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There’s a lot to unpack in the 2026 Big Ears Festival lineup, which dropped Sept. 9 and is topped by headliners David Byrne, Robert Plant and Flying Lotus, along with an eclectic undercard featuring SHABAKA, Terry Allen, Perfume Genius and MG Lenderman & The Wind.<\/p>\n
Hailed by music publications as one of the most adventurous and boundary-defying festivals in the country<\/a>, Big Ears is back March 26-29 in its permanent home of Knoxville, Tennessee.<\/p>\n John Zorn also will be returning to the festival with 12 works, two years after Big Ears hosted his “70th birthday celebration” in 2023. Other notable artists on the 2026 lineup include Alan Sparhawk & Trampled by Turtles, Dirty Three, Laurie Anderson, Pat Metheny and Tunde Adebimpe (from TV on the Radio).<\/p>\n Big Ears also will host the North American premier of Hania Rani’s “Non-Fiction” concerto with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. Fans of the festival also can look forward to Michael Leonhart conducting Nels Cline’s “Lovers,” as well as Ghost Train Orchestra playing the music of Moondog and Wild Up playing the music of Julius Eastman and Arthur Russell.<\/p>\n Los Angeles quintet SML will be in residence during the festival, along with Kaoru Watanabe\u2019s\u00a0“Bloodlines Interwoven,” which has brought together artists from a variety of backgrounds to collaborate on pieces that capture their unique family history through music.<\/p>\n Festival passes go on sale at 9 a.m. Sept. 11 at bigearsfestival.org<\/a> (Sept. 10 for previous attendees), and increased prices are among this year’s changes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Even with a pass, festivalgoers will need to purchase an add-on ticket to see Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant. Byrne will present two performances of “Who is the Sky?” while Robert Plant will be performing his new project, “Saving Grace.”<\/p>\n Passholders will have “preferred pricing,” reserved seating and early access to the add-on shows, according to a Big Ears news release.<\/p>\n Big Ears programming is expanding into comedy this year, with former “Late Late Show” bandleader Reggie Watts bringing his improvisational musical humor to Knoxville, as well as a performance by Tim Heidecker & The Very Good Band with Neil Hamburger.<\/p>\n Here’s the full lineup in alphabetical order, which is also available with more info about the festival at bigearsfestival.org<\/a>:<\/p>\n Adrian Sherwood \u2022 Alan Sparhawk & Trampled by Turtles \u2022 Anna Tivel \u2022 Annahstasia \u2022Annie & The Caldwells \u2022 BASIC \u2022 Blind Boys of Alabama \u2022 Bloodshot Bill \u2022 Brandon Woody’s Upendo \u2022 Brian Marsella & Sae Hashimoto \u2022 Brian Marsella’s iMAGiNARiUM \u2022 Briggan Krauss \u2022 Brittany Davis \u2022 Caroline Shaw & S\u014d Percussion ft. Ringdown \u2022 C\u00e9cile McLorin Salvant \u2022 Chad Taylor Quintet \u2022 Charlemagne Palestine \u2022 Chicago Underground Duo \u2022 Chilling Bambino \u2022 Chucho Vald\u00e9s Royal Quartet \u2022 Chuck Johnson \u2022 Cleo Reed \u2022 Cymande \u2022 Darius Jones Trio \u2022 Dave Douglas Gifts Quintet ft. Tomeka Reid, James Brandon Lewis, Rafiq Batia & Ian Chang \u2022 Dave Harrington’s Pranksters South \u2022 David Byrne:\u00a0Who is the Sky?<\/em>\u00a0\u2022 Deantoni Parks:\u00a0Technoself<\/em>\u00a0\u2022 Deerhoof \u2022 Dirty Three \u2022 Dither: Laurie Spiegel\u2019s\u00a0The Expanding Universe<\/em>\u00a0\u2022 Dom Flemons \u2022 Don Was & the Pan-Detroit Ensemble \u2022 DoYeon Kim \u2022 Either\/Orchestra \u2022 Eliana Glass \u2022 Fine \u2022 Florist \u2022 Flying Lotus \u2022 Gary Lucas & Gods and Monsters \u2022 Ghost Train Orchestra plays The Music of Moondog \u2022 Go Kurosawa \u2022 GRRL x Made of Oak \u2022 Gwenifer Raymond \u2022 Haley Heynderickx \u2022 Hand Habits \u2022 Hania Rani & Knoxville Symphony Orchestra:\u00a0Non-Fiction<\/em>\u00a0(N. American Premiere) \u2022 Hannah Cohen \u2022 Harriet Tubman & Georgia Anne Muldrow \u2022 Hayden Pedigo \u2022 His Name Is Alive \u2022 Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few \u2022 Jamie Lidell & Luke Schneider \u2022 Janel & Anthony \u2022 Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage \u2022 Jimmie Dale Gilmore & Butch Hancock \u2022 Joe Westerlund \u2022 John Mailander\u2019s Forecast \u2022 John Scofield Trio ft. Vicente Archer & Bill Stewart \u2022 John Zorn:\u00a0Impromptus Ballades Nocturnes<\/em>,\u00a0Junction Trio Plays Zorn<\/em>,\u00a0Love Songs<\/em>\u00a0ft. Petra Haden,\u00a0Incerto<\/em>,\u00a0Awakening Ground<\/em>,\u00a0Hannigan Sings Zorn I & II<\/em>,\u00a0Cobra<\/em>,\u00a0Harry Smith Films with Music<\/em>,\u00a0Masada Reunion<\/em>,\u00a0John Zorn and Laurie Anderson<\/em>\u00a0\u2022 Julia \u00dalehla & D\u00e1lava \u2022 Julian Lage Quartet \u2022 Julianna Barwick \u2022 Karen Mantler Trio \u2022 Kate Gentile:\u00a0Find Letter X<\/em>\u00a0\u2022 Ken Pomeroy \u2022 Kishi Bashi \u2022 Kaoru Watanabe’s Bloodlines Interwoven (In Residence) \u2022Laurie Anderson:\u00a0X2<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0with Sexmob \u2022 Lazyhorse \u2022 Lisel \u2022 Los Thuthanaka \u2022 Lubomyr Melnyk \u2022 Lucrecia Dalt \u2022 Madison Cunningham \u2022 Mali Obomsawin \u2022 Marc Ribot: Shrek, Hurry Red Telephone,\u00a0Map of a Blue City<\/em>\u00a0\u2022 Maria Somerville \u2022 Marilyn Crispell & Harvey Sorgen \u2022 Marquis Hill Blacktet \u2022 Maruja Lim\u00f3n \u2022 Mary Halvorson Canis Major \u2022 Mary Lattimore \u2022 Matt Mitchell’s Zealous Angles \u2022 Meara O’Reilly Vocal Ensemble \u2022 Mei Semones \u2022 Miles Okazaki \u2022 Miriam Elhajli \u2022 MJ Lenderman & The Wind \u2022 Model\/Actriz \u2022 Moin \u2022 Natalie Bergman \u2022 Nate Mercereau \u2022 Nate Smith Trio \u2022 Nels Cline & Knoxville Jazz Orchestra:\u00a0Lovers<\/em>\u00a0\u2022 Nik B\u00e4rtsch’s RONIN \u2022 Openness Trio \u2022 Orchestra Baobab \u2022 Orcutt Shelley Miller \u2022 Pan American & Kramer \u2022 Pat Metheny Side-Eye III+ \u2022 Patricia Brennan Septet \u2022 Patrick Watson \u2022 Patrick Watson:\u00a0Film Scores for No One<\/em>\u00a0\u2022 Perfume Genius \u2022 Pino Palladino & Blake Mills \u2022 Qur’an Shaheed \u2022 Rafiq Bhatia:\u00a0Environments<\/em>\u00a0with Ian Chang & Riley Mulherkar \u2022 Reggie Watts \u2022 Richard Dawson \u2022 Richard Thompson \u2022 Robert Plant\u2019s\u00a0Saving Grace<\/em>\u00a0feat. Suzi Dian \u2022 Rosenau & Sanborn \u2022 Ryan Clackner & Tyshawn Sorey \u2022 Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band \u2022 S.G. Goodman \u2022 The Saami Brothers ft. Ustad Naseeruddin Saami \u2022 Saha Gnawa \u2022 Saul Williams Meets Carlos Ni\u00f1o & Friends \u2022 Setting \u2022 SHABAKA \u2022 shirlette ammons \u2022 Simon Hanes: GARGANTUA \u2022 SML (In Residence) \u2022 Steven Bernstein’s MTO Plays Sly \u2022 Sullivan Fortner Trio \u2022 SUSS presents Across the Horizon \u2022 Taper’s Choice \u2022 Tara Clerkin Trio \u2022 Terry Allen \u2022 Tim Berne \u2022 Tim Heidecker & the Very Good Band with Neil Hamburger \u2022 Tom Skinner \u2022 Tsons of Tsunami \u2022 Tunde Adebimpe \u2022 Turning Jewels Into Water \u2022 Twin Talk \u2022 Uhlmann Johnson Wilkes \u2022 Walt McClements \u2022 The Westerlies \u2022 Wild Up: Julius Eastmans\u2019\u00a0Femenine<\/em>\u00a0& Arthur Russell\u2019s\u00a024 to 24<\/em>\u00a0\u2022 Will Graefe \u2022 William Hooker Quartet \u2022 Winged Wheel \u2022 Wu Fei & Shanir Blumenkranz\u00a0 \u2022 Yag\u00f3dy \u2022 YHWH Nailgun<\/p>\n Ryan Wilusz<\/strong>\u00a0is the business growth and development editor. Phone\u00a0865-317-5138.\u00a0Email\u00a0ryan.wilusz@knoxnews.com.<\/a>\u00a0Instagram\u00a0@knoxscruff.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Support strong local journalism by subscribing to\u00a0subscribe.knoxnews.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Big Ears Festival 2026 lineup: David Byrne, Robert Plant, Flying Lotus<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n