Getting to and around Boulder for Sundance 2027, with or without a car
Most visitors do not need a rental car for Sundance 2027. Boulder’s venue cluster is compact, roughly two miles across downtown and the CU Boulder campus, and several venues sit within about a ten-minute walk of each other. The harder question is getting from Denver International Airport (DEN) to Boulder, which sits about 35 to 45 miles away depending on route. That leg is where you actually choose between transit, a shuttle, or a car.
Denver airport to Boulder: your options
| Option | What to know |
|---|---|
| RTD bus (AB1, AB2, AB3 routes) | Confirmed RTD runs three DEN-to-Boulder bus routes (AB1, AB2, AB3). Per RTD’s published Monday–Friday AB1 schedule, the route runs close to around the clock (see the late-night section below for exact times). Check RTD’s current schedule and fare before you travel; AB2 and AB3 run different routings and aren’t separately confirmed here, and festival-week service may differ from the regular timetable. |
| Flatiron Flyer (FF1) | Planned A separate, faster regional bus connecting Denver Union Station to Boulder via Westminster, Broomfield, Louisville, and Superior, with frequent weekday service. Useful if you are arriving via downtown Denver rather than DEN directly. Confirm current schedule with RTD. |
| Shared shuttle vans | Door-to-door shuttle operators serve the DEN-Boulder corridor; book ahead during festival week since demand spikes. |
| Rideshare or taxi | Available but priced for a 35-plus mile trip; expect surge pricing during peak arrival and departure windows. |
| Rental car | Only worth it if you’re also planning day trips outside Boulder; adds parking cost and winter-driving risk for a trip where you likely won’t need a car once you’re there. |
Getting around once you’re in Boulder
Once you’re in Boulder itself, walking covers most of the festival footprint if you’ve picked lodging inside or near downtown. Boulder also runs a local bus network built around the HOP, SKIP, and JUMP routes, connecting downtown, the CU Boulder campus, and the surrounding neighborhoods. Confirmed None of these routes are free to ride: the standard fare is $2.75 per boarding, which also works as a 3-hour pass with unlimited transfers. Riders 19 and under and active-duty military ride free on all RTD services; reduced fares apply for seniors, riders with disabilities, and Medicare recipients. Rideshare works as a backup for late-night returns or bad-weather days.
Planned For Sundance 2027 specifically, the City of Boulder says it plans to provide free HOP-route rides to Festival attendees and patrons during the Festival period, with local transit service hours extended to match the Festival schedule, per the city’s official Sundance FAQ page. SKIP and JUMP are not part of that stated plan and still carry the standard $2.75 fare unless the city announces otherwise.
Planned The City of Boulder has said it plans a dedicated Chautauqua Connector shuttle to the South Boulder venue during the festival, and that local routes serving festival destinations will run every 10 to 15 minutes. The city also says all RTD and city transit is wheelchair accessible, with ramps or lifts, priority seating, and audible stop announcements. As of publication the city has not released fixed timetables, exact stops, or fares for these festival-specific services. Its own guidance says more details “will be released in the coming months,” so treat route names and frequency as planned, not confirmed, until the city publishes specifics.
Planned The city is also promoting a “park-once” strategy for festival visitors: leave your car at your hotel or at a Front Range park-and-ride, then use transit, rideshare, shared e-bikes, or e-scooters for the rest of your trip instead of re-parking at every venue. Shared e-bikes and e-scooters are available around downtown and the CU Boulder campus through the city’s regular bike-share and micromobility programs.
Do you need a car at all?
If your hotel is inside the two-mile downtown/CU Boulder footprint, most visitors can skip a rental car entirely: walk or take the local bus between venues, and use a shuttle, transit, or rideshare for the DEN-Boulder legs on either end of your trip. A car becomes worth considering only if you’re staying in a regional town like Longmont or Broomfield for lower rates, or if you’re combining the festival with wider Colorado travel.
Getting back to your hotel after a late screening
If your last screening runs past 9 or 10pm, don’t assume the same buses that got you around during the day are still running. Confirmed Boulder’s HOP route stops for the day at 9:22pm, seven days a week, per the City of Boulder’s published timetable, well before many evening screenings let out.
| Option | Late-night status |
|---|---|
| HOP ($2.75 fare) | Confirmed Last departure 9:22pm daily. Don’t plan a post-9pm return around it. |
| SKIP / JUMP (standard-fare, frequent local buses) | Confirmed Per RTD’s published Monday–Friday schedule (effective through September 26, 2026), SKIP’s last weekday departure runs to about 11:59pm and JUMP’s to about 10:48pm; both thin out well before that final trip. Treat 10pm as the practical cutoff and check RTD’s live schedule for the exact departure closest to your screening’s end time. |
| RTD AB1 (Denver Airport–Boulder airport bus) | Confirmed This is the one late-night option that runs close to around the clock on weekdays. Per RTD’s published schedule, the last pre-midnight departure toward the airport from Boulder is 11:41pm, then continues at 12:26am, 1:26am, 1:50am, and 2:26am; airport-to-Boulder trips run roughly hourly through the night with a gap of about 2:20am–4:20am. Weekend service is more limited. It’s built for airport travel, not a downtown shuttle, so confirm your nearest stop before counting on it. |
| Chautauqua Connector shuttle | Planned The City of Boulder has said it plans this shuttle for festival week but has not published a timetable, so late-night availability is unknown. |
| Rideshare or taxi | Confirmed available; the most reliable late-night option on this list, though expect surge pricing after a big premiere. |
| Walking | Workable within the compact downtown/CU Boulder cluster if your hotel is close and the route is well-lit; see our venue-to-venue walking-time matrix and weather guide before counting on it in winter conditions. |
SKIP, JUMP, and AB1 times above come from RTD’s Monday–Friday schedule effective through September 26, 2026 (see Primary sources below); RTD occasionally adjusts schedules, and festival-week frequency isn’t separately confirmed, so double-check RTD’s live schedule tool close to your date. AB2 and AB3, which run different routings between the airport and Boulder, are not separately confirmed on this page.
Winter driving, if you do drive
Front-range winter storms can bring sudden snow and icy roads, including on US-36 between Denver and Boulder. If you’re driving, check the Colorado Department of Transportation’s road conditions before you leave and budget extra time; a normal 45-minute drive can take considerably longer after a storm.