Lights! Camera! Mountains! Film and Festivities at Sundance this January

Sundance 2013 - Indie Film Festival Meets Luxury Ski Town

Turn up the lights, focus the camera, and get in on the action. Join 50,000 film buffs this year for the famed Park CIty Film Festival.

If you’re a true cinema buff, you're no doubt already beginning to plan your trip to the upcoming Park City Film Festival, setting aside spending money, putting in your request for vacation time at work and investigating travel arrangements and vacation rental options. On the other hand, if you’re new to Sundance 2012, get ready now to make this year’s festival your first of many!

Sundance, the famous Utah film festival, is the biggest annual independent-film festival held in the United States and attracts cinema aficionados from around the world. You’re making the right move by starting your planning process early. Get all the details in line and relax, knowing your trip will go off without a hitch and you’ll be able to experience all the festival has to offer.

Where Is the Sundance Festival?

The Sundance Institute, the non-profit organizational body that hosts the annual festival, is based in Utah, which is also home to the annual film festival. Screenings of film entrants occur in Salt Lake City, Ogden, Park City and the Sundance Resort northeast of Provo, Utah. However, Park City is the permanent seat of the festival’s annual activities and the destination for your upcoming immersion into independent-film appreciation.

Sundance 2013 will be held in Park City, Utah, about 30 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. It has a population of nearly 8,000 permanent residents, but during the festival that number rises significantly as thousands of visitors arrive from around the world.

What Are the Sundance Festival Dates?

Sundance 2012 was held January 19–28, 2012. The ten festival days included celebrations at the opening of films, as well as other special events throughout Park City. Keep an eye out for announcements of the scheduled dates for 2013!

Notable Scheduled Events

• Festival Opening Weekend – The festivities are kicked off with film screenings in the short and full-length categories, and the opening of New Frontier, a multimedia film experience recently incorporated into Sundance’s annual activities.

• “An Artist at the Table” – This fundraising dinner and inaugural celebration is an intimate evening of cocktails, dinner and performances by the Sundance Institute’s artists. In attendance will be filmmakers, artists and actors featured at the Film Festival.

• Closing Night Film – At Sundance 2012, the last film featured in the festival was screened at 9:30 p.m. at Eccles Theatre in Park City.

• Closing Day – The festival wraps up at the annual Reception and Awards Ceremony at the Basin Recreation Center Fieldhouse. The international film community juries bestow multiple awards in both the dramatic and documentary film categories. Audience Awards decided by festival attendees are also announced during the ceremony.

• Awards Night Party – Held at the Basin Recreation Center Fieldhouse, the awards party is a celebration of the work featured throughout the festival, with patrons, guests, actors and filmmakers all in attendance.

Lodging in Park City

Whether you’re planning to be in town for the entire ten-day festival or just a weekend of film appreciation, Park City vacation rentals offer ideal accommodations. Townhomes, villas, condos, houses and studio apartments are all available in and around Park City and nearby Deer Valley.

Park City’s vacation rentals provide comfort and convenience not available at hotels or resorts. You’ll find respite from the busy day’s activities and be able to recuperate so you’re ready to tackle the following day’s excursions into filmmaking history. Lots of room, full kitchens, cozy fireplaces and many other amenities are offered at rates comparable to or better than the cost of a hotel or resort stay. Rentals in the Park City area with ski-in/ski-out access are the most convenient for enjoying the festival and the mountain.

Connect with our Sundance Film Rentals Facebook page to see more great vacation rentals in the area as well.