How celebrities discreetly arrive in Utah for the Sundance Film Festival

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – When Hollywood touches down in Utah for the Sundance Film Festival, it’s showtime.

Over 80,000 people attended the film festival last year, including some well-known celebrities. This year, stars such as Christopher Nolan, Pedro Pascal, and Kristen Stewart are in Utah for the festival, but how did they arrive here unnoticed?

Some celebrities fly into Salt Lake City – where they’re greeted by paparazzi and crowds — but others try to stay out of the spotlight until they walk the red carpet.

Those VIPs typically opt to land at the Heber Valley Airport instead, as it’s the closest airport to the festival and only private flights can land there. The airport’s director of maintenance, Jeff Dowling, said the airport has attracted “a great array” of people from Hillary Clinton to Paris Hilton over the years.

Nadim Abuhaidar, owner of OK3 AIR, which operates the airport, says on a normal day there are between 10 to 15 arrivals, but during the film festival that number increases to 50 a day, and it’s getting busier every year.

As the festival grows, staff says so does demand for vacation homes and a place to store your private plane.

“It’s mind-boggling. I mean, I’ve been here 24 years, just this town alone it’s got a population of 4,000 to 60,000,” Abuhaidar said. “A good percentage of those people moving in here or buying second homes here are going to be airplane users.”

By airport standards, Heber Valley is small with only one runway, making the influx of visitors a challenge.

While it may be chaotic, airport staff credits years of experience in high-stress situations with their ability to manage the spike in arrivals during the festival time.

Since pilots don’t have to tell the airport when they plan to land, staff has to be prepared for anything. However, the Heber Valley Airport has created an ideal system for those seeking a low profile.

“They can park the airplane, within seconds they can be in the back of whatever transportation they have and they get whisked off,” Abuhaidar said.

Tight airport security makes it difficult to see which stars fly in for the film festival and drivers are assigned to work with big-named celebrities to bring them to the festival safely and discreetly.

One of the celebrity drivers, Wendy Swann, says there are some perks to driving the celebrities. She said that at times they get swag during interviews or events that they can’t fit in their luggage, and in turn give to her.

“I’ve ended up with like an $800 Canada Goose coat and a Tiffany crystal bowl over the years,” Swann said.

Regardless, she said it’s important to remember that attending events like the Sundance Film Festival is just another part of the celebrities’ jobs.

“They’re normal, everyday people that have a job to do, like everyone else,” Swann said.