2026’s festival season may be winding down, but here’s your comforting reminder that the spring 2027 slate of weekend-long music and arts events is right around the corner. Knoxville’s Big Ears Festival announced today that it will return on April 1 with an eclectic lineup. Some of the biggest draws include Jeff Tweedy, Wednesday (in addition to a Karly Hartzman solo set), Weyes Blood (likely with new material), Thundercat, Oneohtrix Point Never, Courtney Barnett, Dinner Party, Jim James, Mavis Staples, Mount Eerie, U.S. Girls, Hannibal Buress (rapping?), Norah Jones, Cornelius, and a Dirty Projectors solo set (presumably David Longstreth). Also, the latest FLOOD cover stars: Sylvan Esso and The Womack Sisters.
Helado Negro and Reyna Tropical will also be performing as their new Helado Tropical duo, and the recently reunited dream-pop group Helen, fronted by Grouper, will make an appearance (there are also notably several duos, trios, and quartets in the mix featuring various members of other bands playing the weekend). Beyond that, as is customary of the event, several of the listed artists require a bit more explanation, such as Gillian Welch and David Rawlings playing songs from a Grateful Dead live album and music scholar Melvin Gibbs curating a historical exhibit about the history of Black music.
Find much more info on these special performances/exhibits/residencies and more on the fest’s website, and find the full lineup below.
