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2012 Sundance Film Festival – You Can Still Get Tickets

Park City Guide — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:31:22 +0000

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival starts this week on Thursday, January 19th and goes through Sunday, January 29th. If you haven’t already pre-purchased passes and/or ticket packages to films and events you can still attend the festival and watch films by purchasing individual tickets.

For Festival Beginners

Knowledgeable Festival volunteers known as “Festival Insiders” will be hanging out and about Main Street and venues with “Ask Me” buttons to answer all your questions. There are also free one-hour “How To Fest” tours that will be given daily at 10am from Jan 20th-28th to help you figure things out. Just meet on the patio at the Sundance House, no registration required.

How Can I Get Tickets?

Egyptian Theatre on Main Street in Park Ctiy

You can no longer purchase Festival passes and ticket packages but you still can purchase individual tickets for $15, if available, either on the day of show which are released at the box office at 8am, wait list tickets at the Theatre and open tickets online (from Jan 17th-Jan 27) and the main box offices. These tickets are limited so you may not be able to see all the movies you want, especially for opening weekend and Premiere categories, but there certainly will be some still available.

Go to the Individual Ticket page at the Sundance Film Festival website to view what is available for purchasing online (as open tickets) or more information about day of show and wait list tickets.

Where Can I Park?

There will be free and paid parking lots available, but note that many places that you usually are able to park in Park City will be closed during the Festival. Take advantage of the free Park City buses and the free Sundance bus shuttles with routes just for the Festival. Here is a Sunndance Interactive Map to show you theatres, venues, box offices, available parking areas and shuttle route loops. And don’t try to park in business lots like the grocery store and think you can leave it there while you’re out festivaling. There will be people watching for this and you may get a ticket and/or towed.

What Celebs are Gonna Be There?

I know we’re supposed to be focused on film, or this year’s theme: “Look Again,” at the films that is and not the celebrities and glitz, but I know some of you still would like to know which celebrities are showing up, just for curiosity sake of course. Here they are and the movies they appear in: Kristen Dunst in “Bachelorette,” Bruce Willis and Catherine Zeta-Jones’ in “Lay the Favorite,” Richard Gere and Susan Saradon’s in “Arbitrage,” Sigourney Weaver and Robert De Niro in “Red Lights” and Julie Delpy and Chris Rock in “2 Days in New York,” Liv Tyler in “Robot and Frank,” X-File co-stars David Duchovny in “Goats,”and Gillian Anderson in “Shadow Dancer” and director Spike Lee of “Red Hook Summer.” you can take a look at all the 2012 Sundance Films and Events here at the 2012 Sundance Online Film Guide.

If you can’t get tickets to any of the films you want, it’s still fun to just walk around Main Street. You can check out some of the venues that everyone is allowed to attend without credentials (crowd permitting) and also a chance to collect some free sponsor goods – we got a whole set of Stella Artois glasses one year. And like I always say, this is a good time to go skiing or boarding ’cause there are more people in town watching films this week than are on the slopes. And even better yet, there’s lots of snow in the forecast… woo-hoooo!

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Park City December Events and Activities

Park City Guide — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:19:49 +0000

There are lots of general winter season activities as well as festive events taking place in Park City, Utah during the month of December. Below are a few of the highlights from the town and each of the three Park City ski resorts: Park City Mountain Resort, The Canyons Resort and Deer Valley Resort. If you have kids, be sure to take advantage of all the free Santa events with complimentary free hot cocoa, cider, cookies and more. If you are a ski bum, do the same. I’ll see you there!

Park City Mountain Resort Events

December 15-18th: Eric Hays Memorial Slalom and Giant Slalom: USSA Sanctioned Alpine Open Giant Slalom and Slalom on the Payday Run

December 24th: Annual Torchlight Parade: Enjoy some free hot chocolate, cookies and then when it gets dark, watch the lighted parade down the mountain led by Santa.

The Canyons Resort

December 17th: Santa Skis Free Day: First 50 full-costume Santas get to ski or ride for free. Don’t try showing up with just a Santa hat or beard because it aint gonna cut it. All Santa or bust!

December 31st: New Years Eve Celebration: Free event on the Ski Beach with DJ and Fireworks.

Deer Valley Resort

December 30th: Deer Valley Torchlight Parade: Begins at 6pm or dusk on Big Stick run on Bald Eagle Mountain. Free hot cider and cookies.

Park City Events

December 14th: A Park City Holiday: 5:30-7:30pm Free cookies, hot chocolate, ice skating, face painting, performances and more at the Park City Ice Arena

December 19th: Park City Nutcracker: 5 & 7:30pm shows at Eccles Center. General Admission: $15 Adults, $10 Children

December 21st: Winter Solstice Electric Parade: 6pm on Main Street

There will be lots of other events going on throughout the rest of the month. Check with the calendar page to view all ongoing, art, food, sports, outdoor and other events in Park City, Utah.

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Park City Summer Activities

Park City Guide — Thu, 26 May 2011 21:12:04 +0000

Although there is still snow in the high country here, Memorial Day is just around the corner and things are heating up. There are lots of Park City summer activities that are as enjoyable as the winter activities here. There is mountain biking, hiking; zipline, bobsled, alpine coaster, alpine slide, hot-air balloon and horseback riding. There are reservoir lakes just down the road for fishing, kite boarding, jet-skiing and sailing. There are also blue-ribbon streams for phenomenal fly fishing and plenty of public golf courses tucked away in the beautiful mountains. Downtown is open just like winter with often discounts at the local restaurants. You can visit the many art galleries, shops, historic Park City visitor center and Utah Olympic Park. Weekly events include the Park City Farmer’s Market and Park City Silly Market. There are outdoor free and ticketed concerts at the resorts, art festivals, rodeos and more. Basically, there’s are lots of things to do here during the summer to keep you entertained or if you just want to chill and relax, our summer mountain scenery and pleasant, cooler temperatures will not disappoint.

Park City Summer Activities

You have access to all these activities and amenities all within an hour’s drive from the Salt Lake International Airport. All the conveniences that you can imagine are here in Park City, but if one day you want to leave the city behind, just drive another hour and you have access to the wilderness off the scenic Mirror Lake Highway in the Uinta Mountains of the Wasatch National Forest. Personally, I love being able to drive only a hour or so from home and be on a trail in the Uintas where I rarely see another person once away from the trailhead. The summer season is not long here so I try to take advantage of it while it lasts. In fact the Mirror Lake Highway typically does not open until June. But that’s okay. Last week I went up to where the road was closed, got my snowshoes out, head out into the forest and did not see a soul the entire time. Then when I had enough, head back to town for an amazing dinner at one of the local restaurants. I really hope not too many of you discover our secret here in Park City.

Park City Summer Vacation

Here is one couple’s recorded adventures while taking a Park City summer vacation which included a ride on the Park City Mountain Resort zipline and alpine slide, rock climbing in the nearby Uinta Mountains and fly fishing the Provo River. What is also nice about coming in the summer is that the Park City condo rentals are much cheaper than peak winter, ski-season rates. So you can get a pretty nice place in the summer with all the conveniences of home that may be otherwise out of reach during the winter season. What’s funny when I first watched this video is the two of them in a ceramic/wheel-throwing class that I wasn’t even aware was available. Like I said, you won’t get bored here or run out of things to do.

Park City Summer Activities

Park City Golf Courses

Park City Mountain Biking Trails

Utah Olympic Park

Utah Fly Fishing

Park City Balloon Rides

Park City Summer Vacation Contest – Enter to win a 4-day, 3-night Park City summer vacation that includes a jam-packed itinerary of all the best activities Park City has to offer.

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Park City Food and Wine Classic

2011 Sundance Film Festival

Park City Guide — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 20:56:15 +0000

The 2011 Sundance Film Festival kicks off tomorrow, January 20th in Park City and goes through January 30th. If you haven’t purchased tickets already, do not fret. There are some still available for advanced purchased here or you can always get on the waitlist. Just go to the venue two hours in advance where your film of choice will be screened. Pick up your waitlist number, then return no later than 30 minutes before the screening time. You’ll then line up according to number, and tickets are sold in sequential order. Waitlist Tickets are $15, cash only. If no space is available, ticketed waitlist patrons receive a full refund. You can read all the details here.

Parking is extremely limited so use the free Park City Shuttle bus as much as possible. You will not be able to drive up to venues and park for screenings. There are several parking lots around Park City to use. Several charge a fee, like The Yard, China Bridge and Lots F/G. There is the Monitor Drive Parking Lot which is free, but has limited space, Monday-Friday, 3:00 p.m. to midnight. All day Saturday. NO PARKING ON SUNDAY. Within walking distance to Eccles Theatre and there is a free shuttle stop nearby if you need to go to a farther venue. For more information, go to the Parking and Shuttles page.

There is a mobile iPhone and Android app for the Sundance Festival that has the complete film schedule and everything else you need to know. If you want to look at the schedule online, here it is: 2011 Sundance Film Festival Schedule. View film locations, availability, film synopsis, video previews, festival highlights and more.

If you plan on having a meal before or after your film, I’d suggest getting reservations if possible, otherwise expect to wait. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, Park City restaurants are going to be packed. Main Street restaurants will be the most busy, so as an alternative, you may want to plan eating at one of the restaurants further away from downtown like Kimball Junction.

I’ve mentioned this before (don’t tell nobody), but the Sundance Film Festival week is usually one of the best times to go skiing or snowboarding. Why? Because most of the visitors that have booked all the hotels, condos, etc. are watching films during the day and not on the slopes! On several occasions I have skied Park City during the festival and had lots of runs all to myself. So you may want to ski during the morning or afternoon or both and watch films afterward.

2011 Sundance Film Festival Winners

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Park City Historic Walking Tours

Park City Guide — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 22:21:28 +0000

Park City historic walking tours are given by the Park City Museum during the summer from June 1st through September 3rd every Monday through Friday, weather permitting. The walking tour takes place on Historic Main Street, leaving the Museum Store at 2pm. Cost is $5 per person. Tickets can be purchased from the Park City Museum Store on the day of the tour. They allow a maximum of fifteen people per tour which is nice so the group will not be too big. The tour is one hour long and can be enjoyed by both visitors from afar or even locals who likely do not know all there is to know about Park City history.

If there are a group of you of more than eight people that would like to go on the tour together, you will need to make reservations at least three weeks in advance. If you are already in Park City and still want to go as a group, try dropping by on one of the less busy days (call ahead and ask) and if your group plus any other people who purchased tickets on that day for the tour do not exceed fifteen, they you may be able to go without the reservations. They would like you to arrive 10 minutes before the walking tour begins and suggest bringing water and sun protection via hat and/or sunscrren. There are no tours on July 4th and Labor Day. For additional information, call 435-649-7457, ext 107 or email tknoeller@parkcityhistory.org.

I would suggest allowing in your schedule for time to spend before or after the Park City Historic walking tour at the Museum. They have a lot of unique exhibits and hands-on fun activities for the kids.

Park City Historic Museum Information

Museum Hours

Monday-Saturday: 10:00 am -7:00 pm
Sunday: Noon – 6:00 pm
Closed: Thanksgiving and Christmas

Museum Admission

Members: Free
Adults: $10
Children: $5 (age 7-17, Under 6 free)

Museum Location

528 Main Street / PO Box 555
Park City, UT 84060

Phone: 435.649.7457

The Park City Historic Museum is located across from the Public Transit Center, so you can catch a free inbound bus to the Transit Center, cross Swede Alley and enter the Museum from Main Street.

If you are driving, follow the signs to Park City’s Historic Main Street, then look up for the Bell Tower. Paid parking is available on Main Street between 11:00 am and 8:00 pm. Free parking with a 4-hour limit is available in Swede Alley parking lots (including right behind the Museum) and in the China Bridge Parking Structure (Levels 1-3) on Swede Alley. All-day, free parking is available on the roof of the China Bridge Parking Structure (accessible via Marsac Avenue). Here is the Park City Main Street Parking Map for Museum location and parking locations.

Park City Museum Website

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Park City Utah Fourth of July Celebration

Park City Food and Wine Classic

Park City Guide — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 22:36:37 +0000

The 6th Annual Park City Food and Wine Classic will take place this Thursday July 8th through Sunday July 11th. This four day Park City Utah event will kick off on Thursday at The Canyons Resort at Red Pine Lodge, top of the Gondola 6:30pm-8:30pm. The Kickoff Celebration provides unique opportunities to spend one-on-one time with industry experts and delve into a variety of wines, focusing on reserves but also showcasing some everyday selections. Heavy appetizers and live entertainment will make this signature event second to none. Cost: $110

The event continues with a jam-packed day of activities that should provide something for everyone. From flyfishing along with a gourmet lunch riverside with fine wines to mountain biking paired with lunch and yes, wine this is definitely an outdoor Park City, Utah event. Lots of wine seminars and paired activities will be plentiful during this Wine Classic. Make sure you take a look at all the event listings and sign up soon, some are already sold out. Follow the link at the bottom of this post to view all event details and to purchase tickets.

The Park City Food and Wine Classic winds up on Sunday with a morning revival High West Brunch. What better way to wrap up a great weekend than brunch at High West? Join us as we toast the conclusion to a wonderful weekend and bid one another farewell until next year’s Classic. Includes two adult breakfast beverages. High West Distillery, $45

Here’s a video from a couple years back to give you an idea of what the event is all about:

Park City Food and Wine Classic

2010 Participating Park City Restaurants in the Food & Wine Classic
Bangkok Thai On Main
Blind Dog Restaurant
Comunal Restaurant
Donovan’s Steak & Chop House
Easy Street Brasserie
Edible Wasatch
Forage Restaurant
Good Karma
Hapa Sushi Grill
Healing Palate /Jason Kiefer
High West Distillery
J. Wong’s Asian Bistro
Jean Louis
Jupiter Bowl
Kerrygold | Irish Dairy Board
Lugano Restaurant
Mercer Wine Ice Cream
Mustang
Paralel 88
Park City Private Chefs
Red Pine Cafe At The Canyons
Ruth’s Chris – Hotel Park City
Shabu
Sky Lodge
Sonora Grill
Spruce At Waldorf Astor Ia
Stein Eriksen Lodge
Sugar Buzz
Talisker On Main
The Bridge Cafe And Grill
The Cabin Restaurant
The Coper Onion
The Mountain Grill At Yarrow Hotel
Westgate Grill
Whole Foods
Yelow Snow Ice Cream
For more information, please go to the Park City Food & Wine Classic website. And don’t forget there are plenty of other Park City summer activities going on this season.

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Park City Utah Fourth of July Celebration

Park City Guide — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 17:58:27 +0000

The Park City 4th of July festivities are many. Beginning on July 3rd, there will be plenty of activities from the resorts and city. Deer Valley Resort will have their Patriotic Music Celebration on July 3 provided by the Utah Symphony. The concert will be from 7:30-9:30 at the outdoor Snowpark Amphitheater. Tickets are $25 for general admission lawn seating. There will be a beverage and food concessions stand open during the concert or bring your own cooler. For more information go to Deer Valley Patriotic Celebration.

Starting at 7:30pm, The Canyons Resort will be having a free concert in the resort village followed by fireworks at 9:30pm. The Disco Drippers will be providing the live music. The venue will be open at 4pm if you want to set up your blankets and chairs early and grab a spot on the lawn. The Cabriolet and Frostwood lifts will be open from 4:00pm – 11:00pm.

The weekly Park Silly Sunday Market will be taking place in town on Saturday instead of Sunday to accomodate the 4th of July parade on Sunday. Sunday morning activities start early with the traditional pancake breakfast from 7am-10pm and 8am 5k Fun Run which benefits the Park City Ski Team. This is followed by the 4th of July Parade downtown starting at 11am. There will be 85 floats in tow celebrating Park City’s history, from “Silver to Snow”. The parade starts at the top of Main Street to the 9th Street intersection, over to Park Avenue and continues to City Park.

Stick around after the parade for music, food and plenty of activities in City Park. From noon to 4pm at the music pavillion, free music from Park City Concerts will be given by Motherlode Canyon Band, The Codi Jordan Band and Tim Wray & Fat Paw among others. There will also be plenty of food and drink and vendor stands selling various items.

Then starting at dusk, ~9:30pm the ultimate fireworks display will begin. They will be shot off at the base of Park City Mountain Resort from the First Time parking lot. You will be able to view the fireworks from all over town, but ideal locations are from the Park City golf course as well as the Aerie and Boot Hill areas. The Holy Water Buffalo Band will be providing live music starting at 8pm at the Corner Store.

So lots to do and enjoy this weekend. Looks like the weather will be pleasant too with mostly sunny skies on Saturday and Sunday, highs in the low 70s.

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The Canyons Ski Resort Spring Break and Spring Gruv

Park City Guide — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:32:36 +0000

The Canyons Ski Resort spring break annual Gruv festival will be coming up soon, taking place March 26th through April 4th. For those ten days there will be lots of free events like concerts in the Resort Village and plenty of fun contests like the infamous Pond Skimming Contest as well as the Canis Lupis Challenge and 1976 Red Bull Games. Great way to spend your spring break or any vacation.

Canyons Pond Skimming Contest

The Pond Skimming Contest is The Canyons’ most popular party and is the true indicator that spring has arrived. Contestants must dress in costume (the funkier the better) as they attempt to cross a 100-foot pond on skis or a snowboard. The pond and the excitement happen at mid-mountain just outside Red Pine Lodge. Must be 10 years of age or older to enter.

Schedule:
8:00am – 9:00am: Registration at Smokie’s
11:45am: Riders’ meeting at top of course (mandatory)
12:00pm: Contest start
12:00pm – 3:00pm: DJ Velvet spins tunes at the Pond
2:30pm: Awards Ceremony at the Pond
3:00pm: Live music by Big Head Todd & The Monsters in the Resort Village!

More info on The Canyons Pond Skimming Contest and registration

Canis Lupus Challenge

In the old days, it was called The Natural (natural halfpipe) and the James Bond trail (for resembling a banked bobsled run). Call it what you will. Canis Lupus is a 1/4 mile-long gulley that serves up banked walls, turn after turn and whoops that will throw you off track if you are not prepared. There will be a few banked slalom gates at the top, then a “not-so-straight shot to the finish.” Must be 10 years of age or older to enter.

Red Bull 1976 Games

The Canyons will be hosting a qualifying event for the Red Bull 1976 Games. Teams of four will compete for the glory and bragging rights of becoming the 1976 Games Champions. Competitions include Snowbladecross & Old School Air – all up at Red Pine Lodge area. Registration info to come…

Red Bull 1976 Games Event Schedule:
8:00am – 9:00am: Registration at Smokie’s
9:30am – 11:30am: Athlete Training
11:45am: Riders’ meeting at top of course (mandatory)
12:00pm: Snowbladecross start
1:00pm: Old School Air start
2:30pm: Awards Ceremony at venue

Then, hit up the Resort Village for a live concert by Robert Randolph & The Family Band at 3:00pm!

NOTE: No outside alcohol is allowed in for the spring concerts. But do not fret, they will have food and beverage options available in the Resort Village.

You can find out more about all the events, concerts and special lodging packages at the The Canyons Spring Gruv website. They are offering some great discount lodging packages with rates starting at $59.50. We can get some awesome snowstorms in March and April, so come on over, enjoy the snow, the fun events, free concerts and warmer temps!

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Utah Ski Resorts Wins Roaming Gnome Contest!

Park City Guide — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:45:43 +0000

It was a tight race at the end between Lake Tahoe and Utah, but Utah won in the end, bringing in 50.01 percent of the 285,482 total votes. Travelocity’s Roaming Gnome will be skiing and riding at Utah Ski Resorts for the “Cabin Fever: Finding a Cure” Tour. With “The Greatest Snow on Earth,” of course the Gnome is gonna love it.

Besides Park City Ski Resorts: Deer Valley, The Canyons and Park City Mountain Resort, the Gnome has all the other great ski areas in Utah to visit including Alta, Brighton, Snowbird, Solitude, Sundance, Snowbasin, Wolf Creek, Powder Mountain, Beaver Mountain and Brian Head. You can find out more information about each of Utah’s Ski Resort by visiting the Ski Utah website.

Eleven of Utah’s resorts are within an hour’s drive of the Salt Lake City International Airport so the Gnome can get a lot of skiing done in a very short visit. In fact here is a group of people who skied all 13 Utah ski resorts in one day:

Skiing All 13 Utah Ski Resorts in 1 Day!

We hope the Roaming Gnome enjoys its stay in Utah and gets his fill of that light, fluffy, deep powder at all our resorts. Don’t ski out of bounds, Gnome, ski with a buddy and you may want to wear an avalanche beacon anyway – not because of avalanche danger within resort boundaries, but because you are very short and our powder runs deep and we may lose you if you fall down!

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Park City Ski Resorts Opening Dates 2009-2010 Ski Season – Deer Valley, The Canyons & Park City Mountain Resort

2010 Sundance Film Festival Winners

Park City Guide — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:26:43 +0000

The 2010 Sundance Film Festival winners have been announced. The Festival is over, but now you can look forward to viewing the winning films.

2010 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners

Grand Jury Prize (U.S. Documentary): “Restrepo”

World Cinema Jury Prize (Dramatic): “Animal Kingdom”

World Cinema Jury Prize (Documentary): “The Red Chapel”

Audience Award (Dramatic): “happythankyoumoreplease”

Audience Award (Documentary): “Waiting for Superman”

World Cinema Audience Award (Dramatic): “Undertow”

World Cinema Audience Award (Documentary): “Wasteland”

Directing Award (Dramatic): Eric Mendelsohn, “3 Backyards”

Directing Award (Documentary): Leon Gast, “Smash His Camera”

World Cinema Directing Award (Dramatic): Juan Carlos Valdivia, “Southern District”

World Cinema Directing Award (Documentary): Christian Frei, “Space Tourists”

Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: Debra Granik and Anne Rosselini, “Winter’s Bone”

World Cinema Screenwriting Award: Juan Carlos Valdivia, “Southern District”

Special Jury Prize (Dramatic): “Sympathy for Delicious”

Special Jury Prize (Documentary): “Gasland”

World Cinema Special Jury Prize (Dramatic): Tatiana Maslany, for her performance in “Grown-Up Movie Star”

World Cinema Special Jury Prize (Documentary): “Enemies of the People”

Cinematography Award (Dramatic): Zak Mulligan, “Obselidia”

Cinematography Award (Documentary): Kirsten Johnson and Laura Poitras, “The Oath”

World Cinema Cinematography Award (Dramatic): Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat, “The Man Next Door”

World Cinema Cinematography Award (Documentary): Kate McCullough and Michael Lavelle, “His & Hers”

Documentary Editing Award: Penelope Falk, “Joan Rivers—A Piece Of Work”

World Cinema Documentary Editing Award: Joëlle Alexis, “A Film Unfinished”

Alfred P. Sloan Prize: “Obselidia”

NEXT Award: “Homewrecker”

Grand Jury Prize Winner, “Restrepo” Co-Directors Tim Hetherington & Sebastian Junger Discuss Their Movie

For more details go to 2010 Sundance Film Festival Winners page at the Sundance Festival website. We hope all that attended the Festival enjoyed the films and the events. We also hoped you enjoyed your stay in Park City and were able to take advantage of all the other activities and events the town has to offer.

And now you can look forward to next year’s festival. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival dates – January 20, 2011 – January 30, 2011. We will keep you posted come September when it will be time to start looking at registration and other important dates.

Sundance Film Festival Information