Big Ears 2026 lineup: David Byrne, Robert Plant, MJ Lenderman, Flying Lotus, Dirty Three, more

Knoxville’s Big Ears Festival happens March 26-29 in downtown Knoxville, TN. They’ve just announce the line-up, which will be headlined by David Byrne, Robert Plant’s Saving Grace, Pat Metheny, Flying Lotus, Laurie Anderson and John Zorn (who’s doing 12 performances in two days).

The rest of the lineup includes Dirty Three, MJ Lenderman, Perfume Genius, Tunde Adebimpe (TV on the Radio), Model/Actriz, Patrick Watson, Alan Sparhawk & Trampled by Turtles, Perfume Genius, Reggie Watts, Tom Skinner (The Smile), Cymande, SHABAKA, Pino Palladino & Blake Mills, Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band, S.G. Goodman, Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble, John Scofield Trio, Richard Thompson, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Mei Semones, Ghost Train Orchestra plays Moondog, Adrian Sherwood, His Name is Alive, Deerhoof, Marc Ribot, Florist, Hand Habits, Hannah Cohen, Madison Cunningham, Julianna Barwick, Kishi Bashi, Maria Somerville, Richard Dawson, Terry Allen, Tim Heidecker & the Very Good Band with Neil Hamburger, YHWH Nailgun, and much more, with artists still to be added.

Passes for Big Ears 2026 go on sale Thursday, September 11, at 9 AM ET, with early access for previous festival attendees beginning Wednesday, September 10, at 9 AM ET.

Check out the full Big Ears lineup below.

BIG EARS 2026 LINEUP (ALPHABETICAL)
Adrian Sherwood
Alan Sparhawk & Trampled by Turtles
Anna Tivel
Annahstasia
Annie & The Caldwells
BASIC
Blind Boys of Alabama
Bloodshot Bill
Brandon Woody’s Upendo
Brian Marsella & Sae Hashimoto
Brian Marsella’s iMAGiNARiUM
Briggan Krauss
Brittany Davis
Caroline Shaw & Sō Percussion ft. Ringdown
Cécile McLorin Salvant
Chad Taylor Quintet
Charlemagne Palestine
Ches Smith Clone Row
Chicago Underground Duo
Chucho Valdés Royal Quartet
Chuck Johnson
Cleo Reed
Cymande
Darius Jones Trio
Dave Douglas Gifts Quintet ft. Tomeka Reid, James Brandon Lewis, Rafiq Batia & Ian Chang
Dave Harrington’s Pranksters South
David Byrne: Who is the Sky?
Deantoni Parks: Technoself
Deerhoof
Dirty Three
Dither: Laurie Spiegel’s The Expanding Universe
Dom Flemons
Don Was & the Pan-Detroit Ensemble
DoYeon Kim
Either/Orchestra
Eliana Glass
Fine
Florist
Flying Lotus
Gary Lucas & Gods and Monsters
Ghost Train Orchestra plays The Music of Moondog
Go Kurosawa
GRRL x Made of Oak
Gwenifer Raymond
Haley Heynderickx
Hand Habits
Hania Rani & Knoxville Symphony Orchestra: Non-Fiction (N. American Premiere)
Hania Rani presents Chilling Bambino
Hannah Cohen
Harriet Tubman & Georgia Anne Muldrow
Hayden Pedigo
His Name Is Alive
Isaiah Collier
Jamie Lidell & Luke Schneider
Janel & Anthony
Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage
Jimmie Dale Gilmore & Butch Hancock
Joe Westerlund
John Mailander’s Forecast
John Scofield Trio ft. Vicente Archer & Bill Stewart
John Zorn: Impromptus Ballades Nocturnes, Junction Trio Plays Zorn, Love Songs ft. Petra Haden, Incerto, Awakening Ground, Hannigan Sings Zorn I & II, Cobra, Harry Smith Films with Music, Masada Reunion, John Zorn and Laurie Anderson
Julia Úlehla & Dálava
Julian Lage Quartet
Julianna Barwick
Karen Mantler Trio
Kate Gentile: Find Letter X
Ken Pomeroy
Kishi Bashi
Kaoru Watanabe’s Bloodlines Interwoven (In Residence)
Laurie Anderson: X2 with Sexmob
Lazyhorse
Lisel
Los Thuthanaka
Lubomyr Melnyk
Lucrecia Dalt
Madison Cunningham
Mali Obomsawin
Marc Ribot: Shrek, Hurry Red Telephone, Map of a Blue City
Maria Somerville
Marilyn Crispell & Harvey Sorgen
Marquis Hill Blacktet
Maruja Limón
Mary Halvorson Canis Major
Mary Lattimore
Matt Mitchell’s Zealous Angles
Meara O’Reilly Vocal Ensemble
Mei Semones
Miles Okazaki
Miriam Elhajli
MJ Lenderman & The Wind
Model/Actriz
Moin
Natalie Bergman
Nate Mercereau
Nate Smith Trio
Nels Cline & Knoxville Jazz Orchestra: Lovers
Nik Bärtsch’s RONIN
Openness Trio
Orchestra Baobab
Orcutt Shelley Miller
Pan American & Kramer
Pat Metheny Side-Eye III+
Patricia Brennan Septet
Patrick Watson
Patrick Watson presents Film Scores for No One
Perfume Genius
Pino Palladino & Blake Mills
Qur’an Shaheed
Rafiq Bhatia: Environments with Ian Chang & Riley Mulherkar
Reggie Watts
Richard Dawson
Richard Thompson
Robert Plant’s Saving Grace feat. Suzi Dian
Rosenau & Sanborn
Ryan Clackner & Tyshawn Sorey
Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band
S.G. Goodman
The Saami Brothers ft. Ustad Naseeruddin Saami
Saha Gnawa
Sami Stevens
Saul Williams Meets Carlos Niño & Friends
Setting
SHABAKA
shirlette ammons
Simon Hanes: GARGANTUA
SML (In Residence)
Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra Plays Sly
Sullivan Fortner Trio
SUSS presents Across the Horizon
Taper’s Choice
Tara Clerkin Trio
Terry Allen with Brenden Greaves & Jo Harvey Allen: Truckload of Art
Terry Allen with the Panhandle Mystery Band & Jo Harvey Allen: Memwars
Tim Berne
Tim Heidecker & the Very Good Band with Neil Hamburger
Tom Skinner
Tsons of Tsunami
Tunde Adebimpe
Turning Jewels Into Water
Twin Talk
Uhlmann Johnson Wilkes
Walt McClements
The Westerlies
Wild Up: Julius Eastmans’ Femenine & Arthur Russell’s 24 to 24
Will Graefe
William Hooker Quartet
Winged Wheel
Wu Fei & Shanir Blumenkranz
Yagódy
YHWH Nailgun