BE 2026

Press

From ITS FIRST ITERATION IN 2009, THE FESTIVAL HAS BEEN A LOCUS OF EXPEDITION, DEFINED MORE BY A GO-ANYWHERE ETHOS THAN BY ANY STYLE OR GENRE ALLEGIANCE

NPR MUSIC
That Million Dollar Bash

Larry & Joe + Joyful Noise at Big Ears, and remembering Jill Sobule

By Jacob Blickenstaff //

That Million Dollar Bash

Love and Healing with Meshell Ndegeocello & Rufus Wainwright

By Jacob Blickenstaff //

That Million Dollar Bash

Big Ears No. 3: Tindersticks

By Jacob Blickenstaff //

That Million Dollar Bash

Big Ears No. 2: Tortoise x SML

By Jacob Blickenstaff //

That Million Dollar Bash

Big Ears no. 1: Rich Ruth x William Tyler

By Jacob Blickenstaff //

The Gig

Everything Done Right at Big Ears

By Nate Chinen //

No Depression

THROUGH THE LENS: Big Ears Festival 2025 Digs Deep

By Amos Perrine //

Under the Rader

Explosions in the Sky, Waxahatchee, Yo La Tengo, Sun Ra Arkestra- Big Ears Festival, Knoxville, Tennessee, US, March 27-30, 2025

By Jessica Mlinaric //

Live for Live Music

Les Claypool’s Bastard Jazz, Béla Fleck, Taj Mahal Highlight Big Ears Festival’s Sonic Diversity

By Michael Broerman //

Kaput Magazine

Orchestrating the Beautiful Chaos of Big Ears

By Thomas Venker //

Jazztimes

Big Ears: From India to Tennessee

By Geoffrey Himes //

Inside of Knoxville

Big Ears 2025, Many Rivers to Cross

By Alan Sims //

Goldmine

Big Ears Festival an Oversized Epic in a Blend of Sounds and Sensation

By Lee Zimmerman //

The Fader

Astrid Sonne on pop stardom and playing in a church at Big Ears 2025

By Raphael Helfand //

Echoes

The Wonders and Eclecticism of Big Ears Festival 2025

By John Diliberto //

Brooklyn Vegan

Big Ears 2025 kicked off with Darkside, Yo La Tengo, Tortoise, Beth Gibbons, Cass McCombs & more

By Bill Pearis //

The Daily Beacon

Anoushka Shankar’s Big Ears performance embodied heart of festival

By Samantha Fulton //

Beats Per Minute

Music Festival Review: The magical realism of Knoxville’s Big Ears Festival

By Joshua Pickard //

Arts Knoxville

Music Won’t Save Us, But It Might Help Us Save Each Other — Lessons learned at Big Ears 2025

By Eric Dawson //

Alternative Press

Finding transcendence at Big Ears 2025

By Neville Hardman //

Downbeat

Jazz Emerges as Essential Component of Knoxville’s Big Ears Festival

By Ashley Kahn //

Paste

The Curmudgeon: Nonesuch Records and Big Ears Festival

By Geoffrey Himes //

Pollstar

Cheers Big Ears! Ashley Capps On The Best Out-There Music Fest Out There

By Andy Gensler //

Beats Per Minute

FESTIVAL REVIEW: KNOXVILLE’S BIG EARS FESTIVAL OFFERS A TRIP THROUGH A PARALLEL REALITY

By Joshua Pickard //

BIG EARS
03.26_03.29.26
Knoxville, TN · USA

Festival

Learn more about what The New York Times calls “one of the world’s greatest music bashes.”

Support

Be part of what makes Big Ears possible—give, volunteer, shop, or support emerging artists through scholarship to keep the music and mission alive.

Connect

Discover, learn, and get in touch—connect with Big Ears through stories, updates, and the people behind the festival.

Beyond

Explore ideas, concerts, and collaborations that take Big Ears beyond the festival stage.