Knoxville’s Premier Music and Arts Event Returns March 27 – 30 with another extraordinary lineup.
The Big Ears Festival is back for another groundbreaking year, taking over downtown Knoxville, TN from March 27th to 30th, 2025.
This year’s lineup reinforces the festival’s reputation for blending genre-defying live performances with artistic innovation.
Headlining this year’s festival are the genre-bending ANOHNI & the Johnsons, Grammy winner Esperanza Spalding, and the ever-eclectic Rufus Wainwright.
Joining them are the haunting Irish folk of Lankum, the entrancing sounds of Anoushka Shankar, and the avant-garde stylings of Les Claypool’s Bastard Jazz.
Other highlighted acts include Taj Mahal, Wilco’s Nels Cline, Waxahatchee, Explosions In The Sky, Cassandra Jenkins, and (part-time Chattanooga resident) Sunny War.
Attendees will get to witness the cosmic collaboration of Sun Ra Arkestra & Yo La Tengo, along with celebrated banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck and his new trio.
Curated Experiences and Unique Sounds
Big Ears 2025 will also feature a variety of exciting premieres and special performances. Audiences can experience the North American debut of Jonny Greenwood’s eight-hour pipe organ piece 133 Years of Reverb, performed by James McVinnie and Eliza McCarthy, as well as Music in Twelve Parts by Philip Glass, performed by the Philip Glass Ensemble.
Pulitzer finalist Kate Soper will present her groundbreaking opera Ipsa Dixit.
Not to be missed are multiple performances by Pulitzer Prize winner Tyshawn Sorey and visionary jazz trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith.
Bob Holmes and SUSS, will curate a weekend long exploration of ambient and experimental Americana soundscapes called Across the Horizon.
Electronic music pioneer Steve Roach will make his Big Ears Festival debut.
King Britt returns with his Blacktronika series, featuring avant-hip-hoppers, electronic pioneers, and surprise all-star band.
Big Ears Festival 2025 full lineup
See the lineup graphic and full text lineup in alphabetical order below:
Here’s the full alphabetical list of performers for Big Ears Festival 2025:
- Adam Rudolph & Tyshawn Sorey
- Adam Rudolph’s Hu Vibrational
- Adam Rudolph’s Sunrise Quartet
- [Ahmed]
- Alabaster DePlume
- Alan Sparhawk
- Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves
- Amaro Freitas Trio
- Ambrose Akinmusire (Solo)
- Ambrose Akinmusire: Honey from a Winter’s Stone
- ANOHNI and the Johnsons
- Anoushka Shankar
- Antipop Consortium
- Arooj Aftab
- Asha Puthli
- Astrid Sonne
- Axiom 5
- Barry Altschul’s 3 Dom Factor
- Beak>
- Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda, Antonio Sánchez Trio
- Bia Ferreira
- Bill Frisell: In My Dreams
- Brìghde Chaimbeul
- Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino
- Carlos Niño & Friends
- Cassandra Jenkins
- Chanel Beads
- Chuck Johnson
- Claire Chase
- Clarice Jensen
- clipping.
- Cowboy Sadness
- DakhaBrakha
- Dan Weiss Even Odds Trio
- David Grubbs
- Dawn Richard & Spencer Zahn
- Dedicated Men of Zion
- EMEL
- esperanza spalding
- eucademix (Yuka Honda)
- Explosions In The Sky
- Fay Victor: Herbie Nichols SUNG
- Fieldwork (Vijay Iyer / Steve Lehman / Tyshawn Sorey)
- Flore Laurentienne
- Free Form Funky Freqs (Jamaaladeen Tacuma / Vernon Reid / Calvin Weston)
- Helado Negro
- Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti & Frank Rosaly MESTIZX
- Immanuel Wilkins’ Blues Blood
- Jeff Parker ETA IVtet
- Jenny Scheinman: All Species Parade
- Jessica Pratt
- Joan as Police Woman
- Joe Lovano’s Paramount Quartet with Julian Lage, Santi Debriano, and Will Calhoun
- Joel Harrison’s Free Country
- Joseph Keckler
- Josh Johnson
- Joy Guidry: AMEN
- Jules Reidy
- Julia Holter
- June McDoom
- Kahil El’Zabar Ethnic Heritage Ensemble
- Kalia Vandever
- Kelly Moran
- Knoxville Opera Gospel Choir
- Kokayi
- Kris Davis Trio featuring Robert Hurst & Jonathan Blake
- Lankum
- Lara Somogyi
- Les Claypool’s Bastard Jazz
- Luke Stewart Silt Trio
- Mabe Fratti
- Macie Stewart
- Magic Tuber Stringband
- Maria Chavez + Victoria Shen + Mariam Rezaei
- Marisa Anderson
- Marissa Nadler
- Mark Guiliana
- Maruja
- Mary Lattimore
- Meshell Ndegeocello: No More Water – The Gospel of James Baldwin
- Michael Hurley
- Mike Reed’s Separatist Party ft. Ben LaMar Gay, Bitchin Bajas & Marvin Tate
- ML Buch
- Modney
- múm
- Nanocluster (Immersion | SUSS)
- Nels Cline: Concentrik Quartet
- The Nels Cline Singers
- Peni Candra Rini
- Phantom Orchard
- Phil Cook
- R.B. Morris & William Wright: The Mockingbird
- Rachika Nayar
- Rich Ruth
- Rufus Wainwright
- Sam Bush Band
- Shelley Hirsch
- SML
- Squanderers
- Steve Coleman and Five Elements
- Steve Lehman Trio + Mark Turner: The Music of Anthony Braxton
- Steven Schick
- Steve Roach
- Still House Plants
- Sun Ra Arkestra
- Sun Ra Arkestra & Yo La Tengo
- Sunny War
- Susan Alcorn
- Sylvie Courvoisier Chimaera
- Taj Mahal
- Tara Clerkin Trio
- Tarta Relena
- Tessa Lark, Joshua Roman & Edgar Meyer
- Tigran Hamasyan: The Bird of a Thousand Voices
- Tilt
- Tindersticks
- Tortoise
- Tyshawn Sorey, King Britt & Friends ft. Melz & Meshell Ndegeocello
- Tyshawn Sorey Trio
- Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith
- Water Damage
- Waxahatchee
- William Basinski
- Yaya Bey
- Yo La Tengo
- Zakir Hussain and Masters of Percussion
- Zeena Parkins
Big Ears Festival Details
Big Ears Festival, held each March across multiple venues in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, is a one-of-a-kind event geared toward sonically adventurous audiences who appreciate deep listening experiences.
Rolling Stone has called it “the most ambitious avant-garde festival to emerge in America in more than a decade.”
With nearly 200 concerts spread across 14+ venues, plus films, conversations, exhibitions, and workshops, Big Ears 2025 is set to be another unforgettable celebration of music and art.
Passes go on sale this Thursday, September 12, with a special presale for previous attendees starting Wednesday, September 11.
For more details and updates, visit bigearsfestival.org or follow them on Instagram.
Big Ears Festival Friday, March 27-30, 2025, Downtown Knoxville, TN // Get your passes here.
Find more concerts in and around Chattanooga at our concert calendar.
