Passes for the 2027 Sundance Film Festival in Boulder , launching an early ticket window that opens well ahead of the festival’s actual lineup. Organizers do not plan to reveal which movies will be playing until December, leaving ticket-package buyers to take a leap of faith and lock in calendar dates before any titles are announced.
Luckily, when it comes to Sundance, buying blind is less of a gamble than it sounds. For more than four decades, the festival has built a reliable track record as a springboard for independent cinema, launching future Oscar winners and box-office hits like “Get Out,” “Whiplash,” “Little Miss Sunshine” and “CODA.”
The 43rd edition, which runs Jan. 21-31 in Boulder, marks the annual January festival’s .
Before buying a pass, festivalgoers should decide how many films they want to see, which days they can attend, and whether they qualify for a youth or student discount.
And, of course, if the plan is to avoid Sundance altogether, and booking an 11-day vacation.
Boulder’s allows eligible homeowners and tenants within city limits to rent out their homes during the festival. Tenants need the property owner’s consent. The city says applications can take two to six weeks to process, and properties cannot be advertised through the program until the license is issued.
But if you’ll be around for the big Boulder event, here is a guide featuring everything you need to know about booking tickets and getting around when Sundance comes to town in a couple of months. Specific programming and events are yet to be confirmed, so stay tuned to for all updates and details as the festival inches closer.
Single tickets or a package?
On Oct. 15, ticket packages will go on sale, but not single movie tickets. The packages range from a student bundle at $275 to unlimited in-person screenings for the second half of the festival for $4,500.
Moviegoers who only want to catch a film or two can skip the Oct. 15 sale. Instead, single tickets will go on sale on Jan. 8 for $37 a piece, which Jeff Levine, Sundance’s head of audience development and experience, said is the best route for more casual viewers — unless you plan to go with some buddies.
“An exception would be if they planned to attend with a small group,” Levine said. “So, say if you wanted to see two films with four friends, you could buy a ticket package and apply five tickets to each screening.”
Additionally, package holders get a 24-hour head start on Jan. 7 to choose their screenings, though buying a package only grants selection priority, not guaranteed seats to a specific showing.
“The benefits of buying a ticket package over single tickets are, one, you get to assign your tickets to specific screenings before single tickets go on sale, and, two, you can change your screening selection up to hours before a screening to any screening with seats available,” Levine said.
Sundance also offers a full-festival package for people who want to choose 10 screenings across the festival, alongside packages limited by date, time or type of screening. Right now, Sundance Institute donors can purchase passes that range from $6,100 to $7,500.
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What happens when the film lineup comes out?
After Sundance announces its program in December, ticket holders and attendees can peruse the films and screening times. Public package selection begins on Jan. 7.
“We strongly recommend that package holders assign all their tickets as soon as screening selection opens on January 7,” Levine said.
If a screening is already full, package holders can select another screening. They can also save an unassigned package ticket to use in the waitlist line for a preferred screening if seats become available. More tickets may appear on the website when other package holders exchange their selections, Levine said. However, a waitlist spot does not guarantee a seat, he said.
Single-film tickets go on sale on Jan. 8. For a casual attendee, that means choosing from the screenings that are still available after the package selection has begun.
Are there deals for locals?
There is no pass or package exclusively for Boulder or Colorado residents, Levine said. That marks a change from Sundance’s time in Utah. For the 2026 festival, Utah residents could buy an exclusive 10-ticket Locals Ticket Package for $675; the general full-festival package cost $920.
Levine said Sundance created three 2027 packages with locals in mind, though residency is not required to buy them. The $350 Matinee Ticket Package covers 10 screenings starting before 5 p.m. from Jan. 25–29. The $450 Second Half Ticket Package covers 10 screenings from Jan. 27–31. The $675 Encore Ticket Package covers 10 screenings but excludes each film’s first public screening.
The restrictions are worth checking before purchase. Someone whose main goal is to attend premieres during opening weekend, for instance, would not get that type of access through a Matinee or Encore package.
What about students?
Enrolled students of all ages and young adults ages 18 to 25, whether or not they are students, can buy discounted tickets through Sundance’s Ignite program, University of Colorado Boulder senior strategic communications specialist Julie Poppen said.
Single Ignite tickets cost $15 and go on sale at 10 a.m. MST on Jan. 8. Buyers must first complete a free registration, which opens at 10 a.m. MST on Dec. 8. Discounted tickets are available while supplies last.
For eligible attendees planning to see several films, the $275 Ignite Ticket Package goes on sale on Oct. 15 and includes 10 in-person tickets for screenings that run from Jan. 24-31, plus five online tickets for the Jan. 28-31 online festival.
CU Boulder students will also have access to free on-campus screenings and student-only panels through the university’s agreement with Sundance.
“Under our agreement, there will be at least two screenings available to students at no cost to them,” Poppen said. “These have not yet been scheduled.”
Registration details for the free screenings and panels will be shared when available via and at the .
Can you still go without buying a film ticket?
Yes. Levine said most offscreen events, including festival talks and conversations, will be free, with admission on a first-come, first-seated basis. Some New Frontier programs, which explore art, film and emerging technology, will also be free. Sponsors and partners are also planning free talks and events, which have yet to be released.
Sundance has not released the full list or instructions for attending these sessions. Levine said those details will come closer to the festival.
How will people get between screenings?
Because all festival venues sit within about a two-mile radius spanning downtown, the CU campus, Chautauqua and the Dairy Arts Center area, , walking, or biking, as most festival venues do not have associated parking.
To keep traffic moving, the City of Boulder plans to offer free local bus service on the HOP circulator route, with operating hours matched to the festival schedule, . Local buses will serve festival destinations every 10 to 15 minutes, , with the HOP, SKIP, JUMP and a Chautauqua Connector providing connections between venue hubs.
For attendees who prefer to brave inclement winter weather and ride on two wheels, to help festivalgoers navigate the city’s 300 miles of bikeways and multi-use paths. Shared e-scooters and local trip-planning tools like the Transit app will complement the official Sundance mobile app, which Levine said launches in January to offer live shuttle information and ticket availability.
Prospective attendees can create a free account on the Sundance website at before package sales open on Oct. 15. Single-ticket buyers can mark their calendars for Jan. 8, when individual film tickets go on sale following the December lineup announcement.
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