WHAT: Now 31 years old, America’s glitziest film festival transforms the alpine retreat of Park City, Utah (population 7,500), into a teeming mass of filmmakers, dealmakers, celebrities, publicists, journalists, and wide-eyed spectators. Slamdance — the younger, edgier Sundance alternative that runs concurrently — highlights up-and-coming filmmakers.
WHEN: January 15–25, 2009 (Sundance); January 15–23, 2009 (Slamdance).
WHERE: The majority of movies and sideshows unspool in Park City, where historic Main Street is the jam-packed center of gravity. Some Sundance screenings take place in the nearby towns of Ogden, Sundance, and Salt Lake City.
HIGHLIGHTS: Celebrity-spotting, especially outside the Village at the Lift gifting suites. • Skiing near-empty slopes while everyone else screens movies. • Hobnobbing with the Hollywood elite at a VIP event — assuming you can finagle your way in. • Checking out emerging film talent at über-indie Slamdance screenings — Christopher Nolan, Steven Soderbergh, and Larry Clark all got their start here.

Stay:

Book early — many Sundance regulars secure accommodations for the following year right after the festival. Condo rentals are also popular; book through destinationsff.com and part of the proceeds will support emerging filmmakers.

SKY LODGE
This 33-room boutique hotel brought a dose of urbanity to touristy Main Street when it opened last winter, just in time for the festival. Think SoHo in the mountains: glass elevators, abstract paintings, loft-style suites. Hit up the fourth-floor, guests-only Sky Club for its heated deck and jumbo hot tub.
201 Heber Ave.
888/876-2525
RATES: $700–1,300
theskylodge.com

STEIN ERIKSEN LODGE
Until St. Regis and Waldorf-Astoria open new properties later in the year, this Norwegian-style chalet in Deer Valley is the swishest hotel around. Part of its appeal — beyond the enormous stone fireplaces and in-room jet tubs — is its location: 300 feet from the country’s best-groomed slopes, and a comfy 10-minute remove (by car) from the Main Street mobs. The lodge’s 4,600-square-foot ballroom is the traditional site for the star-packed Variety magazine party.
7700 Stein Way
800/453-1302
RATES: $185–835
steinlodge.com

TREASURE MOUNTAIN INN
It’s not the fanciest (or most tranquil) lodging, but this eco-friendly hotel at the top of Main Street is the HQ for Slamdance, meaning guests have easy access to free panel discussions and the Technicolor Filmmaker Lounge, where you can get a glimpse of up-and-coming talent unaccompanied by BlackBerry-toting publicists. Keep earplugs (or a hidden six-pack) on hand for the rowdy midnight slasher-flick screenings, held in the hotel’s lone screening room.
255 Main St.
800/344-2460
RATES: $115–295
treasuremountaininn.com

THE YARROW
Okay, so you’ve probably never paid $400 for such an uninspiring 300-square-foot room. But this no-frills conference hotel a few shuttle-bus stops north of Main Street is the festival’s main press-screening center, making it the best place to collar your favorite (or least favorite) critic as he queues for a movie. It’s also a five-minute walk from Holiday Village’s four screens and is thus the best spot in town for serious moviegoers.
1800 Park Ave.
435/649-7000
RATES: $90–410
yarrowresort.com

Eat:

Main Street restaurants whittle down their menus and jack up their prices during the festival — and still get overrun. Book as far in advance as they’ll let you. Remember, you’re competing against tenacious Hollywood assistants.

EMPIRE CANYON LODGE
Though Empire Canyon still hosts a fair share of events — Perry Farrell (of Jane’s Addiction) played at a Sundance party here a few years back — its fireside dining and distance from the Main Street mayhem are still the main draws. Alpine fare like raclette and *boeuf bourguignon* are served up — as in, 8,300 feet up. It goes without saying that there’s chocolate fondue.
1375 Deer Valley Dr.
866/397-3320