Within walking distance of a screening
- Pearl Street Mall. Four pedestrian blocks of shops, restaurants and people-watching in the middle of downtown.
- Boulder Creek Path. A paved path along the creek through the center of town. Good for clearing your head after a heavy documentary.
- Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse. A hand-carved, hand-painted teahouse given to Boulder by its sister city in Tajikistan. Go for tea even if you skip the meal.
- Museum of Boulder. Local history and rotating exhibits, a few blocks from Pearl Street.
- CU Boulder campus. Stroll the quad between screenings; the Fiske Planetarium and the CU Museum of Natural History are both on campus.
Get outside
The trailheads at Chautauqua put you under the Flatirons within minutes, and the festival is using the auditorium there, so you can pair a morning walk with a film. In January, shaded trails hold ice: wear boots with tread and bring traction cleats. A local trail guide helps you pick something suited to your lungs.
Day trips
All official festival events in 2027 are inside Boulder, but plenty of visitors add a day or two before or after.
Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park
Snowy peaks, elk in town and quiet winter trails. Roads at higher elevations close seasonally, so a guided trip takes the guesswork out.
See national park tours →Skiing at Eldora
The closest ski area to Boulder, just past Nederland. The NB bus runs up the canyon from downtown Boulder.
Stay in Nederland →Denver
Museums, food halls and neighborhoods to explore. An easy day by Flatiron Flyer bus.
See Denver tours →Red Rocks
The famous sandstone amphitheater near Morrison is open to visitors on non-event days and is striking in snow.
See Red Rocks tours →Eat and drink
Boulder punches above its size for restaurants, coffee and craft beer. During the festival, the practical advice is simple: reserve dinner in advance, eat lunch late, and look one town over. Louisville's Main Street and Lafayette's Public Road have good independent restaurants and shorter waits.
For film people
Queues are long. Bring something to read that will make you better at arguing about movies afterward.
- Down and Dirty PicturesPeter Biskind on the rise of American independent film.Find it
- Rebel Without a CrewRobert Rodriguez's diary of making a feature for almost nothing.Find it
- In the Blink of an EyeEditor Walter Murch on why cuts work.Find it
- Making MoviesSidney Lumet explains the whole job, plainly.Find it
- Spike, Mike, Slackers & DykesJohn Pierson's inside account of a decade of indie deals.Find it
- Save the Cat!Blake Snyder's much-debated screenwriting manual.Find it
Information checked November 2026. Festival plans are still being finalized, so confirm anything time-sensitive on the official festival website.