While the spirit of the festival encourages attendees to engage with music with which they typically might not, the new music-forward lineups of years past were missed. Big Ears Festival, Knoxville, Tennessee’s annual weekend celebration of experimental music, is announcing the initial lineup for their 2018 edition, being held March 22nd through 25th. No boundaries, no limits,” gushed Big Ears Festival founder Ashley Capps after progressive banjo explorer Béla Fleck helped launch the 2018 edition. Follow along as the full lineup unfolds in what is sure to be an immersive and memorable journey. 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.’ Unlike the programming in years previous, the Big Ears 2018 lineup was particularly jazz- and Appalachian music-focused, limiting the offerings of contemporary art music or experimental-leaning pop. “That’s what it’s all about, folks. ‘It has become clear that we must cancel Big Ears 2020, scheduled for the weekend of Thursday, March 26 thru Sunday, March 29. Big Ears is a dynamic festival experience in downtown Knoxville, TN that explores connections between musicians and artists, crossing all genres.