Our Big Ears guide ensures you won't miss a moment as Knoxville braces for festival weekend
Joanna Hayes- Big Ears Festival will take place across more than 20 downtown Knoxville venues March 27-30.
- The festival headquarters have changed, and there are new places to pick up wristbands and merch.
- In addition to a free trolley servicing Big Ears venues, Knoxville has plenty of other ways to get out and explore the city while in town.
It's a time of year unlike any other in downtown Knoxville − a time when Big Ears Festival takes over venues throughout the city with world-class performances and with international travelers descending on the Scruffy City for a weekend of deep listening they can't get anywhere else.
As we put our best foot forward for those seeing our city for the first time − and for those repeat festival visitors who have made Knoxville their home away from home each spring − we have compiled a comprehensive guide for how to make the most of your festival weekend March 27-30 in Knoxville.
We'll dive into some of what makes each venue unique, from the official state theater to the churches being reconfigured for festival performances, as well as where to eat, how to get around and how to keep up with all things Big Ears through Knox News, your best source for photos and stories all weekend long.
Let’s start with the headquarters for the 2025 festival, whose lineup is led by ANOHNI and the Johnsons, Beth Gibbons, Julien Baker and TORRES, Esperanza Spalding, Rufus Wainwright and Waxahatchee.
Where is the Big Ears Festival headquarters? (It has moved!)
Festival headquarters looks a little different this year, as many passes already have been shipped to festivalgoers after years of being available for in-person pickup at Jackson Terminal.
The Hyatt Place Hotel in downtown Knoxville will serve as one of two home bases for the festival. Located at 530 S. Gay St., this is where international customers, guests, media and anyone picking up a ticket from will call will check in. Just look for the SEC room inside the hotel. (Fun fact: This is where the collegiate Southeastern Conference was established in 1932.)
You can also come here if you didn't get your wristband by mail for whatever reason or if your pass was lost or damaged. The box office hours are:
- March 26: 4-9 p.m.
- March 27: noon-11p.m.
- March 28: 8 a.m.-11 p.m.
- March 29: 8 a.m.-11 p.m.
- March 30: 8 a.m. - 9 p.m.
The Emporium, an art gallery at 100 S. Gay St., will be home to the Central Festival Merchandise Store. Stop in and shop for festival merch, along with CDs, vinyl and apparel from your favorite festival artists.
The Emporium is also where you'll find Knox News journalists talking with festivalgoers throughout the weekend about the city's music scene, as well as how to learn more about the arts in Knoxville and how to make sure you don't miss a single Knox News photo or story from the festival.
Where else can I find festival merchandise at Big Ears in Knoxville?
In addition to The Emporium, which will host the Central Festival Merchandise Store, satellite merch shops will be at the following Big Ears venues: TheMill & Mine at 227 W. Depot Ave. and the Tennessee Theatre at 604 S. Gay St.
The printed festival program, a physical schedule and map will be available at various venues throughout the festival.
What kind of access does my Big Ears wristband get me?
Wristbands are your passport for the festival − no wristband, no access. But a wristband does not guarantee entry to venues if they are at full capacity until someone leaves. Festival organizers suggest arriving at least 30 minutes prior to “must-see” performances to increase the likelihood of entry.
Festival attendees are encouraged to register wristbands in case passes are lost or stolen. Information about how to register is provided upon receiving your pass.
Wristbands will be scanned upon entering venues. Cut or damaged wristbands will not be honored.
Have questions about your wristband? The Hyatt Place is the place to go!
Are there apps I should download before Big Ears Festival?
The Big Ears Festival app will be a fountain of information. In addition to offering up-to-date details about the festival schedule and allowing you to create a customer schedule, the app will provide notifications throughout the weekend about surprise shows, last-minute schedule changes and venue capacity updates.
The free Knox News app is a great resource to sign up for "entertainment" alerts, which will be used to send stories about Knoxville's music scene to your phone during the festival. Stop by our table at The Emporium to learn more about how to sign up for alerts, how to see all of our festival photos and how to follow our journalists as they take you on a journey through Knoxville with updates from the front rows of Big Ears.
Lyft and Uber operate in Knoxville if you're looking for a ride, though a free shuttle will be servicing the festival venues. You can download the Transit app to use Knoxville's public bus transportation.
What's the best way to get around Knoxville during Big Ears Festival?
While all Big Ears venues are located within walking distance of each other in downtown Knoxville, the festival has a few options to make traveling between sets a little easier.
A festival trolley will run a loop throughout downtown, stopping at or near all festival venues. Keep an eye on Big Ears social media for the trolley route and stops, which will be clearly marked on the map in the Big Ears app. The route also will be on the physical schedule and map, available at The Hyatt and The Emporium.
This year, Big Ears is partnering with Two Bikes to provide bike rentals for festivalgoers. Venues will have dedicated racks and bike parking for those traveling on two wheels.
You can reserve your bike at twobikes.company.site/products. Act fast: Some bike sizes have already sold out!
Again, Uber and Lyft offer ridesharing options in Knoxville, while the Transit app supports Knoxville Area Transit. The city also has a few options for electric bike and electric scooter rentals. Visit visitknoxville.com/plan-your-visit/scooters for more information about how to ride (on streets, not sidewalks).
What are the Big Ears Festival venues in downtown Knoxville?
Big Ears Festival takes place across more than 20 venues in downtown Knoxville. The Knoxville Civic Auditorium was added in 2024 and is one of the largest (and best sounding) concert spaces in the city, with a capacity of 2,500 people.
That’s about 900 more people than the Tennessee Theatre, which is undergoing a massive expansion, and 1,800 more people than the Bijou Theatre. Both venues will host performances throughout the festival.
Regas Square Events, which also was added as a venue in 2024, will host conversations among artists and intimate performances throughout the weekend. This event space is attached to Marble City Market, a food hall just north of downtown (more info on where to eat, below).
Among the most unique venues for the festival are the church spaces: Church Street United Methodist, First Presbyterian (sanctuary and chapel), St. John's Cathedral and The Point.
Pretentious Beer Company has been added to the venue list this year and will host "Molten Soundscapes," a collaboration with Pretentious Glass Company owner Matthew Cummings, who will blow glass inspired by a simultaneous live performance by Texas-based percussionist Thor Harris on Friday. The following day, the business will provide space for an improvisational performance by Big Ears artists signed to Joyful Noise Recordings.
The Gay Street home of Visit Knoxville, another great source of information to get acclimated to the city, is again a venue during this year's festival. At visitknoxville.com, you can learn more about how to visit the Sunsphere, Knoxville's most iconic structure, which was built for the 1982 World's Fair.
Check the schedule for the full list of venues and for details about who's performing where!
What are some Knoxville businesses I should support during Big Ears?
All of them!
Seriously, your generosity goes a long way, as Big Ears Festival weekend typically is the best financial weekend for downtown Knoxville businesses.
You'll pass a wide range of restaurants when going between venues in the walkable downtown Knoxville, which is comprised of three main areas: Gay Street (the main drag), Market Square (a large pedestrian plaza) and the Old City (a nightlife hub).
Gay Street is downtown Knoxville’s main thoroughfare and is lined with a variety of businesses, from the always popular Cruze Farm Ice Cream for sweet treats to Mast General Store for outdoors apparel to The Vault for one of the swankiest cocktail experiences in town, located beneath pan-Latin restaurant Vida. This is also the street where you'll find the Tennessee and Bijou theaters, both Big Ears venues.
While Market Square won’t have any official Big Ears Festival performances, it was named one of the best public squares in the country last year and is just one block over from the heart of Gay Street. On Market Square, you'll find a fun mix of rooftop bars, restaurants and shops.
Follow Gay Street north and you will reach West Depot Avenue and Regas Square Events, one of the newer venues, which is just a few steps west from one of the largest venues, The Mill & Mine. Between Regas Square Events and The Mill & Mine is Marble City Market, Knoxville’s first food hall, comprised of a bar and roughly 10 vendors offering everything from authentic Afghan food, Venezuelan deli bites and sushi to your more-traditional hot chicken, burgers and pizza.
Marble City Market is just north of the Old City, where you’ll find some of downtown’s most popular hangouts. That includes Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria, the acclaimed Brother Wolf aperitivo bar and the divey, smoker-friendly Urban Bar.
We'd be remiss not to mention Potchke, a Jewish deli and kosher restaurant that increased in popularity thanks to a New York Times feature following Big Ears 2022. The restaurant was named one of the best in the country by USA TODAY in 2024.
What if I want to explore beyond downtown Knoxville during Big Ears?
Looking to escape festival madness for a bit? Just want to see what else Knoxville has to offer?
We have good news: South Knoxville has even more restaurants, breweries and hang out spots to check out, including Knoxville's newer Kern's Food Hall located just across the Tennessee River from downtown at a former and historic bakery.
The popular South Knoxville "strip" is Sevier Avenue, a beer lover’s and bike rider’s haven. Alliance Brewing Co. always has something fresh on tap, while the Fly By Night cocktail bar resurrects everything you loved about the ‘70s.
South Knoxville also is home to the Urban Wilderness, comprised of nine natural recreation areas connected by trails.
North of downtown, just beyond the Old City, you’ll find the intersection of Central Street and Broadway. Some local-favorite hangouts can be found in this area, including German brewery Schulz Brau Brewing Co., named the third best brewery in the country at the U.S. Open Beer Championship in 2023.
There's also Yee-Haw Brewing Co., the official craft brewery of the Tennessee Volunteers, and Marie's Old Town Tavern, offering some of the Scruffy City's best karaoke on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
If you’re willing to travel just a little further north, you’ll be in Happy Holler. This quaint neighborhood has grown a lot in recent years with the addition of the Zero/Zero natural wine bar and The Pirate Tavern, as well as Central Cinema. You’ll also find Y-Not Tavern and Flats & Taps, a great place for a quick bite and tasty drink specials.
Business Growth and Development Editor Ryan Wilusz contributed to this report.
Joanna Hayes is the restaurant and retail reporter. Email: joanna.hayes@knoxnews.com. | Sign up for the free Eat65 newsletter
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