Our Common Nature

A special concert presentation featuring Yo-Yo Ma, Chris Thile, Rhiannon Giddens,

Edgar Meyer, and many more!

Friday, May 26
World’s Fair Park
Knoxville, TN

Big Ears and Yo-Yo Ma have partnered for an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime concert presentation at World’s Fair Park taking place Friday, May 26, 2023. The park will feature a carefully curated, multi-faceted ‘village’ featuring selection of food and craft vendors highlighting the Appalachian region.

Festivities and live entertainment will begin at 5:00p ET on the North Festival Lawn of World’s Fair Park. The site will be free and open to the public and feature food trucks, a selection of beer & wine, local and regional artisans and organizations along with musicians, storytellers, dancing and more. Live performances will end approximately 7:30p. We will share more details regarding featured artisans and organizations, along with live performance details over the coming weeks.

The headline event with Yo-Yo Ma & Friends will take place on the South Concert Lawn at World’s Fair Park, only a few hundred feet from the craft village and pre-performance entertainment. Doors for this performance will open at 7:00p ET and the show will begin at 8:00p ET, ending at 10:00p. The concert site will feature an additional selection of local and regional food vendors along with a selection of beer, wine, and other beverages.

Missed your chance to purchase a ticket? The North Festival Lawn will feature a large LED video screen where the Yo-Yo Ma & Friends performance will be simulcast free to the community from 8:00p – 10:00p.

More details along with site map will be shared over the coming weeks, so stay tuned via social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), our newsletter, or this website.

Schedule of Events

NORTH LAWN COMMUNITY VILLAGE STAGE (FREE)

5:00 p.m. – North Lawn Craft Village Opens and Live Entertainment Begins (North Lawn)

4:45-5:30 p.m. Evie Andrus Music (North Lawn)

5:30-6:00 p.m. Storytelling with Kelle Jolly (North Lawn)

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 Stage (Must Have Pass for Entry)

7:00 p.m. Performance Lawn Opens for Pass Holders

8:00 – 10:00 p.m. – Yo-Yo Ma & Friends Concert Begins

TICKETS

Yo-Yo Ma & Friends

Performance Lawn Map

Community Village

North Lawn Map

Venue

World’s Fair Park

The Tennessee Amphitheater was constructed during the 1982 World’s Fair. During that time, it was home to both country music and classical music concerts. The Sunsphere and the Tennessee Amphitheater are the only structures that remain from the 1982 World’s Fair. After the Fair’s close, the Amphitheater continued to be used for various activities until it was closed in 1998 for construction of the new Convention Center and renovation of the World’s Fair site. Once these projects were complete, the Amphitheater reopened briefly until it was closed again in 2002 due to structural problems. However, in 2005, Mayor Bill Haslam announced that the Sunsphere and Tennessee Amphitheater would be renovated for public use. In 2007 he announced that they would be renovated without use of taxpayer’s money. Later that year, the Sunsphere’s Observation Deck reopened to the public free of charge and Mayor Haslam held his Inaugural Address, for his second term in office in the Amphitheater. This was the first event to be held in the structure after being closed and empty for years.