I just came back from the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT, and it was an epic weekend. Here are some things I learned:
1. Plan it Early
Park City is a small ski resort of a town, and Sundance is a huge event that brings over 150,000 attendees every year. Book tickets and lodging as early as you can, like September or October, at least. Hotels in Park City are prohibitively expensive during this time, but we snagged an Airbnb in Park City that was walking distance to five of the festival theatres, and just a mile away from Main Street.
2. Download the App
The Sundance app has been in use now for the last 6-7 years, and it will help you spend your time at the festival efficiently. In addition to being able to look up panels and activities, schedules, travel information, the most important function is that it lets you buy advance tickets and e-waitlist for screenings.
Waitlisting (and generally waiting in line) is a quintessential Sundance experience, especially since tickets sell out as soon as they are on sale, but we found a little bit of a workaround. If you search for and “favorite” certain screenings, they’ll pop up in the “My Schedule” tab, and throughout the festival, any ticket availability will show up there. If you’re liberal enough with your choices and click refresh frequently, you’ll find plenty of options. We got advance tickets to all five of our weekend showings this way – just don’t forget that you have to pick up your tickets at the box office ahead of time, and be sure to double and triple check the location of the screening before you buy.
3. Get to Know the Area
It’s critically important to know where all the theatres are, especially since even outside of the Salt Lake City theatres, some of the “Park City” screens are actually 45 minutes away at the Sundance Mountain Resort, or out by Redstone. But also walk around Main Street, know where the box offices are, the shuttle routes, your favorite restaurants and bars, which sponsored lounges have the best food or drinks, which places are hosting private events. The No Name Saloon might be the most popular bar on Main Street and have a $20 cover at night, but it’s worth the cool vibes and people watching (we made some friends there, and also saw Camila Mendes). The Spur is a lot more low key but the bartenders are super friendly and we did a ton of shotskis with a bunch of cool locals there.
4. Layer Up
The weather gets irresponsibly cold, especially at night (it was in the teens each night we were there), but you still want to be out and about and having fun. The key is to layer up, wear gloves and scarves and beanies and everything, but remember to remove them before the movie starts when you sit down for a screening – it gets warm when you’re in a dark room full of other people.
5. Keep Your Head Up and Eyes Open
One of the best and most unique things about Sundance is the celebrity sightings (and swapping stories of celebrity sightings). Almost all the screenings have Q&As, and there are tons of panels and interviews where you’ll get to see directors and actors, but there’s nothing quite like trying to figure out if the bundled up guy in the beanie next to you really is that guy that you kind of recognize from that one show.
We saw:
Q&As: Joe Keery, Richard Jenkins, Miranda July, Evan Rachel Wood
Panels: Amy Ryan, Winston Duke, Ben Whishaw
Randomly: David Arquette, Camila Mendes, Chris Abbott, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Rob Yang
6. Don’t Overextend Yourself
Physically speaking, rest and drink lots of water – the altitude can take its toll. You also don’t want to be so tired that you’re falling asleep during movies, especially since screenings run from 8:30AM through midnight.
But don’t stuff your schedule either! That’s the benefit of not getting a festival pass (along with saving a ton of money), is that you’re not running around trying to watch 30 films in five days. Take the time to relax, walk around and explore Main Street, check out the free lounges and panels, grab some swag, get food, sneak into a party or two, and soak in the atmosphere. Plus, always leave plenty of buffer time – Lyft pickups and shuttles can take time.
7. Be Adventurous and Have Fun
This is the most important thing of all. You’re surrounded not just by interesting, innovative films but friendly locals, pretentious industry types, aspiring artists, media interns. Make friends, ask people in lines or at bars (or even Lyft drivers) for tips on what movies are good or what parties to get into. Go try the famous buffalo burger at the No Name Saloon, or see if you can catch a glimpse or Robert Redford at the bar of the Sundance Mountain Resort. Go see a film you wouldn’t usually see (foreign films and documentaries are easier to get into anyway).
