Sundance Film Festival Economic Impact

It’s that time of year again - Sundance! Love it or hate it, no one can argue about the economic impact it brings to the entire state of Utah.

Sundance Institute said that the 2019 Sundance Film Festival brought in a total economic impact of $182.5 million to Utah, according to a study by independent market research and data analytics group. In addition to the film festival, this figure also takes in to account summer film series and artist workshops that are held at other times of the year.

The study also reported that the 2019 festival generated more than $18.6 million in state and local tax revenue, supported 3,052 jobs, generated $94 million in Utah wages, and attracted more than 122,000 attendees from 48 states and 35 foreign countries. This brings the festival’s five-year cumulative total since 2015 to $681.5 million, with more than $66.7 million in state and local tax revenue generated and over 11,900 jobs supported.

The festival airs films in Park City, Sundance, and Salt Lake City. An interesting fact is that 64% of attendees are from the state of Utah, and 93% of festival attendees reported attending events for multiple days. Utahns spent almost $28 million to attend the festival, but that number is dwarfed by the $149 million spent by non residents to attend the events.

To read the complete economic impact report, click here.