Sundance moves Boulder festival headquarters as hotel faces union dispute
The festival is moving its headquarters from the Hotel Boulderado to a building called The Rink. Sundance cites space needs; hotel workers are in a dispute over unionizing.
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The Sundance Film Festival is moving its headquarters for its first Boulder, Colorado, edition out of the historic Hotel Boulderado and into The Rink, a building on 14th Street near downtown, local outlet Boulder Reporting Lab reported Oct. 21. The move was announced Oct. 15, the day tickets went on sale, in a brief statement that did not mention the hotel. The festival runs Jan. 21–31, 2027, the first time in more than 40 years it will not be held in Park City, Utah.
Sundance spokesperson Katie Shapiro said the move was about space: The Rink allows all departments to work in one location, and talks about the new venue began before the labor dispute. "The Sundance Institute strongly supports unions and believes that they strengthen the institutions they work for," she said.
Boulderado workers have been organizing since the summer with the hospitality union Unite Here, citing layoffs, cut hours and heavier workloads since the hotel was sold to investment firm AJ Capital. Hotel management has not recognized the union and did not respond to requests for comment. Workers had picketed outside the hotel and urged Sundance to help push for a resolution.