FAQ

The event will take place at World’s Fair Park on Friday, May 26th. The Our Common Nature partner village will take place on the North Lawn. Yo-Yo Ma & Friends concert will be held on the Performance (South) Lawn.

Additional concerts, including Chris Thile (May 25th) and Rhiannon Giddens (May 27th), will take place at the Bijou Theatre.

You can review maps of both the Yo-Yo Ma & Friends performance lawn & the Community Village North Lawn here.

The Festival grounds will open at 5 p.m. with events and activities beginning on the North Lawn. Yo-Yo Ma & Friends will perform from 8-10 p.m. on the Performance (South) Lawn.

For performances at the Bijou Theatre on May 25 & May 27, doors will open at 7 p.m. and performances will begin at 8 p.m.

The World’s Fair Park Performance Lawn is located at 963 World’s Fair Park Drive and is easily accessible by car, rideshare, public transportation, or on foot.  The best drop-off point for customers will be 1100 World’s Fair Park Drive at the corner of World’s Fair Park Drive & Clinch Avenue.  

If you are traveling from out of town, there are numerous hotel properties near World’s Fair Park. Please refer to VisitKnoxville.com for a list of hotel properties. 

Parking is located at World’s Fair, Blackstock, and Poplar Street Parking Lots as well as the following parking garages: Locust Street, Walnut Street, and Market Square Garages. ADA parking is available at all of these locations. Please refer to this map of parking options available downtown. 

Fri. May 26, 2023

North Lawn Community Stage (FREE to Public)

4:45-5:30 p.m. Evie Andrus Music

5:30-6:00 p.m. Storytelling with Kelle Jolly

6:00-6:30 p.m. COMMUNITY PARADE featuring Cattywampus Puppet Council & The Knoxville Honkers & Bangers

6:30-6:45 p.m. Drums Up Guns Down & the Kuumba Watoto Dancers

6:45-7:15 p.m. Raven Rock Dancers

7:15-8:00 p.m. Rica Chicha 

8:00-10:00 p.m. Yo-Yo Ma & Friends Live Simulcast

South Performance Lawn (Must Have Ticket to Enter)

7:00 p.m. Performance Lawn Opens to Public

8:00-10:00 p.m. Yo-Yo Ma & Friends Performance

Once you arrive in Knoxville, getting around is easy. World’s Fair Park, downtown hotels, restaurants, bars, and shopping are within easy walking distance of each other. Knoxville has been recognized as one of “America’s Bicycle Friendly Cities” and bike parking is available at or near the park. Knoxville is well supported by both Uber and Lyft.

This event will take place rain or shine.

There will be food & concession vendors on both lawns as well as free hydration stations set up throughout the park.

NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR DRINK WILL BE ALLOWED ON THE PERFORMANCE LAWN.

Patrons may come and go as they wish from activities taking place on the north lawn.

Re-entry is not permitted once a patron has entered the concert site (on the south lawn).

Tickets will be delivered via email Friday, May 19. Keep an eye on your inbox for an email from Front Gate Tickets/FGT Live, download the ticket, print the ticket, or add it to your digital wallet.

Any tickets purchased after May 19 will be instantly delivered to the email address provided at checkout.

If you have issues with accessing your tickets at the event, please proceed to the Box Office tent for support. 

At this time, there is no physical box office for the event, but there will be staff on-site at the Bijou Theatre and Worlds Fair Park to troubleshoot any issues.

Your General Admission pass allows entry to the concert celebration taking place at World’s Fair Park. Experience Appalachia’s vibrant culture and history through music, food, song, and dance. GA Passholders must bring their own seating.

Bring the whole family to experience Appalachia’s vibrant culture and history. Your 4-pack bundle will allow access to you and your family or three closest friends to experience this one-of-a-kind concert experience. Passholders must bring their own seating.

Celebrate Appalachia in style. Your VIP ticket will include an exclusive, dedicated seating area and other VIP amenities, including private concessions and restrooms, during the event. Your pass will also included dedicated entry lines to the south lawn performance area. SEATING FOR VIP PASSHOLDERS IS PROVIDED

All sales are final and no refunds will be offered.

Passes are non-transferable and the event will not honor passes purchased from a third party. Only passes purchased through the Our Common Nature website and its official ticketing provider, Front Gate Tickets are guaranteed to be authentic. If you want 100% confidence in your purchase, you should only purchase through the links on our passes page.

Our Common Nature is not responsible for any counterfeit passes purchased via an unverified or unofficial third party.

 For your own protection, please do not purchase passes from any source other than ourcommonnature.org and Front Gate Tickets ticketing platform.

Our Common Nature is an all-ages event. Passes will be required for patrons ages 2 and older.

Pets are not allowed at this event.

VIP pass holders will have exclusive seating provided at the event.

All other attendees can bring Lawn chairs and bag chairs to the park grounds as well as picnic blankets for lawn seating. However, bag chairs are subject to search.

Yes. Both the Bijou and World’s Fair Park are ADA accessible in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and The Americans with Disabilities Ace of 1990.

Please note that while there are limited concrete and paved paths at World’s Fair Park, the majority of the venue is grass or turf which could be difficult to navigate for those with limited mobility.

Wheelchairs and electric mobility scooters are allowed on the park lawns. 

For any additional accessibility questions, contact ourcommonnature(at)bigearsfestival(dot)org to learn more.

Trained medical and emergency staff will be present at all events. If you require medical attention while attending Our Common Nature, please alert an event organizer, venue staff, or member of our security staff and we will assist you.

What’s ACCEPTABLE: Small purse or backpack, water bottles, picnic blankets, lawn chairs or bag chairs, and cameras with a non-removable lens. Please remember, everyone is subject to search and a large bag may cause delays when entering a venue.

What’s PROHIBITED: Drugs, controlled substances, alcohol, weapons, firearms, projectiles including umbrellas, personal tents, tent canopies, glowsticks, video recording equipment, tripods, audio recording equipment, and unauthorized merchandise. This list is not exhaustive and venue or festival management at their discretion may not allow other items that could cause harm to festival attendees, staff, or performing artists.

NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR DRINK ON THE PERFORMANCE LAWN

Any person attempting to enter the venues with any of the prohibited item(s) above will be refused access, or at the venue’s discretion, allowed to give up the prohibited item(s) before entry. Confiscated items will be disposed of at the venue’s discretion.

Weapons of any kind, including pocketknives; outside food and beverages; smoking of any kind, including e-cigarettes; illegal substances; professional or flash photography, tripods, selfie-sticks; backpacks, bags, oversized purses, etc. Clear bags are not required.

For the safety and security of all patrons, all persons and items entering the Bijou Theatre are subject to search. The Bijou Theatre reserves the right to prohibit any item, including items not listed above, from entering the premises based on any particular show request or requirement.

Yes, we do.

No, this is no app for this event. Please refer to ourcommonnature.org or our social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. 

There are limited vending opportunities available, please apply at this link.

We do not accept unsolicited submissions.

Our Common Nature has done everything it can to keep ticket prices as low and affordable as possible while providing artists and patrons with the highest level experience. The following is a list of fees included in your ticket purchase:

Yo-Yo Ma & Friends at World’s Fair Park

• Charity Donation ($2.00)
• Front Gate Ticket Fee ($3.65)
• Credit Card Processing (3% of total price)

• All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges.
• Patrons of all ages are welcome. Passes/tickets will be required for patrons ages 2 and older.
• All acts advertised have confirmed their appearance at Our Common Nature, however, acts and performance times are subject to change without notice.
• Lost or stolen passes cannot be replaced.
• There is a limit of eight (8) General Admission passes, four (4) VIP passes, or two (2) GA Family Bundles per order.
• Management reserves the right, without the refund of any portion of the pass/ticket purchase price, to refuse admission or to eject any person who fails to comply with the rules of the venues, local, state or federal law, or whose conduct is deemed illegal, disorderly, or offensive by management.
• Persons entering performance venues are subject to search for contraband, unauthorized merchandise, alcohol, controlled substances, weapons, firearms, fireworks, cameras, video equipment, or recording devices, which are expressly forbidden.  Any persons found attempting to enter the venues with forbidden item(s) will be refused access, or, at venue’s discretion, allowed to give up the forbidden item(s). Confiscated items will be destroyed or disposed of at venue’s discretion.
• Passholder assumes all risks of personal injury incidental to the event, whether occurring prior to, during, or after the event.
• The resale or attempted resale of passes/tickets/wristbands at a price higher than that appearing on the face of the pass/ticket is prohibited and if discovered will result in the ticket being voided without refund.
• The sale of unauthorized merchandise is not permitted.  Purchaser agrees he/she may be ejected from the event if found selling unauthorized merchandise.
• Passes may not be used for advertising, promotion (including contests and sweepstakes), or other trade purposes without the express written consent of Big Ears.
• Passholder consents to Big Ears and its affiliates’ use of his/her image or likeness incidental to any video display, transmission, recording, and/or other content captured at the event.

If you need more information or have additional questions, please contact us directly by emailing us at ourcommonnature(at)bigearsfestival(dot)org. Please note that any music submissions sent to this email will not receive a response.

Big Ears has partnered with Front Gate Tickets as its official ticketing provider. For any questions regarding your Front Gate order, please contact them here.