Big Ears Festival
- Dates
- Expected April 2027
- Status
- Confirmed
- Venue
- Tennessee Theatre, Bijou Theatre, The Mill & Mine
- Price
- Not announced
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Sep 1, 2026
Big Ears Festival returns to Knoxville, TN, Expected April 2027. Froligo tracks ticket prices, attendee feedback and travel details.
The experience
What's special
Big Ears is a four-day festival of adventurous, boundary-crossing music, spanning jazz, classical, folk, electronic and experimental sounds, spread across historic theatres, churches and other venues throughout walkable downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. Rather than a conventional headliner-driven bill, it is built around discovery and deep listening, and is widely regarded as one of the most eclectic music festivals in the United States
What people love
Attendees consistently praise the eclectic, discovery-driven programming, the gorgeous downtown venues and the friendly, low-key crowd, and many describe the event as exceptionally well run and worth the price
Last time around (2026)
The 2026 edition was held in early April across downtown Knoxville and drew enthusiastic reviews, with one recap describing four beautiful days of being inside the music. Big Ears is scheduled to return April 1-4, 2027
Listen
Tap an artist to play them right here.
No official playlist linked yet. Find Big Ears Festival on Spotify.
Lineup
2027 lineup not yet announced. Here's who played in 2026:
Getting there
Nearest airport TYS.
How do I get to Big Ears Festival?
By car
Most people drive to Big Ears Festival. The nearest major airport is TYS, and from there it is a straightforward drive to the venue. Check current road and traffic conditions before you set off, and see parking below.
By train
No direct passenger rail to the venue was found. Drive, fly in, or use a shuttle instead.
By bus & public transit
No scheduled intercity bus or public transit route to the venue was found. Drive, fly in, or use a shuttle instead.
Taxi & rideshare
Taxis and rideshare such as Uber and Lyft can be limited near the venue, especially late at night or in rural areas. Agree a pickup point and time in advance and keep a backup plan.
🅿 Parking
Cost Free in city-managed garages and surface lots after 6pm Thursday/Friday and ALL DAY Saturday/Sunday (official FAQ); weekday daytime rates apply at standard city garage rates. Official FAQ: 'parking downtown is plentiful and free in city-managed garages and surface lots after 6pm on Thursday and Friday, and all day Saturday and Sunday.' No prepay platform is required; the festival points attendees at the Parkopedia app for real-time space counts in city-owned garages, and SpotHero-style prepay is an optional convenience, not a requirement. Once parked, everything is walkable venues are 'within easy walking distance' of each other, with Lime/Bird scooters, bike parking at or near all venues, and the festival's own dedicated venue shuttle as backup
🚙 Car hire
Compare car hire at TYS
Genuinely optional here a downtown-walkable multi-venue fest with free weekend garage parking means fly-in attendees staying downtown don't need a car; hire mainly suits those choosing cheaper suburban hotel clusters (Papermill/Cedar Bluff/Turkey Creek, 10-20 min drives per the official hotels page) or pairing the trip with a Great Smoky Mountains side-trip (~1 hr from Knoxville)
Search car hire →Live price search coming soon.
Where
Venues
This festival runs across several venues. Map centres on the town; each venue has its own page with capacity, accessibility and parking.
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near Big Ears Festival?
No on site camping. Here is where to stay nearby.
Hotels nearby 5
On Gay Street in the heart of the festival footprint steps from the Tennessee and Bijou Theatres; also named by press coverage among the hotels 'within walking distance of most of the festival venues'
Link coming soonGay Street, directly in the downtown venue cluster; all-suite property useful for the 4-day run
Link coming soonAt World's Fair Park on the western edge of downtown roughly a 10-15 minute walk to the Gay Street theatres; the festival's upscale option
Link coming soonChurch Avenue downtown, a few blocks (~8-10 min walk) from the Gay Street venues
Link coming soonSummit Hill Dr at the north end of downtown short walk to Gay Street and close to The Mill & Mine; named by press among hotels 'within walking distance of most of the festival venues'
Link coming soonAirbnb & private camping
The festival's own hotels page explicitly encourages short-term rentals: 'We encourage you to explore Knoxville's accommodation options using your favorite travel or hotel website as well as AirBnB, VRBO, or other options.' Knoxville has healthy Airbnb stock downtown and in near-in neighborhoods (Old City, Fourth & Gill, North Knoxville). Expect festival-weekend demand pressure: the festival's own news post documents downtown hotels nearing capacity well ahead of the event, which historically pushes rental pricing up for the April weekend book months out
Search Airbnb →Left-field but real option for this fest: Hipcamp lists private-land campsites, cabins, and glamping in the counties around Knoxville and toward the Great Smoky Mountains foothills (roughly 30-60 min out) suits attendees who'd rather camp cheap and drive in to the free weekend downtown parking than pay surging downtown rates. Caveat: early April in East Tennessee can still be cold and wet at night pack accordingly
Search Hipcamp →Pricing
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