So You Want To Go To Sundance...

• I tell people that this entire Festival business is like a huge game of chess. You are the queen. Which means, yes, you have all the power, but you also can fall over and collapse if you are not careful. I have encouraged those who join me in the festival madness to hydrate, choose good shoes, get sleep now, and remember that we do this because the Filmmakers have risked everything to tell us their story. I appreciate them so very much. Here we go!
  
  Tomorrow, I pick up my credential and a bunch of other stuff that gives me full access to Sundance. If you've actually met me (and I know some of you actually have met me) you'll no doubt have heard me say at least once that the ONLY reason I live in Utah is because of Sundance. I mean, well, I may also live here because of a certain professor and his not so small child (who is joining me in the festival madness this year) and maybe even a certain coffee shop, BUT…Sundance is how I ended up here in 2008 and Sundance, if I'm really honest, comes around at just the moment when I'm ready to pitch it all in and cry UNCLE. So, thank goodness for this festival that happens in January and breathes life back into my soul.
  
  Enough about me. Let's talk about you. Here are my tips for making your festival the best festival ever even if you're not famous and do not have a PR team making or have ever been a part of the Hollywood machine. Yes, even if you're just a person who loves film and wants to come and see what it is all about. This is especially for you because I feel like Sundance is for all of us, especially those of us who really love film.

• It's not too late to come and enjoy SUNDANCE.

  I know you think you've missed out. You haven't. There are still single tickets available to a whole lot of films. There are also passes for those of you who want to splurge! If you don't want to come to Utah, you can even watch from the comfort of your own home and, as with the NJFF, sometimes that isn't such a bad thing.
  
  Here's my best secret. The WAITLIST and/or the tried and true friends who do not show up. If you know me, you also know I'm a deadhead who has stood in a million parking lots and gotten tickets to every.single.show ever. The same is true for Sundance. I have never NOT gotten into a film that I have really wanted to *see* no matter how many seats were available or if it was SOLD OUT. It is about persistence and patience and, yes, perhaps a bit of magic. The ECCLES THEATRE is the largest of all the Sundance theatres in the festival and your chances of finding a ticket for any screening there are pretty darn good. But before you go trying to find your MIRACLE TICKET, my better suggestion is this: Go to the Park City Box Office and ask them directly: What do you have available for today? A whole lot of people turn in their tickets and/or exchange them because they change their minds or their schedules change or things just happen. I used to work at the Box Office and it was amazing to me how many tickets we'd have come available DAY OF because of this. Plus? There are also tickets *dropped* the day of, as well. All this to say, you can have an amazing festival just by being really FLEXIBLE and being open to what the Universe is going to provide.

• Walk Main Street and pop in to the pop-ups!
  
  First off, you never know who you'll bump into while walking Main Street in Park City, especially during the opening weekend. It's kind of a madhouse (admittedly) but what festival is not, really? Every sponsor has taken over a storefront of some sort and has a pop-up. A lot of these are ONLY for the opening weekend (they used to last all week) and while you may feel like you do not *belong*, trust me, you absolutely BELONG. YOU, my friend, ARE THE FESTIVAL. I tell this to everyone. We're so glad that you're here, we're so happy that you've decided to come and we want you to have the best time ever. The sponsors want you to enjoy their *experiences* with you. Last year, I went to a SLUTTY VEGAN party, quite by accident. I want to tell you that was one of the highlights of my entire day that day. All I kept thinking is, "Why don't we have this food in Utah all the time?!” I’m still waiting for that to happen. All this to say, if you're feeling called to *step inside* I want you to step inside and enjoy yourself. Please. If you do find yourself inside the Sundance Merchandise Store and you're contemplating ANYTHING available there, don't hesitate. I've done this one too many times only to have that special something just VANISH. It is not lost on me that the STANLEY CUP dropped today and is already sold out (hello Utah). Get it while you can. It won't be there when you circle back. Which brings me to my *next* subject:

• Wear sensible shoes and sensible clothes.

  This is Utah. It will be snowing. There will be ice. You do not want to teeter totter up and down Main Street and in and out of buildings for twelve plus hours (I'm not joking) in your Louboutin heels. I've assisted a whole lot of ladies who have made this mistake. It's NOT pretty. Sorels are your friends! If you must, get those damn Prada lug boots. However, for the love of all that is holy, let's stay away from spiky heels and slippery red bottom shoes.
  
  Your cute one piece apres ski outfit? It's great. However, remember that you're going to need to go to the bathroom and a whole lot of these spaces that are being repurposed have minimal bathroom facilities and you may not want that one piece you're sporting to be ON THE FLOOR while you're taking care of business. Trust me. Some of these spots are just glorified porto-potties. My best recommendation? Make it comfortable and black. You also want a warm, but not too bulky coat. It's Utah. Accent with an oversized colourful scarf that can double as a blanket in the theatres. Especially if you are planning to sit in the dark and watch films in addition to hitting Main Street. Carry a sensible *bag* for your water bottle, phone, an extra charger possibly even a physical notebook. So, yes, let's talk about that bag…

• You need a sensible bag because….
  

  If you've never been to Utah, altitude sickness is a real thing. You are going to want to have a refillable water bottle in that bag. Not only are you now at an altitude you may not have experienced before, but the air is also VERY DRY. You're going to want to hydrate. Way more than you think. In addition to the water bottle, I suggest you throw in some lip balm. Whatever kind makes you happy. Also, some Emergen-C. Or whatever it is that you take to keep the ICK away. The Sundance Flu is not a laughing matter. We're all in small theatres and jammed in small party spaces and yelling loudly to be heard. Trust me. There are so many people who by Day 6 are complaining of a sore throat and worse. Snacks are also a good thing to throw in that bag. What makes YOU happy? Throw those in because there are times when you literally go from film to film to film without a break and those snacks and your water bottle? LIFE SAVING. There's a reason I call this my BLISS BAG. Mine also just might have a fork and spoon and definitely a few extra handkerchiefs and most certainly a mask (you never know)!! Also? An extra phone battery and charging cords. Why? Because Park City is NOTORIOUS (!!) for having crap cell reception and our phones die just when we need them the most. These days, as in 2024, everything SUNDANCE happens online. You need to download the Sundance2024 App to your phone and then do just about every.little.thing right from there. So if your phone is not working…pfft. You're SOL. Trust me, I'm so damn old school, I absolutely wish this were not so. I'd far rather be your girl in Uggs scoring a miracle ticket from the friend she just made on the bus. THAT DOES HAPPEN. It will happen, though, while you're phone is sitting in your bliss bag.

• You can NOT possibly do everything. A NO is a very powerful YES.
  

  I've been doing this particular festival for a very very long time. It is tempting to try to squeeze all of the films, all of the panels, all of the dinners, all of the parties, all of the after parties, all of the after after after parties and then some in because of FOMO. Let's remember that you're only ONE person. You can not possibly suck this entire festival through an earth friendly metal straw even if it is as thick as a tail pipe. Just not happening. I encourage you to listen to your own body and to happily smile, say thank you to whomever is inviting you to that oh so exclusive party way up in the canyon and remember that these are all just PEOPLE, just like you, but…and this is important, there is NO ONE ELSE quite like you and your own health and well-being and happiness is priority number one.
  
  My other golden rule? Smile. Talk to people while you're waiting in line. Stay off of your phone. There are no strangers at SUNDANCE. We're all here, from all over the world, because we really love film and the people who risk everything to make them. You will not regret sharing your heart with the people around you in line, in the theatres, on a bus, in a random bathroom, in a shared LYFT ride, at that party where you never expected to end up. Tell your STORY and then listen with your heart as the people your sharing this festival with dare to tell you their own.
  
  The magic is all about to begin.
  #sundancefilmfestival #sundance