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🧭Practical info: Big Ears 2027
- Minimum age
- All ages
- Children
- free under 2 · Patrons of all ages are welcome. Passes/tickets will be required for patrons ages 2 and older.
- Payment on site
- not cashless · cards accepted · cash accepted · Bars at all venues will accept cash and credit/debit cards. The festival’s merchandise store will only accept credit/debit card, chip, or contactless payment methods.
- Prohibited items
- Drugs, controlled substances, alcohol, weapons, firearms, projectiles including glowsticks, video recording equipment, tri-pods, audio recording equipment, unauthorized merchandise
- Accessibility
- wheelchair accessible · All venues are wheelchair accessible. In some instances, venues may have accessible viewing areas designated for wheelchair users available on a first-come, first-serve basis. · more info
- Getting to the festival
- Plane — Knoxville is served by McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), located just 12 miles south of downtown. Once you land, downtown is about a 20–25 minute drive.Car — Knoxville sits at the crossroads of Interstates 40 and 75. From Nashville, it’s about 180 miles east, roughly a three-hour drive.Shuttle — Free, dedicated festival shuttle with Knoxville Area Transit (KAT), running a continuous loop with stops at or near all festival venues; fully accessible.Bike — Dedicated bike parking at or nearby every location; limited affordable festival rentals through local nonprofit Two Bikes. · more info
- Parking
- available · 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.
- Site map
- View the map
- Setting
- Indoors
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✈️How to get to Big Ears 2027
Planning your trip to Big Ears 2027? Here's how to get there by plane, train or car, and plan your route to the festival site.
- Nearest airport: McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), about 18 km from the venue.
- Allow about 25 min by car from the airport to the site.
- By train, head for Knoxville/Maryville or the nearest major station, then finish by bus, shuttle or taxi to the site.
- By car, plan for on-site parking and expect heavy traffic around the venue on festival days.
🛏️Big Ears 2027 accommodation: hotels near Knoxville
Big Ears 2027 takes place in Knoxville from April 1 to April 4. Arrival night: April 1. The map below is prefilled for Apr 1–5 and shows how far each hotel, apartment or rental is from the site.
Also consider staying around Knoxville/Maryville, the nearest large city, if the closest options to the site are sold out.
Estimated travel time to the site
| Distance | 🚗 Car / taxi | 🚴 Bike | 🚶 On foot |
|---|---|---|---|
| ~1 km | ~3 min | ~4 min | ~12 min |
| ~3 km | ~7 min | ~12 min | ~36 min |
| ~5 km | ~11 min | ~20 min | ~1 h |
| ~10 km | ~22 min | ~40 min | ~2 h |
Public transport: depends on the network around Knoxville/Maryville.
Each accommodation's distance to the site is shown on the map above. Rough estimates; allow extra time during festival peak hours.
🌤️Big Ears 2027 weather
Weather in Knoxville in April 2027?
Typical weather
Chance of rain: about 25% of days
| 2025 | Light drizzle | 27° / 19° | 1 rainy day |
| 2024 | Overcast | 14° / 2° | no rainy days |
| 2023 | Rain | 19° / 5° | 2 rainy days |
Based on the last 3 years over the same period.
Hour by hour
Tap a day to see how temperature and rain changed across 24 hours.
🗺️Things to do near Big Ears 2027
Many shows happen in the evening, so use your days to explore the area around Big Ears 2027. Guided tours, museums, outdoor experiences and local activities can be booked in a few clicks before you go.
Nearby, Knoxville/Maryville and its surroundings offer museums, walks and local gems to discover between sets.
Bookings via our travel partners. Prices stay the same for you; festt may earn a commission.
📋About
Big Ears 2027: 14th edition and 250+ boundary-free concerts in downtown Knoxville
Founded in 2009 by Ashley Capps, the promoter behind Bonnaroo, Big Ears has become a nonprofit that The New York Times calls "one of the world's greatest music bashes". Its 14th edition runs from April 1 to 4, 2027 in Knoxville, Tennessee: more than 250 concerts, films and talks across some two dozen historic theaters, churches, clubs and museums, all within walking distance downtown.
The bill blends jazz, folk, rock and experimental music: Jeff Tweedy, Robert Glasper, Norah Jones, Brad Mehldau Trio, Weyes Blood, Courtney Barnett, Thundercat, Mavis Staples, Nathaniel Rateliff, Kronos Quartet, Melvins and Sleaford Mods. Gillian Welch & David Rawlings play the Grateful Dead, residencies go to Bill Frisell, Vijay Iyer and William Parker, who turns 75, and Bang On A Can celebrates 40 years.
The 4-day pass starts at $500 (Wave 1, with the $450 Early Bird sold out), $875 for Premier; single-day tickets from $135 to $225 are announced. Open to all ages (tickets required from age 2), the festival runs a free shuttle with KAT linking every venue.
Big Ears, April 1-4, 2027 in Knoxville: full program and passes on the official site.
Text written with AI from the sources below, automatically checked on October 3, 2026 — report an error
❓FAQ
When is Big Ears 2027?
Thursday 1 to Sunday 4 April 2027, four days in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. It is the festival's 14th edition, run by a non-profit organisation.
How many venues host the concerts?
About twenty indoor venues (theatres, churches, clubs, galleries) within roughly a half-mile radius, holding from 100 to 2,500 people: Tennessee Theatre, Knoxville Civic Auditorium, Bijou Theatre, The Mill & Mine, St. John's Cathedral and more. A pass covers some 250 concerts, screenings and talks, subject to each venue's capacity.
What time does each day start and finish?
Activities kick off around 5 PM on Thursday. Friday to Sunday, music starts around noon, with talks and panels in the mornings; concerts finish around 1 AM or later, and by 11 PM on Sunday.
Is the festival open to children?
Yes, it is an all-ages event; a pass is required from age 2.
Is Big Ears cashless?
No, bars at every venue take cash and cards. The official merch store, however, only accepts card, chip or contactless payments.
Are the venues wheelchair accessible?
All venues are wheelchair accessible, some with dedicated viewing areas on a first-come basis; at the Bijou Theatre, for instance, a lift serves the lower level but not the balcony. The festival shuttle is fully accessible, and the info booth at the Hyatt Place box office (530 S. Gay Street) can advise on each venue.
How do I get there and get around?
McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) is 12 miles south of downtown, a 20–25 minute drive; by road, Knoxville sits at the crossroads of I-40 and I-75, about three hours from Nashville. Once there, everything is walkable, with a free looping shuttle run by Knoxville Area Transit, bike rentals through the nonprofit Two Bikes, and Lime and Bird scooters. City-managed downtown garages and lots are free after 6 PM on Thursday and Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday.
Where to stay for Big Ears?
Big Ears partners with Visit Knoxville on a discounted hotel portal that opened with the lineup announcement on September 14, 2026, first come, first served. Downtown is the most convenient but the priciest; Cedar Bluff, Papermill and Merchants Drive offer cheaper hotels 10–15 minutes away. Knoxville also has over 1,300 short-term rentals, plus campgrounds and RV parks nearby.
