Sundance, which is eyeing a new location, has been a Park City, UT, institution for decades. (Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute/Stephen Speckman)
Sundance and Utah go way back. Since 1978, the annual January film festival, organized by the nonprofit Sundance Institute, has taken place in snowy Park City, UT, showcasing short films, full features and documentaries. But 2027 may see a shift for the long-running festival as its 13-year contract with Park City ends in 2026 (the 2025 and 2026 editions will remain in Utah).
In May, Sundance began taking proposals from other cities as part of a review process exploring a move. Throwing their hats into the ring are San Francisco, Atlanta and Santa Fe, NM, according to Deadline, with Chicago and Savannah, GA, rumored to also be in the mix. Most recently, Minneapolis released details from its proposal, pointing to its existing infrastructure, a commitment of $2 million per year in annual support from the city and corporate support from Target, Best Buy and U.S. Bancorp, as well as nonprofits the McKnight Foundation and Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies.
Weeks after Sundance’s announcement of a potential move, the Slamdance Film Festival, a smaller independent film fest, confirmed in April that its February 2025 event would relocate to Los Angeles from Park City, stating that the new location in “the heart of the entertainment industry will allow for the continued growth of Slamdance’s year-round mission to provide an accessible and dynamic community for truly independent, visionary filmmakers and creators.”
Perhaps being closer to Tinseltown will also be a draw for Sundance, but insiders speculate Park City’s traffic, high rental prices and winter climate that can complicate operations and attendance during the 10-day festival could be reasons for looking elsewhere.
Still, Sundance isn’t the only festival (possibly) on the move; it joins a growing list of big events and conferences that are set to relocate or expand to new cities.
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Collision Becomes Web Summit Vancouver
Welcoming almost 40,000 attendees this year, Collision hosted its final iteration of the tech conference in Toronto in June, as the event begins its transition into Web Summit Vancouver for the May 27-30, 2025 edition. The rebranded Canadian summit marks parent company Web Summit’s expansion into North America and adds to a growing global portfolio of events, which includes its flagship tech conference in Lisbon, Portugal; Web Summit Rio in Brazil; Web Summit Qatar; and RISE in Hong Kong.
Founded in Dublin, Web Summit started as a 150-person tech conference in October 2009 and has since grown to gather together over a million tech and business professionals from around the world across its events. Vancouver’s flourishing tech sector encouraged Web Summit’s move to the province, according to a statement where founder and ceo Paddy Cosgrave said: “We are now in four continents and have every intention to bring something to Africa very soon, as we continue our ambition to connect the tech world and build meaningful and lasting communities around the world.”
Collision will rebrand to Web Summit Vancouver and relocate to the city from Toronto in 2025. (Photo credit: Ramsey Cardy/Collision via Sportsfile)
ComplexCon Moves to Vegas
After calling Long Beach, CA, home for seven editions, and a 2019 stint in Chicago, ComplexCon is rolling the dice and making its way to Las Vegas, Nov. 16-17, for a weekend of music, style, sneakers, collectibles and culture convos. This isn’t the first big move for Complex; the media company launched its first two international editions of the streetwear and pop culture festival earlier this year: ComplexCon Hong Kong in March and ComplexCon Australia in April.
“After ComplexCon Chicago, we learned that we could work closely with our partners abroad to create more frequent regional editions of ComplexCon all over the world,” ComplexCon advisor Neil Wright said in the announcement of the global events. “As the authority in youth and streetwear, it’s important for us to amplify and empower the burgeoning creatives and brands within the global communities at the forefront of driving culture forward.”
SXSW Expands with its First European Event
Also growing internationally, SXSW, known for its conference and festivals that take over Austin, TX, each spring, will head to London in June 2025 for its first-ever European edition. This news follows last year’s successful showing in the Asia-Pacific region for the weeklong, inaugural SXSW Sydney, returning Oct. 14-20.
“SXSW London will build on Austin’s incredible legacy, presenting an event that underpins why SXSW is the go-to destination for professionals and creatives seeking meaningful connections, unexpected experiences, and ideas that can help shape the world,” Randel Bryan, managing director of SXSW London, said in a statement.
Continuing the South by tradition of celebrating the convergence of creativity, culture and tech, SXSW London will spread out across the Shoreditch neighborhood and feature keynotes, interactive exhibitions, immersive experiences, music showcases and programming focused on film, visual arts, design, fashion and gaming.
Featured photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute/Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet
