Charley Crockett to Headline 2025 Southern Skies Music & Whiskey Festival
The fourth annual Rendition of the Southern Skies Music and Whiskey Festival is set for Saturday, May 10th, with headliner Charlie Crockett. The festival, held on the World’s Fair Park will include the Grammy-nominated Crocket along with the Dirty Guv’nahs, Willow Avalon, Devon Gilfillian, Southern Avenue, and Cruz Contreras & the Black Lillies.
Crockett has earned accolades from Rolling Stone, CMT and NPR for his Americana music that earned hims a nomination for ‘Best Americana Album’ at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards for his 2024 release, $10 Cowboy. From Grammy.com:
Crockett is part of a diverse and talented new generation of singer/songwriters who are steeped in country music’s oldest stylings and traditions, but telling stories of a modern America struggling with its identity. Their songs feel both timeless and strikingly original — defiantly of the moment.
From the press release, “Crockett will be joined by festival curators, The Dirty Guv’nahs, star-on-the-rise Willow Avalon, whose first full-length album drops this January, Nashville-based Devon Gilfillian, Southern Avenue, another Grammy-nominated act for “Best Contemporary Blues Album” hailing from Memphis, and local favorites Cruz Contreras & The Black Lillies.”
General Admission (Early Bird) tickets are $60, or attendees can purchase VIP (Early Bird) tickets for $155. The Tennessee Whiskey Experience, an add-on festival experience that was introduced (and sold out) in 2024, will return for the 2025 event. The Whiskey Experience (a $65 add-on) is a collaboration with the Tennessee Distillers Guild. Children 10 & under get free admission to the festival (with the exception of the VIP and Whiskey Experience areas). Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.
New in 2025: The official ‘Southern Skies Pre-Party & Performance’ with OneKnox Soccer Club will take place on Friday, May 9th at the brand new Covenant Health Park in the Old City. This event is a $10 add-on to any General Admission or VIP ticket purchase and provides access to the One Knox SC game on Friday, May 9th (time TBD) with a special musical performance at the end of the match (artist announcement coming soon).
Big Ears Announces Additional Artists
From the Press Release:
Beth Gibbons, the voice of trip-hop legends Portishead, making her North American solo debut and a new collaboration between Julien Baker & TORRES are just two of the exciting surprises topping the second wave of artist announces for Knoxville’s shapeshifting, multi-dimensional, and always unpredictable BIG EARS FESTIVAL, returning to Downtown Knoxville the weekend of March 27 – 30 for its 12th edition.
Other highlights include psychedelic country-soul blackgrass legend Swamp Dogg; GIFT, Eiko Ishibashi’s extraordinary collaboration with filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi; “26 Little Deaths,” composed and performed by Carla Kihlstedt (Sleepytime Gorilla Museum) and Present Music, in honor of the Centennial of legendary illustrator Edward Gorey; and much more.
Edsel Axle, more eaze, Thor Harris, Darian Donovan Thomas, Lia Kohl, along with William Tyler, Laraaji, Tucker Zimmerman, Merce Lemon, Mivos Quartet, Wendy Eisenberg, Arushi Jain, ganavya, Kramer, One Leg One Eye, Tall Tall Trees, round out this week’s announcement, some of whom were previously revealed in the festival’s twice-weekly newsletter.
The full line up of artists and programs can be found at bigearsfestival.org with new additions and details found each week in the festival’s newsletter.
Festival passes are on-sale now, and stay tuned for our December 3rd announcement of single-day lineups and passes.