FAQ

Big Ears is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The mission of Big Ears is to collaborate with artists, audiences, and communities to create joyful, meaningful, and transcendent cultural experiences that defy boundaries, fuel curiosity, ignite the spirit, and nourish the soul. The Big Ears Festival is the flagship event of the organization.

Big Ears takes place in downtown Knoxville, TN, located at the crossroads of I-40 and I-75, and is an easy drive from anywhere in the eastern United States: 3 hours from Nashville and Atlanta and an easy 4 hours from Cincinnati, Louisville or Charlotte.

McGhee Tyson Airport is only 20 minutes from downtown Knoxville, and is serviced by six national airlines with both direct and easy connecting flights. Get more information on our travel page.

Big Ears has partnered with Visit Knoxville to offer festival attendees discounted rates at select hotels close to festival and event venues. Check out the hotel portal here or head over to VisitKnoxville.com for other options.

In addition to Visit Knoxville’s hotel portal, we encourage you to utilize your favorite hotel or travel search engine to secure lodging in the Cedar Bluff, Papermill, or Merchants areas of Knoxville. These areas have multiple business-class hotels at lower rates than downtown properties and are located only 10-15 minutes from Big Ears venues. These areas are a short ride in an Uber, Lyft or personal vehicle and once downtown, there is ample parking which is free when exiting the lot or garage after 6 pm on Thursday and Friday and the entire day Saturday and Sunday.

If you would like to be included on the waiting list for discounted hotels, please email our partner, Visit Knoxville, at [email protected]. Please note that joining the waitlist does not guarantee you a room.

Once you arrive in Knoxville, getting around is easy. All festival venues, downtown hotels, restaurants, bars, and shopping are within easy walking distance of each other. Knoxville has been recognized as one of “America’s Bicycle Friendly Cities” and bike parking is available at or near all venues. The festival will provide a dedicated trolley which will make stops near all venues. In addition, Knoxville is well supported by both Uber and Lyft.

Big Ears festival activities generally kick off Thursday evening around 5 or 6 pm. Music programming for Friday-Sunday will begin around noon, with talks, panels, etc. filling morning hours. Concerts will finish around 1am or later. Final concerts on Sunday will finish by 11 pm.  The detailed schedule will be announced roughly a month before the festival.

Sonic Explorer VIP pass holders will receive everything offered to 4-Day Weekend and Premier passholders and more!

Where available, Sonic Explorer VIP pass holders will enjoy and dedicated line or entrance and are granted entry to performance venues prior to Premier and Weekend pass holders. If a venue reaches capacity and becomes 1 in, 1 out, VIP pass holders will be given priority entry followed by Premier and then GA patrons.

In addition, Sonic Explorer VIPs enjoy a reserved, VIP section in seated venues (where available). This section will be held until 10 minutes before show time when the section will be opened to all patrons to ensure maximum attendance and venue capacity as well as to ensure sections do not remain empty during an artist’s performance.

Along with preferred entry and seating, VIP patrons receive invitations to exclusive events such as the Official Kick-Off Party and a VIP Happy Hour.

Every VIP pass comes with a voucher that can be redeemed for a merchandise package at the festival’s on-site store ($100 value).

Venues with Dedicated VIP Line / Entrance or Priority Access
• Knoxville Civic Auditorium
• Tennessee Theatre
• Bijou Theatre
• The Point
• St. John’s Cathedral
• The Mill & Mine
• The Standard

Venues with Reserved, VIP Seating:
• Knoxville Civic Auditorium
• Tennessee Theatre
• Bijou Theatre
• The Point
• St. John’s Cathedral

Yes! Big Ears offers single day passes for each of the festival’s four days. Day passes will go on sale when daily lineups are announced, generally in November or December. Stay tuned to Big Ears’ newsletter and social media for more info.

A daily pass allows access to all publicly announced events in all official Big Ears venues on that particular day. This includes:

• All concerts and performances in 12+ venues*
• Admission to all official film screenings and literary events*
• Entrance to all official talks, panel discussions, exhibitions, and workshops*
*Subject to each venue’s capacity

Payment schedule if purchasing between September 12 and 26, 2024:
– Deposit Due at Time of Purchase: (10% + 10% of service fees)
– Payment 1: October 25, 2024 (18% + 18% of service fees)
– Payment 2: November 28, 2024 (18% + 18% of service fees)
– Payment 3: December 27, 2024 (18% + 18% of service fees)
– Payment 4: January 31, 2025 (18% + 18% of service fees)
– Payment 5 (Final Payment): February 28, 2025 (18% + 18% of service fees)

Payment schedule if purchasing between September 27 and October 24, 2024:
– Deposit Due at Time of Purchase: (20% + 20% of service fees)
– Payment 1: November 28, 2024 (20% + 20% of service fees)
– Payment 2: December 27, 2024 (20% + 20% of service fees)
– Payment 3: January 31, 2025 (20% + 20% of service fees)
– Payment 4 (Final Payment): February 28, 2025 (20% + 20% of service fees)

Payment schedule if purchasing between October 25 and November 28, 2024:
– Deposit Due at Time of Purchase: (25% + 25% of service fees)
– Payment 1: December 27, 2024 (25% + 25% of service fees)
– Payment 2: January 31, 2024 (25% + 25% of service fees)
– Payment 3 (Final Payment): February 28, 2025 (25% + 25% of service fees)

*Purchaser must agree to the Layaway Plan Terms & Conditions, including default policy.

No problem! To do this, log in to your Front Gate account. Once you are logged in, go to your “Order History” page and select your order. You will be given the option to pay off your order in full. If payment is approved, this will complete your payment plan and no more payments will be due.

Wristbands will be mailed to patrons at the mailing address provided upon checkout. Please ensure your mailing address is accurate and at a location that you can access in late February and early March 2025. To change or update your mailing address, please contact Front Gate Tickets customer support here.

Wristbands will not be mailed to international customers and must be picked up at will call at the festival’s on-site box office.

Any passes purchased after the mailing cutoff will be picked up via will call at the festival’s on-site box office as well.

Registering your wristband provides many benefits including protection against loss and theft. Registration information will be provided along with your festival pass.

If you have lost or misplaced your wristband or did not receive it due to shipping errors, please come to the festival box office with your proof of purchase and a photo ID. We will help you replace it. Lost or stolen wristbands are subject to a $10 replacement fee payable by credit card at the on-site box office.

We recommend applying your wristband with enough space to easily slide 2 fingers between the band and your wrist. Wristbands that are over-tightened cannot be loosened. If your wristband is too tight, please come to the festival box office and we will issue a replacement. Replacements are subject to at $10 fee.

Festival box office location  will be shared closer to the 2025 Festival.

Festival box office hours will be shared closer to the 2025 Festival.

Passes are not available for purchase at the on-site festival box office and must be purchased in advance.

All sales are final and no refunds will be offered. However, if you are unable to attend, you can offer your pass for sale to other verified fans by using the official Ticket Exchange.

Yes! If you purchased a ticket directly from Front Gate Tickets and can no longer attend the festival, you can use the Ticketmaster Verified Ticket Exchange to sell your passes to another fan. Sign in to your Front Gate Tickets account and under “Your Account” select “Order History” to list your ticket on the Ticketmaster Verified Exchange. Offering your pass for sale does not guarantee a buyer.

Passes are non-transferable and the festival will not honor passes purchased from a third party. Only passes purchased through the Big Ears Festival website and it’s official ticketing provider, Front Gate Tickets are guaranteed to be authentic. If you want 100% confidence in your purchase, you should only purchase through the links on our passes page.

Big Ears will verify that only those who purchased passes are able to claim them.

Big Ears is not responsible for any counterfeit passes or wristbands purchased via an unverified or unofficial third party.

For you own protection, please do not purchase passes from any source other than bigearsfestival.org or Front Gate Tickets.

Removing a wristband automatically voids it (unless by accident or for safety reasons, in which case you will need to get a replacement wristband from the festival’s box office (this will require you to prove your purchase information). Festival security will check every wristband to ensure it has not been removed or passed between multiple people.

Big Ears Festival is an all-ages event. Passes will be required for patrons ages 2 and older.

Yes, Big Ears Festival venues are ADA accessible in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, though the exact accessibility specifications vary based on the venue.  Further information can be found on the Accessibility page of this website.

For additional accessibility questions, contact [email protected] to learn more.

At this time there are no national, state, or local mandates or requirements to provide a negative COVID-19 test result or proof of vaccination to attend events or large gatherings. Big Ears will continue to monitor the situation, consult with health professionals, and, if deemed necessary, reserves the right to enact policies and procedures to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of our patrons. Any changes in policy will be shared via our website, social media, and email newsletters.

If you need medical attention while attending a Big Ears event, please alert an event organizer, venue staff, or member of our security staff and we will assist you.

Disposable and small digital photography will be allowed, but anything with a removable lens is not permitted. Audio and video recording devices are prohibited. Additionally, please be respectful of other patrons and the artists when using your camera. No flash photography allowed.

What’s ACCEPTABLE: Small purse or backpack, water bottles, camera with non-removable lens. Please remember, everyone is subject to search and a large bag may cause delays when entering a venue.

What’s PROHIBITED: Drugs, controlled substances, alcohol, weapons, firearms, projectiles including glowsticks, video recording equipment, tri-pods, audio recording equipment and unauthorized merchandise. This list is not exhaustive and venue or festival management and, at their discretion, may not allow other items that could cause harm to festival attendees, staff, or performing artists.

Any person attempting to enter the venues with any of the prohibited item(s) above will be refused access, or at the venue’s discretion, allowed to give up the prohibited item(s) before entry. Confiscated items will be disposed of at the venue’s discretion.

Yes, 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.

There are numerous banks and ATMs located throughout the downtown area and festival footprint.

Yes. The Big Ears Festival app is an amazing resource for staying informed about all the happenings at the festival including a map, performance schedule, artist bios, and push notifications for pop-up performances and other surprises.

Yes! We will be announcing volunteer opportunities for the 2025 festival very soon. Head over to our volunteer page for more info. If you have any questions about the program, email volunteers(at)bigearsfestival(dot)org.

You can make a tax deductible gift to Big Ears. Donors will receive premium festival benefits not available to the general public. Visit our Donate page found here for more information. To learn more about the benefits at the $5,000.00+ level, or to make a gift of stock or from your work donor-advised fund, please contact development(at)bigearsfestival(dot)org.

Corporate sponsorship opportunities are available as well. Please contact sponsors(at)bigearsfestival(dot)org for more information.

Big Ears is primarily an indoor festival that takes place in over a dozen venues. Sorry, there are no opportunities for vendors.

We do not accept unsolicited submissions.

If you need more information or have additional questions, please contact us directly via our contact page or by emailing us at [email protected]. Please note that any music submissions sent to this email will not receive a response.

Big Ears has partnered with Front Gate Tickets as it’s official ticketing provider. For any questions regarding your Front Gate order, please contact them here.

Ticketmaster Verified Ticket Exchange is the official resale partner of Big Ears Festival. For any questions regarding the exchange, please contact them here.