Big Ears Festival enthusiasts rejoice! The time has come for the initial lineup reveal for Big Ears 2024! As usual, the lineup features a wide range of musical styles, with many artists you may not have heard of before, but your mind is sure to be blown once you hear their music. There are far too many artists to mention all at once, but there are certainly a few "stand outs". 2023 Pulitzer Prize Winner Rhiannon Giddens will be this year's artist-in-residence, giving several performances across the four days of the festival. Big Ears also celebrates the 70th birthday of American guitarist and composer, Marc Ribot, as well as the 60th anniversary of Nonesuch Records. Other musicians headlining the festival include: Herbie Hancock, Laurie Anderson, John Paul Jones, Digable Planets, Charles Lloyd, Adrianne Lenker, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, Shabaka Hutchings, Kurt Vile & The Violators, and many many more. With nearly 200 events, 12+ venues, films, exhibitions, conversations and more, this year's festival will once again be a mind-expanding adventure for the senses.
In this interview, Ashley Capps gives more details about the separately ticketed events. He also says that the festival will follow the same "blueprint" as last year's, with the same venues being used and the same number of tickets available. One thing that will be different for this year's festival is the introduction of new wristband technology. Wristbands will be mailed to most attendees prior to the festival and will enable you to register for the festival online so that you can attend concerts as soon as you arrive in Knoxville.
The dates for Big Ears 2024 are March 21-24. Tickets go on sale to the general public starting at 9am ET on Sept. 14. Two special pre-sales for donors and previous pass purchasers will begin on Sept. 12 at 9am ET and Sept. 13, also at 9am ET.
The full line up of artists and programs can be found online at https://bigearsfestival.org/ with new additions and details found each week in the festival's newsletter.
