Since the 2002 Winter Olympic Games that Park City shot to international limelight and since then it has remained on the lips of many people who seek to have maximum fun especially during winter. The tourist destination has grown immensely picking up from where silver mining would have left the town to a have a new lease of life. Now winter skiing and snow boarding are not the only activities that this resort town is known for.
For more than 40 years, January in Park City also meant the Sundance Film Festival. That run is over. Sundance held its final Park City festival in 2026, and its 2027 edition takes place January 21-31 in Boulder, Colorado. If you planned a January trip around the festival, you can still keep your Park City dates. The town now fills those weeks with pro halfpipe and freestyle skiing events.
Sundance in Park City: 1981-2026
For more than four decades, Sundance brought American and international filmmakers to Park City each January. Directors, actors, and other celebrities filled Main Street between screenings. The festival showed short films, documentaries, and feature films in competition, along with several non-competitive sections.
The festival gave Park City a stage to show the world what it offers. Events like Sundance helped the town grow its lodging to well over 12,000 beds, a big number for a city of 8,396 residents at the 2020 Census. The festival began in Salt Lake City in 1978 as the Utah/US Film Festival.
The initial program was funded from the Utah Film Commission, individuals and other private sponsors. The festival moved to Park City in 1981. The Sundance Institute ran its first edition in 1985, and the event took the Sundance Film Festival name in 1991. Park City hosted its last Sundance January 22 through February 1, 2026. Starting in 2027, the festival calls Boulder, Colorado, home.
Sundance helped turn a former silver mining town into a global resort. The festival has left, but your January calendar in Park City is still full. Park City Rental Properties has event rentals ready for each of the big weekends below.
January 2027 Events in Park City
The Snow League at Park City Mountain: January 21-23, 2027
Snowboarding star Shaun White founded The Snow League, a pro series for halfpipe snowboarders and freeskiers. Its Park City stop lands on the late-January weekend long tied to Sundance. Park City Mountain is building a 22-foot superpipe for the event, the resort’s first since the 2019 FIS World Championships. You get three days of competition, live music, and fan events, plus après parties on Main Street. Parking at the Park City and Canyons Village bases runs as normal.
Freestyle International at Deer Valley: January 28-30, 2027
The next week, Deer Valley Resort hosts the Freestyle International, an FIS Freestyle World Cup stop. Watch the world’s top skiers compete in moguls, dual moguls, and aerials on the same courses used at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Look for tickets and VIP packages on Deer Valley’s website.
Did you know…
Park City Mountain is the largest ski resort in the United States, with two base villages to choose from. Book a few ski days around The Snow League and ride the same mountain where the pros compete. To learn more click here!
