With the spirit of this past weekend still resonating, we want to express our deepest thanks to everyone who made Big Ears 2026 so extraordinary — the artists, our incredible staff, the operations and production teams, the volunteers, supporters, donors, sponsors, collaborators, partners, cheerleaders, and co-conspirators. What you helped create this weekend was nothing short of magical.
We've heard from so many of you since the festival closed, and the messages have moved us deeply. The word we keep hearing is love — love for the music, love for this community, love for this city, and love for what it means to gather together in a moment when the world so badly needs it. More than one person told us that this Big Ears felt different. Special in a way that's hard to articulate but impossible to miss.
We think we know why. From the youngest artists on our stages to the most seasoned, the message this weekend felt singular and clear — that art is resistance, that showing up for one another matters, and that the simple act of sharing music and creativity in a room full of strangers is one of the most quietly radical things we can do.
That is what Big Ears has always been, and what this community makes it every single year.
Until then…
Keep practicing. Keep exploring. Keep showing up for each other.
The world needs you. The world wants your contribution.
With love and gratitude,
The Big Ears Team
