KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Big Ears Festival is back in Knoxville and the crowds are bigger than they were before.
The energy in Knoxville vibrated with music, concerts and events. Ashley Capps, the founder of Big Ears Festival, said it's the biggest crowd they've ever had.
Capps said this year they used the Knoxville Civic Auditorium and a couple of other venues to increase capacity. More than 7,000 people have been attending the Big Ears events, according to Capps. He said this number doesn't include the attendees at the free events.
"We have people here visiting us from literally all over the country and all over the world," Capps said. "So we've got 50% more people than we had last year, which was a sellout."
Big Ears started in 2009 and the founder said this year is the festival's 10 year anniversary.
"My favorite part of the festival, in many ways, is how the community just comes together," Capps said.
In the heart of downtown Knoxville, artists sat in the middle of Market Square and drew on concrete.
Downtown Knoxville was filled with things for people to do. From drawing at the Market Square to attending a concert at the Standard to the Tennessee Theater, the weekend had something for everyone.
Kim Bumpas, the president of Visit Knoxville said events help the local economy.
"Big Ears, every single year, continues to grow and I think this year is one of the biggest yet," Bumpas said. "People come to visit and then they go back home so that helps us save taxes when we pay them out as Knoxvillians."
The founder of Big Ears has a vision: to continue to grow the festival and wants to explore new concepts.
Capps said they're already started booking for the next one next year.
"My vision for the future is to continue to grow the festival not necessarily in size, but in terms of what it represents without losing the thread that makes it special," Capps said. "We bring the world to Knoxville, but we share Knoxville with the world."