Big Ears festival 2026: Complete lineup and all you need to know 

Big Ears festival 2026 is set to be held from March 26, 2026 to March 29, 2026 in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. Big Ears Festival is set to feature performances by the likes of Robert Plant, Madison Cunningham, Mary Halvorson, Hania Rani, and more.

Tickets for Big Ears Festival will be available from September 11, 2025 at 9:00 am ET for the main festival. Shows by David Byrne and Robert Plant will be available as separately ticketed concerts.

Tickets for the Big Ears Festival will be priced according to ticket purchase time and categories. 4-day Weekend tickets will be priced at $425 for Early Birds, $475 for Tier 1 purchasers, and $525 for Tier 2 purchasers.

4-day premier tickets will be priced at $850; 4-day 'Sonic Explorer' VIP tickets are priced at $1325. There will also be a film-only ticket. Alongside these, single-day tickets will also be available, priced between $150 and $250.

Big Ears festival announced its lineup on September 9, 2025:

Big Ears festival 2026 lineup

The lineup for the Big Ears festival 2026 is as follows:

• Adrian Sherwood
• Alan Sparhawk with Trampled By Turtles
• Anna Tivel
• Annahstasia
• Annie & The Cadwells
• Awakening Ground ft. Dave Lombardo, John Medeski and John Zorn
• Barbara Hannigan Sings Zorn I
• Barbara Hannigan Sings Zorn II
• Basic
• Blind Boys of Alabama
• Bloodshot Bill
• Brandon Wendy's Upendo
• Brian Marsella's iMaGinaRium
• Briggan Kraus's Solo
• Brittany Davis
• Caroline Shaw and So Percussion ft. Ringdown
• Cecile McLorin Salvant
• Chad Taylor Quintet
• Charlemagne Palestine
• Ches Smith Clone Row
• Chicago Underground Duo
• Chucho Valdes Royal Quartet
• Chuck Johnson
• Cleo Reed
• Cobra
• Cymande
• Darius Jones Trio - Legend of E'Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye)
• Dave Douglas Quintet Featuring Tomaka Reid, James Brandon Lewis, Rafiq Bhatta, and Ian Chang
• Dave Harrington & Mary Lattimore
• Dave Harrington's Prankster South
• David Byrne: Who is the Sky (Thursday)
• David Byrne: Who is the Sky (Friday)
• Deantoni Parks Technoself
• Deerhoof
• Dirty Three
• Dither play Laurie Spiegel
• Dom Flemons
• Don Was & The Pan Detroit Ensemble
• DoYeon Kim
• Either/Orchestra Plays Either/Orchestra
• Either/Orchestra Plays Ethiopiques
• Eliana Glass
• Fine
• Florist
• Flying Lotus
• Gary Lucas & Gods and Monsters
• Ghost Train Orchestra: The Music of Moondog
• Go Kurosawa
• GRRl x Made of Oak
• Gwenifer Raymond
• Haley Heynderickx
• Hand Habits
• Hania Rani presents Chilling Bambino
• Hania Rani: Nonfiction with Knoxville Symphony Orchestra North American Premiere
• Hannah Cohen
• Harriet Tubman & Georgia Anne Muldrow
• Hayden Pedigo
• His Name is Alive
• Impromtus, Ballades, Nocturnes with Brian Marsella Trio
• Incerto
• Isaiah Collier
• Jamie Lidell & Luke Schneider
• Janel & Anthony
• Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage
• Jimmie Dale Gilmore & Butch Hancock
• Joe Westerlund
• John Mailander's Forecast
• John Scofield ft. Vicente Archer & Bill Stewart
• John Zorn: Harry Smith Films with Music
• Julia Ulehla & Dalava
• Julian Lage Quartet feat. John Medeski, Jorge Roeder, Kenny Wollesen
• Julianna Barwick
• Junction Trio plays Zorn
• Kaoru Watanabe's Bloodline Interwoven Concert I (featuring Cyro Batista, Fay Victor, Gamin, Kweku Sumbry, Mafer Bandola, Marika Hughes, Seamus Feagan, Shahzad Ismaily, Sunny Jain, and Yuniya Edi Kwon)
• Kaoru Watanabe's Bloodline Interwoven Concert II (featuring Cyro Batista, Fay Victor, Gamin, Kweku Sumbry, Mafer Bandola, Marika Hughes, Seamus Feagan, Shahzad Ismaily, Sunny Jain, and Yuniya Edi Kwon)
• Kaoru Watanabe's Bloodline Interwoven Concert III (featuring Cyro Batista, Fay Victor, Gamin, Kweku Sumbry, Mafer Bandola, Marika Hughes, Seamus Feagan, Shahzad Ismaily, Sunny Jain, and Yuniya Edi Kwon)
• Karen Mantler Trio
• Kate Gentile: Find Letter X
• Ken Pomeroy
• Kishi Bashi
• Laurie Anderson & John Zorn
• Laurie Anderson & SexmobX2
• Laurie Anderson: The State of Love
• Lazyhorse
• Lisel
• Los Thunakatha
• Love Songs Ft. Petra Haden
• Lubomyr Melnyk
• Lucrecia Dalt
• Madison Cunningham
• Mali Obasawin
• Marc Ribot: Map of a Blue City
• Marc Ribot's Hurry Red: With Sebastien Steinberg, Chad Taylor, and Briggan Kraus
• March Ribot's SHREK - With Mary Halvorson, Sebastien Steinberg, Chad Taylor and Ches Smith
• Maria Somerville
• Marilyn Crispell & Harvey Sorgen
• Marquis Hill Blacktet
• Maruja Limon
• Mary Halvorson: Canis Major
• Mary Lattimore & Julianna Barwick
• Masada Quartet I: John Zorn, Dave Douglas, Greg Cohen, and Joey Baron
• Masada Quartet I: John Zorn, Dave Douglas, Greg Cohen, and Joey Baron
• Matt's Mitchell's Zealous Angles
• Meara O'Reilly Vocal Ensemble: Mingjia Chen, Linnea Sablosky, Jodie Landau, and Eliza Bagg
• Mei Semones
• Miles Okazaki Trickster
• Miles Okazaki: The Complete Monk
• Miriam Elhajli
• MJ Lendermann & The Wind
• Model/Actriz
• Moin
• Natalie Bergman
• Nate Mercereau: Excellent Traveller
• Nate Smith
• Nels Cline: The Lovers - Conducted by Michael Leonhart with Knoxville Jazz Orchestra
• Nik Bartsch
• Nik Bartsch's RONIN
• Openness Trio
• Orchestra Baobab
• Orcutt Shelley Miller
• Pan American & Kramer
• Pat Metheny Side Eye III+
• Patricia Brennan Septet
• Patrick watson
• Patrick Watson presents Film Scores For No One
• Perfume Genius
• Pino Palladio & Blake Mills
• Qur'an Shadeed
• Rafiq Bhatia: Environments with Ian Chang and Riley Mulherkar
• Reggie Watts
• Rich(ard) Dawson
• Richard Thompson
• Robert Plant's Saving Grace feat. Suzi Dian
• Rosenau & Sanborn
• Ryan Clackner & Tyshawn Sorey
• Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band
• S.G. Goodman
• Saha Gnawa
• Sami Stevens
• Saul Williams meets Carlos Nino & Friends
• Setting
• Shabaka
• shirlette ammons
• Simon Hanes: Gargantua
• SML Night 1
• SML Night 2
• SML Night 3
• Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra Plays Sly
• Sullivan Fortner Trio
• SUSS Presents Across the Horizon
• Taper's Choice
• Tara Clerkin Trio
• Terry Allen with Brenden Greaves & Jo Harvey Allen: Truckload of Art
• Terry Allen with the Panhandle Mystery Band & Jo Harvey Allen: Memwars
• The Saami Brothers featuring Ustaad Naseerudin Saami
• The Westerlies Play Bill Frisell
• Tim Berne with John Herbert, Tom Rainey, and Gregg Belisle Chi
• Tim Heidecker & the Very Good Band with Neil Hamburger
• Tom Skinner
• Tsons of Tsunami
• Tunde Adebimpe
• Turning Jewels Into Water (Val Jeanty & Ravish Momim)
• Twin Talk
• Uhlmann Johnson Wikes
• Walt McClements
• Wild Up: Arthur Russell's 24 to 24
• Wild Up: Julius Eastman's Femenine
• Will Grafe
• William Hooker Quartet
• Winged Wheel
• Wu Fei & Shanir Blumenkranz
• Wu Fei's Moon Hunter
• Yagody
• YHWH Nailgun

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@dragcityrecords

2026: the year we get Dirty again! How Dirty? It isn't yet known, but folks will be delighted to hear that Dirty Three make their long-awaited return to the northern hemisphere at Big Ears 2026, March 26-29 in Knoxville, TN. Festival passes are up for sale now!

Big Ears festival has been around since 2009. Big Ears festival was founded by Ashley Capps of AC Entertainment. Big Ears festival has previously seen performances by the likes of Terry Riley, Ahleuchatistas, and Tracy Silverman.

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