Big Ears is set to take over downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, for its 2027 edition, which takes place April 1-4. Jeff Tweedy, Robert Glasper, Weyes Blood, Oneohtrix Point Never, Bill Frisell, and Dinner Party—the supergroup of Glasper, Terrace Martin, Kamasi Washington, and 9th Wonder—top the billing for the music, art, and film festival. Also listed are Thundercat, Wednesday, Natalie Merchant, Mavis Staples, Courtney Barnett, Sylvan Esso, Jim James, and Kevin Morby, among others. In total, the festival packs over 250 performances into two dozen venues. Check out the lineup poster below.
Now in its 14th year, Big Ears has historically placed an emphasis on “Deep Listening,” the term coined by the pioneering 20th century electronic composer Pauline Oliveros. In a 2019 column for Pitchfork, Andrew Frisicano noted that the Knoxville festival has played a significant role in spearheading a broader sea change towards highly curated—though not necessarily concise—lineups and a “focus on meditative experiences.”
The 2027 edition of Big Ears will also feature performances by Norah Jones, Mount Eerie, L’Rain, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Meat Puppets, Nirosta Steel, Andy Stott, Midori Takada, Kali Malone, @, Ana Roxanne, Marina Herlop, Horse Lords, SML, Valerie June, Joanne Robertson, Otto Benson, Avey Tare, Carla dal Forno, Dagmar Zuniga, Jeff Parker, Ida, and Helen. Dig even deeper into the lineup, and you’ll find goodies including an orchestral performance of David Bowie’s Blackstar and a 12-hour set of Indian classical music.
Read The 31 Most Anticipated Music Festivals of 2026.
