Knoxville's biggest music festival: Why you should rethink everything you know about Big Ears Festival

Later this month, thousands of people from all over the world will stream into Knoxville for Big Ears, which celebrated its 10th year in 2023 with a staggering 135 artists performing in nearly a dozen venues over the course of four days.

But East Tennesseans constitute a very small percentage of those who attend the music festival. In 2022, more than 72% came from out of town. Big Ears, it seems, is a major, internationally known music festival many Knoxville residents have never heard of.

Why so few? Big Ears has a reputation of being an extremely niche, avant-garde gathering for fans of experimental music.

A sampling of comments from Reddit bears this out: "I don't think I've heard of any of these bands." "It's intentionally EXTREMELY obscure music, some of it very out there, and very hard to listen to. But that's kind of the point, it's geared toward people who seek out oddball, complex, or super progressive stuff." "I've heard of nobody." "Legendary figures in certain circles." "Seems like it caters to the NPR/PRX crowd."

But here's why you should rethink everything you think you know about Big Ears ? and why you absolutely should spring for a four-day pass for the music festival that starts March 21.

Jon Batiste, Herbie Hancock, John Paul Jones, Andre 3000: Big Ears really is a festival for every music lover

You could pick five lovers of radically different musical genres, give them all four-day passes and each one could have a performance-packed Big Ears festival with very little crossover. That's how much eclectic music is on tap through that long weekend.

Folk? Hard-core post-punk? Bluegrass? Jazz, both traditional and experimental? "Psychobilly" cumbia? Hip-hop? Whatever your jam, you're probably going to find something to listen to.

While it might be true that Big Ears does highlight "legendary figures in certain circles," every year the festival books big names in multiple genres. This year, festival-goers will have the opportunity to see Herbie Hancock. John Paul Jones (who played in a little band called Led Zeppelin), Laurie Anderson, Andre 3000 and Digable Planets, to drop just a few names.

And you really can't get more accessible than Sunday's headliner, Jon Batiste, who won five Grammy Awards in 2022, including for his score of the Pixar animated film "Soul."

$400 for four days? Big Ears is an amazing value

The cost to attend all four days of Big Ears seems prohibitive at first glance. Early-bird pricing was $350 but tickets are currently $400 and will go up to $450 once those tier-two tickets are gone. Premier and VIP passes are already sold out.

But if you factor in everything that $400 gets you, it makes a lot more sense. You have access to more than 150 concerts and performances, as well as all official film screenings and literary events, panel discussions, exhibitions and workshops.

So parse that out: If a typical concert at the Bijou or Tennessee theater will cost $40 and up, you would only have to attend a couple of shows a day at Big Ears to recoup your money. Most Big Ears festival-goers attend far more than that; as an example, this newbie last year made it to 20. And if you plan ahead, you can snag most of the best seats at no extra expense.

It's too late for this year, but if you commit to buying a pass before mid-January, you can use Big Ears' very convenient layaway plan. The plan allows you to put down a deposit and then make two to four payments over time, depending on how close it is in time to the festival.

What if there's only one big name I want to see?

You're in luck, because Big Ears offers daily passes that cost between $115 and $135, depending on the day.

And Big Ears has put out the daily schedule well ahead of time, so you can find where and when your bucket-list band is playing. Just click on the lineup, find the musical artist of your choice and click on their name. The date and time, as well as the venue, will be posted directly under the photo, followed by a description and a link to their music. Some acts will perform more than once.

Liz Kellar is a Tennessee Connect reporter. Email [email protected].

Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe. 

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville's biggest music fest: Rethinking Big Ears Music Festival