All 4-Day and Single-Day pass options are now available.

Tickets for our special, reserved seat concerts will be made available after the detailed festival schedule is announced.

Film Only passes will be made available when we announce the film program lineup.

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on socials for more details.

Big Ears concerts and events take place in nearly 20 venues, with capacities that range from 100 to 2,500 people. Admission to each event is on a first come, first served basis (subject to the legal capacity of the venue) with VIP patrons given priority access, followed by Premier and then 4-Day Weekend patrons.

All weekend passes include:
• Admission to nearly 250 concerts, performances, and events in 20 venues over 4 days
• Admission to all official film screenings and literary events during the festival
• Entrance to all official talks, panel discussions, exhibitions, and workshops

Festival passes are wristbands which must be worn by the patron and scanned upon entry to access festival venues.

Passes are required for patrons ages 2 and older. Big Ears does not offer tickets to individual shows during the festival weekend.

Premier pass holders will receive everything offered to Weekend passholders and more!

Premier patrons are offered priority admission to official Big Ears venues where available. After VIP pass holders are given access to a venue, Premier pass holders will be granted access prior to Weekend patrons. If a venue reaches capacity and becomes 1 in, 1 out, Premier pass holders will be given priority entry after VIP patrons.

In addition, Premier pass holders, along with VIPs, will receive advance notice of unannounced “secret shows” during the festival weekend.

Venues with Priority Access:

• Knoxville Civic Auditorium
• Tennessee Theatre
• Bijou Theatre
• First Presbyterian
• The Point
• St. John’s Cathedral
• The Mill & Mine
• Jackson Terminal
• Barley’s
• The Blackbox
• The Standard
• Regas Square

Sonic Explorer VIP pass holders will receive everything offered to Weekend and Premier passholders and more!

Where available, Sonic Explorer VIP pass holders will enjoy and dedicated line or entrance and are granted entry to performance venues prior to Premier and Weekend pass holders. If a venue reaches capacity and becomes 1 in, 1 out, VIP pass holders will be given priority entry followed by Premier and then Weekend patrons.

In addition, Sonic Explorer VIPs enjoy a reserved, VIP section in seated venues (where available). This section will be held until 10 minutes before show time when the section will be opened to all patrons to ensure maximum attendance and venue capacity as well as to ensure sections do not remain empty during an artist’s performance.

Along with preferred entry and seating, VIP patrons receive invitations to exclusive events such as the Official Kick-Off Party and a VIP Happy Hour.

Every VIP pass comes with a voucher that can be redeemed for a merchandise package at the festival’s on-site store ($100 value).

Venues with Dedicated VIP Line / Entrance or Priority Access
• Knoxville Civic Auditorium
• Tennessee Theatre
• Bijou Theatre
• First Presbyterian (Sanctuary & Chapel)
• The Point
• St. John’s Cathedral
• The Mill & Mine
• Jackson Terminal
• The Standard
• Barley’s
• The Blackbox
• Regas Square

Venues with Reserved, VIP Seating:
• Knoxville Civic Auditorium
• Tennessee Theatre
• Bijou Theatre
• First Presbyterian (Sanctuary)
• The Point
• St. John’s Cathedral

Dive into the cinematic world of Big Ears with a Film-Only Pass. This pass grants you access to all film screenings, special presentations, talks, conversations, and Q&As at Downtown Knoxville’s Regal Riviera without requiring a full festival pass. Perfect for cinephiles and curious viewers alike, it’s your ticket to experiencing the festival’s diverse and groundbreaking film program.

Patrons who are unable to attend all four days of the festival have the option to purchase a Single-Day pass for any day of the festival. A day pass includes access to all publicly announced Big Ears events in all official Big Ears venues on that particular (subject to each venue’s capacity).

Big Ears also offers Premier level Single Day passes. In addition to everything offered to daily pass holders, these passes allow priority entry to official Big Ears venues on that particular day as well as advanced notice of unannounced secret shows.

Big Ears 2026 will include a limited number of additionally ticketed, reserved seat concerts, including performances by David Byrne, Robert Plant’s Saving Grace, and The Avett Brothers + Mike Patton.

Tickets will be offered at a preferred price to festival pass purchasers through exclusive pre-sales, with 4-Day VIP, Premier, and Premier Single-Day Passholders receiving priority access, followed by 4-Day Weekend and Single-Day Passholders. Any remaining tickets may be made available to the general public at a later date.

4-Day Passholders can purchase tickets to all reserved-seat concerts throughout the weekend. Single-Day Passholders may purchase tickets only for concerts on the same day as their festival pass. A special access code will be sent to passholders before the pre-sale begins. This code will unlock access to tickets and preferred pricing.

If tickets remain after the festival pass purchaser pre-sales, a limited number of tickets may be released to the general public. The only way to guarantee an opportunity to be first in line to purchase tickets to these performances is by securing a festival pass, which provides access and preferred pricing to these highly anticipated concerts.

Yes, please see below for helpful information:

• Ensure your email address is up-to-date and you are subscribed to the Big Ears Festival newsletter using the email address associated with your festival pass purchase. This is where code(s) and ticket links will be sent prior to pre-sales.
• If a festival pass is purchased after the pre-sales begin, code(s) will be included in the festival pass confirmation email from Front Gate Tickets.
• We strongly encourage purchasers ensure a Ticketmaster account is set up and activated in advance. This will help ensure a smooth purchase process.
• Big Ears reserves the right to cancel and refund pre-sale or preferred price tickets purchased by those without a festival pass or by any individuals found to be operating outside of the festival’s or venue’s ticketing policies.
• Each qualifying passholder may purchase up to four (4) tickets per event, subject to availability.
• All sales are final. Tickets are non-refundable except in the event of cancellation
• A purchased festival pass provides early access and preferred prices only, not a guarantee that tickets will be available for purchase.
• Big Ears reserves the right to modify ticketing procedures and policies to ensure fair access for all passholders
• All ticketing is subject to festival, venue, and ticketing partner policies, including entry, seating, and security procedures.

Pass tiers or price levels, including “Early Bird,” are simply a way to encourage patrons to purchase their passes early and save money. There is no difference in offerings or benefits between tiers of the same pass type.

Big Ears does everything it can to keep ticket prices as low and affordable as possible while providing patrons and artists with the highest level festival experience. The following is a list of service fees included in your ticket purchase:
• Tennessee Theatre Preservation Fee ($3.00)
• Bijou Theatre Preservation Fee ($2.00)
• Knoxville Civic Auditorium Facility Fee ($3.00)
• Charity Donation ($2.00)
• Processing & Fulfillment ($10.00)
• Front Gate Fee ($4.50 if over $250 / $4.00 if under $250)
• Shipping ($12 per order)
• Credit Card Processing (3% of total price)

Patrons have an option to add an official Big Ears Festival merchandise package to their order when purchasing a pass. The package will include a branded t-shirt and coffee mug along with a lineup poster and a tote bag ($100 value). By purchasing early you can save 20% on these items.

Those who purchase will receive a digital print pass (DPP) via email before the festival. Once on-site, bring that pass to the festival merch store for redemption to receive your merch package.

VIP passholders automatically receive a merch package as part of their pass purchase.

All sales are final and no refunds will be offered. If you cannot attend, we recommend offering your pass for sale to another fan via the festival’s official ticket exchange.

Yes! If you purchased a ticket directly from Front Gate Tickets and can no longer attend the festival, you can use the Ticketmaster Verified Ticket Exchange to sell your passes to another fan. Sign in to your Front Gate Tickets account and under “Your Account” select “Order History” to list your ticket on the Ticketmaster Verified Exchange. Offering your pass for sale does not guarantee a buyer.

Passes are non-transferable and the festival will not honor passes or wristbands purchased from a third party. Only wristbands purchased through the Big Ears Festival website and its official ticketing provider, Front Gate Tickets, and the Ticketmaster Verified Ticket Exchange are valid. If you want 100% confidence in your ticket purchase, you should only purchase your passes through the links on our tickets page.

Big Ears is not responsible for any counterfeit passes or wristbands purchased via an unverified or unofficial third party.

For you own protection, please do not purchase passes from any source other than bigearsfestival.org, Front Gate Tickets, or Ticketmaster Verified Ticket Exchange.

Removing a wristband automatically voids it (unless by accident or for safety reasons, in which case you will need to get a replacement wristband from the festival’s box office which will require you to prove your purchase information). Festival security will check every wristband to ensure it has not been removed or passed between multiple people.

Wristbands will be mailed to patrons at the address provided upon checkout. Please ensure your mailing address is accurate and at a location that you can access in late February and early March 2026. To change or update your mailing address, please contact Front Gate Tickets customer support here.

Wristbands will not be mailed to international customers and must be picked up at will call at the festival’s on-site box office.

Any passes purchased after the mailing cutoff will be picked up via will call at the festival’s on-site box office as well.

Do not apply your wristband until you are ready to attend the festival. We recommend applying your wristband with enough space to easily slide 2 fingers between the band and your wrist. Once tightened, wristbands cannot be loosened.

Registering your wristband provides many benefits including protection against loss and theft. Registration and other helpful information will be provided along with your festival pass and communicated to passholders via the festival’s newsletter and social media.

If you have lost, misplaced, or did not receive your wristband, please come to the on-site festival box office with your proof of purchase and a photo ID. We will help you replace it. Lost or stolen wristbands are subject to a replacement fee payable by credit card at the on-site box office.

We recommend applying your wristband with enough space to easily slide 2 fingers between the band and your wrist. Wristbands that are over-tightened cannot be loosened. If your wristband is too tight, please come to the festival box office and we will issue a replacement. Replacement wristbands are subject to a fee payable by credit card at the on-site box office.

The 2026 Big Ears Festival Box Office location and details will be shared closer to the festival.

Passes are not available for purchase at the on-site festival box office and must be purchased in advance.

• All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges.

• Wristbands are not transferable once applied to a patron’s wrist.

• Patrons of all ages are welcome. Passes/tickets will be required for patrons ages 2 and older.

• All acts advertised have confirmed their appearance at Big Ears 2026; however, acts and performance times are subject to change without notice.

• Lost or stolen passes can be replaced at the festival box office with proof of purchase and customer ID and will be subject to a small replacement fee. Once the new wristband has been issued, the lost or stolen band will be deactivated and invalid.

• There is a limit of eight (8) Weekend and four (4) Premier or VIP passes per order.

• Big Ears reserves the right, without the refund of any portion of the pass/ticket purchase price, to refuse admission or to eject any person who fails to comply with the rules of festival venues, local, state or federal law, or whose conduct is deemed illegal, disorderly, or offensive by management.

• Persons entering festival venues are subject to search for contraband, unauthorized merchandise, alcohol, controlled substances, weapons, firearms, fireworks, cameras, video equipment, or recording devices, which are expressly forbidden.  Any persons found attempting to enter the venues with forbidden item(s) will be refused access, or, at venue’s discretion, allowed to give up the forbidden item(s). Confiscated items will be destroyed or disposed of at venue’s discretion.

• Pass/Ticket/Wristband user assumes all risks of personal injury incidental to the event, whether occurring prior to, during, or subsequent to the event.

• The resale or attempted resale via of passes via unauthorized third party at a price higher than that appearing on the face of the pass/ticket is prohibited and if discovered will result in the ticket being voided without refund.

• The sale of unauthorized merchandise is not permitted. Purchaser agrees they may be ejected from the event if found selling unauthorized merchandise.

• Passes may not be used for advertising, promotion (including contests and sweepstakes), or other trade purposes without the express written consent of Big Ears.

• Pass holder consents to Big Ears and its affiliates’ use of his/her image or likeness incidental to any video display, transmission, recording, and/or other content captured at the event.

Big Ears has partnered with Front Gate Tickets as it’s official ticketing provider. For any questions regarding your Front Gate account or order, please contact them here.

Ticketmaster Verified Ticket Exchange is the official resale partner of Big Ears Festival. For any questions regarding the exchange, please contact them here.

For any general questions about Big Ears ticketing or the festival, please contact us here.