Knoxville's Big Ears Festival canceled

The Big Ears Festival, a popular weekend of world-class musical performances in Knoxville, announced Wednesday that the 2020 festival has been canceled due to developing COVID-19, or Coronavirus.

“It has become clear that we must cancel The Big Ears 2020, scheduled for the weekend of Thursday, March 26 thru Sunday, March 29,” wrote festival founder and executive director Ashley Capps.

“Just 48 hours ago, we were optimistic that there was a path forward; but with events surrounding COVID-19 developing rapidly along with the obvious need for urgent steps to contain its spread, we simply cannot move forward with the festival as scheduled," she said.

“The impact of this cancellation on the community that makes Big Ears possible — the artists, the festival attendees, our staff and production teams, and the Knoxville community with all of its businesses and workers — cannot be overstated,” she said.

“We will be offering refunds to all ticket purchasers (assuming you purchased your tickets from our authorized vendor, Front Gate). Within the next day or two, we will be emailing ticket holders with information about the process for securing your refund.”