Knoxville's Big Ears Music Festival has been canceled due to concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Tennessee.
The event had been scheduled for March 26 through March 29.
Organizers said they had been optimistic about the festival being able to go on a few days ago, but said the spread of the virus this week forced the decision.
"This has been a tough decision. Not only is the principle that “the show must go on” woven into our DNA, but the impact of this cancellation on the community that makes Big Ears possible — the artists, the festival attendees, our staff and production teams, and the Knoxville community with all of its businesses and workers — cannot be overstated," Founder Ashley Capps said.
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Big Ears will be offering refunds for all tickets purchased from the authorized vendor, Front Gate. It said it will be emailing ticket holders in two days about the process on how to secure a refund.
At the moment, Capps said it is too early to say if they can reschedule the festival sometime later in 2020.
"These are difficult times. We urge you to stay healthy and do whatever you can to help one another and to make this a better world. We’re counting on you," she said.