Boulder's Festival Lodging Program Gains Steam: Hundreds of Licenses Issued Ahead of Sundance 2027

Boulder's plan to house tens of thousands of Sundance visitors in private homes is moving from ordinance to reality. The city's Festival Lodging Program held a homeowner webinar on July 9, 2026, the latest step in a licensing push that has already drawn strong local response.

The numbers so far

As of mid June, Boulder had issued more than 260 festival lodging licenses with roughly 610 more applications pending, according to city officials cited by Boulder Reporting Lab. The city has also received hundreds of new applications for standard short term rental licenses since the festival announced its move to Boulder.

That inventory matters. The Sundance Film Festival runs January 21 to 31, 2027, and Boulder's hotels are already showing little to no availability for the festival window. Visit Boulder says the city's hotels have committed to making 70 percent of their room inventory available at affordable rates, but hotels alone cannot absorb the expected crowd.

How the license works

The Festival Lodging Rental License allows Boulder homeowners to rent their home for short stays during city approved Special Festival Events. Key points from the city's program:

1. Applications are open now, and licenses began being issued in May 2026. 2. Owners of properties with Long Term Rental Licenses, and tenants in those properties with the owner's consent, can also participate. The city describes renter access as an equity component of the program. 3. Homes cannot be listed on Airbnb, VRBO, or similar platforms until the license is issued. 4. Licensed homes can appear on the major booking platforms as well as the official Sundance Film Festival booking engine.

Visit Boulder has vetted a list of property management partners for owners who do not want to self manage, and publishes suggested pricing as part of its host with heart effort to keep the festival affordable.

The demand is already spilling over

Airbnb search data cited in the Boulder Reporting Lab story shows searches for Denver stays during the 2027 festival dates up 10 percent, while searches in Louisville, Nederland, Longmont, Lafayette, and Erie were up more than 100 percent. Attendees are already planning around Boulder's supply crunch.

If you own a Boulder home and are weighing the festival window, our home listing overview walks through what participation actually involves. If you are visiting, our neighborhood guides cover where private homes put you relative to the venues.