The festival’s 2025 lineup will be announced on Tuesday, September 10 at 9am ET.

A Donor pre-sale for Voyager level ($100) or above will begin when the lineup is announced on Tuesday, September 10 at 9am ET.

On Wednesday, September 11, a pre-sale for previous festival pass purchasers will begin at 9am ET.

Passes will be available to the general public beginning at 9am ET on Thursday, September 12.

Single-Day passes, including Premier level, will be made available when the festival’s daily lineup is announced. Stay tuned via our newsletter and social media for more details.

Big Ears concerts and events take place in over a dozen venues, with capacities that range from 80 to 2,500 people. Admission to each event is on a first come, first served basis (subject to the legal capacity of the venue) with VIP patrons given priority access, followed by Premier and then 4-Day Weekend patrons.

All weekend passes include:
• Admission to nearly 200 concerts, performances, and events in 12+ venues over 4 days
• Admission to all official film screenings and literary events during the festival
• Entrance to all official talks, panel discussions, exhibitions, and workshops

There are no paper or digital tickets to Big Ears Festival, only wristbands which must be worn by the patron to access festival venues.

Passes are required for patrons ages 2 and older. Big Ears does not offer tickets to individual shows during the festival weekend.

Premier pass holders will receive everything offered to Weekend passholders and more!

Premier patrons are offered priority admission to official Big Ears venues where available. After VIP pass holders are given access to a venue, Premier pass holders will be granted access prior to Weekend patrons. If a venue reaches capacity and becomes 1 in, 1 out, Premier pass holders will be given priority entry after VIP patrons.

In addition, Premier pass holders, along with VIPs, will receive an invitation to an exclusive, unannounced “secret show” during the festival weekend.

Venues with Priority Access:

• Knoxville Civic Auditorium
• Tennessee Theatre
• Bijou Theatre
• Church Street United Methodist
• First Presbyterian
• The Point
• St. John’s Cathedral
• The Mill & Mine
• Jackson Terminal
• The Standard

Sonic Explorer VIP pass holders will receive everything offered to 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 Weekend 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
• Church Street United Methodist
• First Presbyterian
• The Point
• St. John’s Cathedral
• The Mill & Mine
• Jackson Terminal
• The Standard

Venues with Reserved, VIP Seating:
• Knoxville Civic Auditorium
• Tennessee Theatre
• Bijou Theatre
• Church Street United Methodist
• First Presbyterian (Sanctuary)
• The Point
• St. John’s Cathedral

Dive into the cinematic world of Big Ears with a Film-Only Pass. This pass grants you access to all film screenings, special presentations, talks, conversations, and Q&As at Downtown Knoxville’s Regal Riviera without requiring a full festival pass. Perfect for cinephiles and curious viewers alike, it’s your ticket to experiencing the festival’s diverse and groundbreaking film program.

Patrons who are unable to attend all four days of the festival have the option to purchase a Single-Day pass for any day of the festival. A day pass includes access to all publicly announced Big Ears events in all official Big Ears venues on that particular (subject to each venue’s capacity).

Big Ears also offers Premier level Single Day passes. In addition to everything offered to daily pass holders, these passes allow priority entry to official Big Ears venues on that particular day as well as advanced notice of unannounced secret shows.

Pass tiers or price levels, including “Early Bird,” are simply a way to encourage patrons to purchase their passes early and save money. There is no difference in offerings or benefits between tiers of the same pass type.

Big Ears does everything it can to keep ticket prices as low and affordable as possible while providing patrons and artists with the highest level festival experience. The following is a list of service fees included in your ticket purchase:
• Tennessee Theatre Preservation Fee ($3.00)
• Bijou Theatre Preservation Fee ($2.00)
• Knoxville Civic Auditorium Facility Fee ($2.00)
• Charity Donation ($2.00)
• Processing & Fulfillment ($10.00)
• Front Gate Fee ($4.50 if over $250 / $4.00 if under $250)
• Shipping ($12 per order)
• Credit Card Processing (3% of total price)

Yes, however, at this time, layaway plan availability has ended for all 2025 pass types. Please see layaway schedule for more information.

On the checkout page, you have the option to purchase your full order at that time or you can purchase using a “layaway plan.” The layaway plan is available for all orders including at least (1) weekend pass. Purchaser must agree to the Layaway Plan Terms and Conditions, including a default policy.

A deposit upon purchase will serve to secure your ticket(s). All subsequent payments will be automatically charged to the credit card used for the initial purchase. Your ticket(s) will not be mailed to you until you have made your last payment.

IMPORTANT: If for any reason a scheduled payment is declined, you will be notified via email with further instructions. If you have new account information, such as a new billing address or new card, please log-in to your account to update. Failure to complete a missed payment within the retry period (10 days) may result in cancellation of your layaway plan and forfeiture of any payments made. In order to resubmit declined payments, please log in to your account, view Order History, select the order, and then click Manage Payment Plan. You will see the declined payment and a retry button near the decline. You will be emailed a receipt when a payment is successful. Layaway plans are non-refundable. Once payments are made, they cannot be refunded or transferred to another ticket type or event. If the plan is canceled due to missed payments, any paid amount up to that point may not be refundable. Layaway plans cancelled by the purchaser are subject to a $50 cancellation fee. Layaway plan tickets are subject to all of the other terms of the ticketing agreement.

Please reach out to Frontgate’s customer service if you have questions regarding the layaway plan.

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.

Patrons have an option to add an official Big Ears Festival merchandise package to their order when purchasing a pass. The package will include a branded t-shirt and coffee mug along with a lineup poster and a tote bag ($100 value). By purchasing early you can save 20% on these items.

Those who purchase will receive a digital print pass (DPP) via email before the festival. Once on-site, bring that pass to the festival merch store for redemption to receive your merch package.

VIP passholders automatically receive a merch package as part of their pass purchase.

All sales are final and no refunds will be offered. If you cannot attend, we recommend offering your pass for sale to another fan via the festival’s 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 or wristbands purchased from a third party. Only wristbands purchased through the Big Ears Festival website and its official ticketing provider, Front Gate Tickets, and the Ticketmaster Verified Ticket Exchange are valid. If you want 100% confidence in your ticket purchase, you should only purchase your passes through the links on our tickets page.

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, Front Gate Tickets, or Ticketmaster Verified Ticket Exchange.

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 which 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.

Wristbands will be mailed to patrons at the 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.

Do not apply your wristband until you are ready to attend the festival. We recommend applying your wristband with enough space to easily slide 2 fingers between the band and your wrist. Once tightened, wristbands cannot be loosened.

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, misplaced, or did not receive your wristband, please come to the on-site 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 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. Replacement wristbands are subject to a fee payable by credit card at the on-site box office.

The Big Ears Festival Box Office will be located in the SEC Ballroom of the Hyatt Place Hotel in downtown Knoxville (530 S Gay St.) The box office hours are:

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

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 needed, reserves the right to enact policies and procedures to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of our patrons, if deemed necessaryt. Any changes in policy will be shared via our website, social media, and email newsletters.

• All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges.

• Wristbands are not transferable once applied to a patron’s wrist.

• Patrons of all ages are welcome. Passes/tickets will be required for patrons ages 2 and older.

• All acts advertised have confirmed their appearance at Big Ears 2025; however, acts and performance times are subject to change without notice.

• Lost or stolen passes can be replaced at the festival box office with proof of purchase and customer ID and will be subject to a small replacement fee. Once the new wristband has been issued, the lost or stolen band will be deactivated and invalid.

• There is a limit of eight (8) Weekend and four (4) Premier or VIP passes per order.

• Big Ears reserves the right, without the refund of any portion of the pass/ticket purchase price, to refuse admission or to eject any person who fails to comply with the rules of festival venues, local, state or federal law, or whose conduct is deemed illegal, disorderly, or offensive by management.

• Persons entering festival venues are subject to search for contraband, unauthorized merchandise, alcohol, controlled substances, weapons, firearms, fireworks, cameras, video equipment, or recording devices, which are expressly forbidden.  Any persons found attempting to enter the venues with forbidden item(s) will be refused access, or, at venue’s discretion, allowed to give up the forbidden item(s). Confiscated items will be destroyed or disposed of at venue’s discretion.

• Pass/Ticket/Wristband user assumes all risks of personal injury incidental to the event, whether occurring prior to, during, or subsequent to the event.

• The resale or attempted resale via of passes via unauthorized third party at a price higher than that appearing on the face of the pass/ticket is prohibited and if discovered will result in the ticket being voided without refund.

• The sale of unauthorized merchandise is not permitted. Purchaser agrees they may be ejected from the event if found selling unauthorized merchandise.

• Passes may not be used for advertising, promotion (including contests and sweepstakes), or other trade purposes without the express written consent of Big Ears.

• Pass holder consents to Big Ears and its affiliates’ use of his/her image or likeness incidental to any video display, transmission, recording, and/or other content captured at the event.

Big Ears has partnered with Front Gate Tickets as it’s official ticketing provider. For any questions regarding your Front Gate account or 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.

For any general questions about Big Ears ticketing or the festival, please contact us here.