City of Boulder and other local partners are planning to provide around $34 million worth of contributions to the festival.
Visit Boulder pledged to provide in-kind destination and marketing support valued at around $250,000. They also plan to provide $400,000 in cash each year to help the festival get established in its new location.
These contributions include many other services. The City of Boulder said it will include incentives and in-kind donations that could cover rebates for reimbursements and direct services. Some services offered include traffic planning, parking coordination and public safety. The city's contributions have an estimated value of $2.1 million.
Visit Boulder said the festival will bring a significant economic impact to the city. In 2024, the Sundance Film Festival generated $132 million in economic activity.
"The Sundance Film Festival represents a unique opportunity to enhance the community's commitment to arts and culture with an organization that shares Boulder's core values of equity, sustainability, resilience and inclusion. It is also an investment in Boulder's local economy and vibrancy. Even without the festival, arts and culture events are key economic drivers in Boulder, with substantial and positive impact on our local vitality," said Karleen Lewis with Visit Boulder.
The contributions to the festival will be spread over a 10-year period. Officials said the final amounts will not be determined until the festival planning is underway and contracts have been signed.
Christa Swanson
Christa Swanson is a Digital Media Producer at CBS Colorado in Denver.