Why attendance at Big Ears Festival in downtown Knoxville skyrocketed in 2022

Many downtown business owners say Big Ears Festival is the best sales weekend of the year. A new economic analysis proves the eclectic downtown music festival is very, very good for Knoxville.

Big Ears 2022 boasted the best festival attendance yet and a $36.1 million impact on the Knoxville economy.

The analysis will be used by festival organizers to further realize the potential of the festival, founder Ashley Capps told Knox News.

"It feels like a great number," Capps said. "Comparing what we do with other festivals in other communities like (Spoleto Festival USA), or even larger festivals, it felt like we were certainly in this ballpark. So, it's good to put some meat on the bones and go through a more formal process to codify that."

Big Ears took place March 24-27 throughout multiple downtown Knoxville venues and boasted an eclectic lineup led by Patti Smith, John Zorn, Moses Sumney and Sparks.

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Big Ears capacity, attendance grew

The 2022 event was the first sell-out festival to come to fruition; the 2020 event sold out just days before organizers had to cancel due to COVID-19.

The festival could see another increase in ticket sales in 2023 if organizers' plans to add additional venues comes to fruition. But that's not the priority, Capps said.

"The most important thing as we consider the future of the festival is to ensure that we maintain the special qualities that make the festival what it is," Capps said. "We are not in this super-hyper-growth mode in terms of increasing the capacity dramatically. We see this as a gradual, incremental, organic evolution."

Organizers increased capacity in 2022 by adding more venues and outdoor events throughout the weekend.

The festival tracked an average of 5,000 ticketed attendees each day in 2022, which Capps said was roughly 2,000 more per day than in 2019.

Throughout the 2022 weekend, nearly 22,000 daily tickets were utilized, the study estimated. A weekend passholder could be counted up to four times in that figure, Capps said. That figure does not include attendees who enjoyed the free, non-ticketed programming like parades.

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Big Ears has a cultural impact on Knoxville

The festival is not driven by economic impact, Capps said in an email – it's the other way around. The uniqueness of the festival encourages people to spend time in Knoxville and enjoy their stay.

"The festival really strikes a chord with a significant audience, and change is the essence," he said. "You've got to keep growing. ... Exploring the continuing potential of this event – that's our goal."

As Big Ears has grown since its first iteration in 2009 – with a few years off between 2011 and 2013, as well as two years off due to COVID-19 – downtown Knoxville has grown alongside it.

The festival "has been on a steady growth trajectory since 2014," Capps said.

It's a symbiotic relationship, he said. The festival does not just take place on theater stages and in amphitheaters; it takes place in classrooms, parking lots and community spaces where artists and organizers work to connect with the community in various ways.

"The economic impact that the festival has is a wonderful thing; it's not why we do the festival," Capps said. "There were literally dozens of concerts, there was a parade – a lot of free activity that I feel like is integral to the character and the experience of the festival as a whole. ...

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"And the Big Ears Festival will continue to be an extraordinary part of what Knoxville has to offer to the world."

For Big Ears to continue as a nonprofit festival, Capps said, it needs continued financial support.

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Big Ears visitors came from around the world

Texas-based AngelouEconomics conducted the first economic impact study done by an outside party.

The 2022 festival attracted visitors from 47 states and 16 countries. More than 72% of people came from out of town in 2022 and on average spent more than four nights in the Knoxville area.

Downtown workers were making money all weekend long. The analysis suggests those extra hours generated an additional $12,875,290 in labor income.

Of the $36 million economic impact, roughly $20.2 million was from direct expenditures, including "out-of-area visitor spending totals," according to a news release.

The remaining impact measured represents "the increase in sales, incomes and jobs for businesses that support Big Ears and increased earnings for those employed as a result of Big Ears," the release said.

The festival had a $9.1 million impact on the food and beverage industry, a $4.6 million impact on hotels and a $1.9 million impact on amusement and entertainment.

The festival supported $2.6 million in new local, county and state tax revenue.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Big Ears festival 2022 in Knoxville, Tennessee draws record attendance