Pickathon Music Festival
DatesAugust 3–6
Location(s)Pendarvis Farm (Happy Valley, OR)
Coordinates45.440480, −122.492902
Years active1999–2019, 2022–present
Attendance5000 paid attendees a day
Websitehttps://pickathon.com/
Woods Stage at Pickathon 2022

Pickathon is an annual four-day music festival located just outside Portland, Oregon on Pendarvis Farm.[1][2] Occurring every first weekend in August, the festival hosts notable artists from a wide mix of genres including indie, rock, rap, folk, jazz, rhythm and blues, and bluegrass.[1] In 2023 Pickathon was cited as "the best Indie Festival in the Country"[3]

Pendarvis Farm Festival Grounds

Pickathon’s venues are not man-made stages placed in hot open fields or parking lots like the standard practice of many large music festivals.[4]

Instead, Pickathon's venues are embedded in the scenic forests,[5] meadows,[6] and farm buildings[7] of Pendarvis Farm. Each unique natural setting becomes a festival “Neighborhood” where music, arts, and culture[8] are integrated into the landscape and are utilized based on the time of day to keep people out of the sun.

Festival Experience

Every large and small facet of Pickathon is conceptualized as a deeply immersive experience to make people happy, relaxed, and content .[3][9][10]

What Makes Pickathon Different From Other Major US Music Festivals?

  • Pickathon is a discovery festival[11] featuring the rising stars and deep cuts across a diverse mix of genres.
  • Pickathon limits attendance far below capacity.[12]
  • Pickathon's seven venues are embedded in the forests, hills, meadows, and farm buildings of Pendarvis Farm.[6][13]
  • Pickathon rotates venues based on the time of day to keep everyone in natural shade.
  • Artists play twice in two different venues.
  • Pickathon is a zero-waste festival with almost no trash.[14]
  • Onsite tent camping is free with a weekend ticket.
  • Pickathon's food and beverage lineup represents the PNW culinary scene.[15]
  • Pickathon has a mind and body wellness focus.[16]
  • You can feel safe and supported to bring kids of any age.[17]
  • Water is free and abundant.

Sustainability

Over the years, Pickathon has gained notability for a number of festival sustainable practices.[14][18] It offers eco-friendly transportation[19] and encourages biking to the festival [20] During 2010–11, Pickathon successfully eliminated all plastic and single use dishware, the first large U.S. festival to do so.[21] Patrons are expected to bring tableware from home or exchange with a vendor at each meal through tokens purchased on site. Dishes and utensils procured through this system are to be kept afterwards. Pickathon also uses its own solar energy, sustainable fuel, and in 2023 was the first festival to use a zero emission hydrogen generator[22] to power a stage. Additionally, groups of volunteer recycling and composting teams work throughout the festiv Pickathon has promised to work towards more sustainable options in the future.[23]

History

Avett Brothers performing at Pickathon 2006
Warpaint performing at Pickathon 2014

Pickathon started in 1999 as a fundraiser for the FM radio station, KBOO.[24] The first venue was Horning's Hideout, a private park in North Plains, Oregon.[24] The first Pickathon only managed to host around 90 people, including performers.[24] Attendance stayed relatively low until 2004 with attendance reaching the low hundreds.[24] Pickathon's founder, Zale Schoenborn, suggested it took "a miracle for the festival to survive through those rough first years".[24]

In 2005, Horning's Hideout backed out two months before the 7th annual event was scheduled.[25][24] Festival organizers found a replacement property named Pudding River in Woodburn, Oregon.[26][24] This was the first year with both running water and electricity.[24]

In 2006, Pickathon relocated once again to Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Oregon.[24] This has remained the location since.[27][24]

In an effort to become more environmentally friendly, Pickathon eliminated all plastic tableware in 2011.[1]

Pickathon was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[28] Past recordings were livestreamed via the Pickathon YouTube page in a series called "A Concert A Day" in an effort to support musicians during the pandemic.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Pickathon Music Festival". Travel Portland. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  2. ↑ "Pendarvis Farm · 16581 SE Hagen Rd, Happy Valley, OR 97086". Pendarvis Farm · 16581 SE Hagen Rd, Happy Valley, OR 97086. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  3. 1 2 "Pickathon Showed Why It's the Best Indie Festival in the Country". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  4. ↑ likelovedo (2023-07-12). "How to Survive a Festival in the Sun". Like Love Do. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  5. ↑ Tyler Childers - Watch A Concert A Day #WithMe #StayHome #Discover #Indie #Country #Live #Music, retrieved 2023-11-07
  6. 1 2 "Pickathon features elegant new stage created by PSU architecture students | Portland State University". www.pdx.edu. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  7. ↑ Thee Oh Sees - Plastic Plant - Galaxy Barn @Pickathon 2016 S04E11, retrieved 2023-11-07
  8. ↑ "Music, Arts, & Culture Lineups Guide!". Pickathon. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  9. ↑ Farley, Donovan (2016-08-27). "Welcome to Pickathon, America's Wild Festival Paradise". Vice. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  10. ↑ "Inside the world's most hipster festival". The Independent. 2017-09-08. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  11. ↑ Ferguson, Neil (2023-08-08). "Mikaela Davis, MJ Lenderman, Butcher Brown, GA-20 & Wednesday Impress At Pickathon 2023 (FESTIVAL REVIEW/PHOTOS)". Glide Magazine. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  12. ↑ "What hedge funds share with rock'n'roll festivals". Reuters. 2012-08-03. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  13. ↑ "Pickathon Music Festival". communitecture ARCHITECTURE | PLANNING | DESIGN. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  14. 1 2 Roberts, David (2013-06-20). "Can a music festival be sustainable? Pickathon is finding out". Grist. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  15. ↑ "Chefs and Musicians Share the Stage at Pickathon". Portland Monthly. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  16. ↑ "Wellness at Pickathon 2022: Yoga, Sound Baths, DIY Aromatherapy, and More!". EverOut Portland. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  17. ↑ "Pickathon is for the Whole Family - PDX Parent". pdxparent.com/. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  18. ↑ "How 'diversion architecture' will make outdoor concert festivals more sustainable". Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building | Green design & innovation for a better world. 2016-05-20. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  19. ↑ "Guide to Getting to Pickathon". Pickathon. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  20. ↑ "Going to Pickathon? Here's How to Pedal There". Bridgeliner. 2021-07-14. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  21. ↑ Alexander, Gemma (2018-10-15). "Pick Sustainable Music Festivals". Earth911. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  22. ↑ Young, Clive (2023-07-31). "Oregon Festival to Power Stages with Hydrogen". Mixonline. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  23. ↑ "Zero Waste Festival?". Pickathon. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Matthew Singer (3 August 2016). "How Pickathon Became Portland's Biggest Little Music Festival". Willamette Week. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  25. ↑ Busse, Phil. "Let The Shows Go On!". Portland Mercury. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  26. ↑ "Pickathon at Pudding River". Jambands. 2005-07-26. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  27. ↑ "Info". Pickathon LLC. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  28. ↑ Gormley, Shannon (19 June 2021). "Pickathon Is Canceled for the Second Summer in a Row". Willamette Week. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
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