Best Things to Do at the Sundance Film Festival

For film lovers, there is nothing quite like the annual Sundance Film Festival. On one hand, Sundance is an opportunity to see cutting edge films from famous filmmakers, as well as up-and-coming artists, before everyone else can. But it can also be a barrage of crowds, overpacked schedules, marketing hype and snow that can overwhelm festival-goers.

So what are the best things to do if you're going to the Sundance Film Festival? How do you make the most of your trip to the festival?

Transportation

Buses and shuttles in Park City, Utah are free. They are the absolute best way to get around the small resort town that is over run by movie fans each year. There is very little parking in Park City, so if you are staying out of town, the best thing to do is drop your car at the Kimball Junction bus station - where parking is free. Ride the public bus into the city, then use shuttles to get from venue to venue.

Get organized

Take a look at the schedule of screenings for the days you'll be attending Sundance, and make a plan. It is sometimes possible to see three to five films in a single day. But that requires knowing where you need to be at certain times, planning the shuttle rides, accounting for wait times, etc. Trying to "play it by ear" will mean that you see fewer films.

Soak it up

Maybe you are less interested in maximizing the number of screenings you attend and more concerned in the Sundance Film Festival "experience." You want to be on the lookout for celebrities? You want to socialize in the restaurants? You want to get in some skiing? That's OK, too. Sundance is about films, but it is also about seeing the glamour of Hollywood up close.

Tickets

If you are going to Sundance primarily for the films, then you'll want to see as many screenings as you can. If you didn't order advance tickets or a festival pass, you will still have the chance to see plenty of movies. A limited number of advance tickets for each day's films are held for sale at the Park City box office each day. They go on sale each morning at 8:00am. But often the best thing to do is to show up at the location of a film you want to see and get in line for waiting list tickets. Two hours before each screening, people waiting in line are given numbers that determine the order in which they will be allowed to buy tickets to any seats that remain open just before the screening starts. The number of people allowed in depends on the number of available seats. Some patient waiting list people get in to virtually every screening, but your chances are much better at the bigger venues like the Eccles Center. The best thing to do is to pick a couple of movies you really want to see, and line up well before the two-hour suggested time. Sometimes, people holding passes to films will show up and sell them - or, better yet, give them away - to those waiting in line. Certain screenings have brisk sidewalk ticket sales before show time.

Ask questions

After many of the premiere screenings of films, directors and actors take to the stage to talk about the film and to take questions from the audience. It's a unique opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes story from some of the biggest stars in film. There are also a series of panel discussions, held primarily at the Filmmakers' Lodge on Main Street in Park City, that are free and open to the public. These are a great opportunity to listen to and interact with filmmakers, actors, musicians, screenwriters and more in a smaller setting.