Boulder officials will weigh whether they should allow residents to offer short-term rentals to accommodate the thousands of visitors expected when the Sundance Film Festival decamps for Colorado in 2027.
Julie Causa, Boulder communications manager, said the city council will vote on the Festival Lodging Rental Licensing Program at its Sept. 18 meeting. The 2025 festival, held in Park City, Utah, from Jan. 23 to Feb. 2, attracted 85,472 in-person attendees, according to the Sundance Institute, and 33% were from out of state. Actor Robert Redford founded the event, originally known as the Utah/U.S. Film Festival, in 1981 to "foster independence, risk-taking, and new voices in American film," according to the event website.
Boulder officials say allowing short-term rentals would help the city accommodate the tens of thousands of attendees, but rentals would not be permitted during non-festival periods.
It is “a type of short-term rental license that the city has created to allow people to rent out their home for less than a month during a major festival,” Causa told Homes.com via email. “The ordinance is designed to support large, multi-day festivals and events that are anticipated to have a substantial lodging demand for attendees.”
The proposed ordinance, which the public can comment on during that Sept. 18 meeting, "is limited to when the city identifies a large event as a qualifying festival, to ensure that most housing in the community is for Boulder residents,” Causa said. “The license is limited to 29 consecutive days.”
There are several goals of this ordinance beyond accommodating guests, she said:
- Ensuring that the primary use of most residential properties is for housing Boulder citizens
- Reducing traffic and its impact on the environment
Housing visitors within the city means fewer miles traveled, Causa said.
If approved, the ordinance would go into effect on Oct. 18.“The City of Boulder and Visit Boulder have been working together to support a successful, long-term presence for the Sundance Film Festival,” Causa said. “We are still in the early stages of planning and preparation for the festival, and more specific details will be shared over the coming months as planning continues.”