Big Ears Festival Tickets

This festival was a great opportunity to see a variety of artists and genres all in one weekend.

Love Big Ears - you will be challenged, and hear jaw-dropping performances, get to connect directly with artists as they wander the streets of Knoxville. Highly recommend.

It is pretty much impossible to find so much great music in one place, and the absence of a specific genre allows for the discovery of music that might otherwise be missed.

This was our second year at Big Ears. There is nothing else like this in America for diversity of musical entertainment. Everything from Bach to Bluegrass with constant left turns all the way. You may not like or even enjoy every performance but you will be challenged to open your mind and experience music on the highest level of commitment and honesty.

Arto Lindsay was amazing! and Milford Graves unforgettable! Great selection of music!! Last year was great, but this year astonishing!!!

I love this event because I never know the group playing, so I sample. If I like the music, I stay. If It doesn't get to me, I can leave and sample another group. I always find great surprises, then look them up and get their music. All the venues are wonderful, but I especially like the churches. The acoustics add to the music.

Big Ears represents the radical fringe of music, whether it's made by venerated free jazz masters from Chicago, Appalachian pickers and fiddlers, avant-garde chamber music from NYC, or Scandinavian concert halls. If standing around in a dark room watching a Japanese woman who never looks up & never changes expression poke furtively at her laptop while bizarre electronic sounds pour from the speakers isn't your idea of fun, this festival is NOT for you! But if you don't mind spending 4 days racing between a half-dozen separate venues in downtown Knoxville, while hearing full concert sets by artists who are probably not coming to your home town anytime soon, give it a try. This was my 2nd year, and by the time I was finished, I'd heard 28 shows & was equally exhausted & exhilarated.

Exceptionally well-curated festival of avant garde music in multiple genres; was pleased this year to see poetry and film and discussions woven into the program. Unlike any other festival in North America and richly rewarding for anyone with informed and serious passion for music or the arts more generally.

One of the best festivals on the planet. The best in modern jazz, classical, electronic and experimental music.

The city was very clean, friendly, and reasonably priced. The people were on the young side, artistic, and cool. I didn't see anyone drunk, or yelling or littering, which was nice being from N.Y. and 38. There were a lot of great places to eat and drink that weren't too crowded or overpriced. The downside (or upside) you can still pretty much smoke anywhere you want including inside bars and restaurants, and people do. As for the music, it was just ok. A lot of avant-garde/experimental music along with some pretty good blue grass. The local stuff was cool, and there were a few gems mixed in that I'm glad I saw (like percussion dancing). Also, the venues were very cool, like seeing Bela Fleck in a pretty amazing cathedral. Not sure if I'll go again, but I'm glad I went. Just his take. P.S. There weren't many camera photos taking place, which i really appreciated, Kudos Knoxville!