It’s officially less than a year until the next Sundance Film Festival. I’m not one for bucket lists but if I did have one, Sundance has been on my list since my high school days. Besides a local 48 hour film festival, this is the first film festival I’ve experienced at a large magnitude and it did not disappoint.
If you’re looking to travel to Utah for the festival, I 100% recommend it. I was only there for a weekend and when I go back next time, I will make sure to be there for more than a couple of days.
There are a couple of things I do need to warn you guys about that I didn’t know about before arriving.
- Users to Park City from Salt Lake are expensiiiive. I’m talking about $40-50. Not to mention, from Park City to Salt Lake they get even more… I almost paid $80 to ride back to Salt Lake, luckily I met a girl who was nice enough to let me ride in her much cheaper uber and split costs with her.
- Lodging and accommodation is through the roof for Sundance. This is where I messed up because I should have looked at accommodation before I booked my flight. My flight was cheaper but I ended up paying for a hostel at the same rate of a nicer hotel.
- There is an EXTRA sales tax for liquor. I’m sure this is all of Utah but I only know for sure that it was true for Park City. Not fun.
Now that I’ve got my warnings out of the way, let’s dig into this guide! As a first timer, I learned a lot this go around that will make my next visit smoother!
Accommodation:
Hotels and Airbnb can get VERY expensive. Like a one night stay at a mid range hotel was showing $600+, it was honestly insane. Park City does have one hostel and even that hostel was a little pricey, but it was the best I could get. I stayed in a 6 dorm all female room. It was on the cleaner side of hostels and the beds were super comfy. Showers were shared but they were clean. Breakfast was served every morning and there was a variety of choices. The location of the hostel was situated perfectly.
If you’re interested in where I stayed, I stayed at Park City Hostel.
Movie Tickets:
Assuming you make an account through the Sundance Film Festival website, you will get alerts several weeks in advance as to when packages and individual tickets go on sale. Once tickets go on sale, you need to be on the website live and anticipating buying your tickets. I made the mistake of waiting 2 days after they went on sale to buy and everything was completely sold out.
(a very kind lady gave me a free tix to Late Night)
Waitlist:
Don’t fret, even if you do not have tickets you still have a chance to watch movies. Waitlists are available up to 2 hours before movies start. Once the waitlist opens, you click on “join waitlist” and it will RANDOMLY assign you a number. The closer to 1 you are, the better your chances are to get in. Not always true though, because I had a 60+ number and still got in the theatre to watch a film. The next important part about waitlist is that you have to be in line for waitlist atleast 30 minutes prior to when the film starts. IF you do get a chance to enter the theatre and watch a film, you will have to pay $20 (CASH and EXACT AMOUNT). This is $5 cheaper than the usual price for an individual ticket. I didn’t mind the waitlist but if I had other plans during my day, it would have been annoying AND I wasn’t able to watch the movie I really wanted to (Ted Bundy movie).
What to do In-between:
Sundance is an international festival. This means that brands from all over the world come to Park City to bring awareness to themselves. This can be in the form of installations, panels, free charging stations, etc. Take advantage of these experiences. You will be able to get freebies, charge your phone, drink, network, and more!
Also, another tip for you is to get in with the volunteers of the festival so that they can tell you about any after party going on.
How to Get Around:
Ubers/Lyfts are a little more on the pricey side even when you’re in Park City. a 6 minute ride ranged from $11-13. There is a free shuttle that will get you to different theaters throughout the city so definitely take advantage of this free service. Shuttles come every 6-10 minutes apart and are super trustworthy.
Last but not least, walk and take in the scenery. Park City is a sight to behold. It’s beautiful, charming, and charismatic. The longest walk I took was about 20 minutes long. Ya gotta save money when you can!
Don’t worry too much if you don’t get a chance to watch a film you wanted to. One of my favorite films was a movie I didn’t have on my list prior and the movie I wanted to see was not one of my favorites. Hopefully this guide will give you some pointers for when you book your first Sundance trip. If you have any questions feel free to drop them in the comments.
XOXO,
Wynee
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