Today, the Sundance Film Festival began its 22nd year in Park City, Utah. This is when Hollywood ditches the tank tops and flip-flops and struts around in some heavy ski parkas and boots as they attend screenings, promote films, and grab some swag.

Ironically, Robert Redford, the festival’s founder, intended Sundance to be the anti-Cannes Film Festival but this little festival in a sleepy ski town has blown up to be a congested event where navigating the streets, let alone finding a hotel room, is near impossible. But all this overcrowding does have a plus as the state of Utah says the festival brings in $61.5 million in economic activity for Utah, $52.9 million of that in the Park City area.

Should you dare to brave the crowds this week or if you plan on heading to Park City some other time this winter, here’s a quick run-down of what to expect.

Airport
Salt Lake City International Airport, 25 miles southeast of Park City.

Destination Clubs BelleHavens (Deer Valley home, right) Exclusive Resorts (Deer Valley) The LUSSO Collection (2 homes, Deer Valley)

Hotels
Chances are you have a hotel room by now but for next year, the luxury hotels in the area to check-in to are The Stein-Erikson Lodge, The Red Stag Lodge, The Caledonian Hotel and Hotel Park City.

Other lodging options? Peruse the listings on Salt Lake City’s Craiglist but expect less luxury accommodations (“pull out sofabed available”).

Transportation
Because parking and street congestion is such a mess, it’s best to take advantage of the free public transport system when in town. The system is reportedly very clean and makes frequents stops around the city from 7:30am to 10:30pm.

Restaurants
Some of the best places to dine include The Riverhorse, Grappa, Snake Creek Grill, Chimayo, and Wahso. However, reservations are notoriously hard to get this week with Chimayo reporting they will serve nearly 400 diners each night.

One way to secure impossible-to-get dinner reservations, party passes and movie tickets at Sundance is to join The LUSSO Collection. Members of The LUSSO Collection destination club enjoy 24-hour concierge service on location. Even if members are not staying in the club residence they can call LUSSO’s “Wherever Whenever” team for assistance.

Activities There are three ski resorts near Park City: Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley, and The Canyons. Since most everyone will be hanging out on Main Street for the festival, the slopes are expected to be wide-open.

Thrillist has put together some other activities to try out should you get bored like heli-skiing with PC Cat’s Snow Cat and snowmobiling with Red Pine Adventures.

Nightlife
Harry O’s on Main Street seems to be the top place to hangout at night, as is the rowdier No Name Saloon. Thrillist is also quick to point out that Park City has some unique alcohol laws with the maximum amount of alcohol allowed per cocktail is one ounce, a membership card is needed to drink at the “private” clubs serving booze and bars close at 1am.

The Village at the Lift
Aside from the films, The Village at the Lift is without a doubt the hottest ticket in town. The key word being “ticket” as the party is for “credentialed guests” only. If you are one of the lucky ones with a pass, head on down to Main Street’s landmark Town Lift center for some retail bliss.

Featured at The Village will be several high-profile companies like Saturn, Philips Electronics, Heineken, T-Mobile and American Eagle, all of whom will be showing off their latest wares. A much anticipated showcase will be Fred Segal, a Los Angeles-based clothing mecca, where celebrities and other VIP festival goers will scoop up the latest fashions from “it” clothing labels like Theory, Habitual, RocaWear, 2(x)ist and Le Mystere, along with beauty and cosmetic products from the likes of Kerastase, DermaNew and Smashbox Cosmetics.

Fortunately, all this swag-grabbing here is for a good cause as Fred Segal has partnered with The Humane Society to educate festival goers on the latest issues and causes.

If you can’t make Sundance this year, there’s still a way you can catch some of the indie-film spirit. The Sundance Institute and Sundance Channel recently struck a deal with iTunes to sell the festival’s short film entries for $1.99 a piece.

Have an insider’s tip to Sundance Film Festival or Park City? Email us at tips@heliumreport.com.