Pickathon Music Festival 2025: (Still) Oregon's Best Kept Secret

Nils The Music Director
Aug 5
4 min read

For their 25th year, Pickathon Music Festival has transformed Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, OR (~16 miles from Portland) into a family friendly oasis for music fans. This was my 3rd year at Pickathon and it feels more like home every time I attend. This is a music festival focused on discovery across all genres and from all over the world. It's the kind of festival where you could attend without knowing any of the lineup and still have one of the best weekends of music you'll experience all year. Pickathon themselves explain it best: "For 25 years, we’ve launched icons like Sturgill Simpson, Khruangbin, Big Thief, and Leon Bridges long before anyone else. We find the artists you’ll follow for life.

But a ticket isn't just for a band; it's for a world that will never exist again. Forget dusty fields. For four days only, visionary creators transform Pendarvis Farm into a landscape of architectural masterpieces and hidden spaces, built for exploration, not crowds.

This is a summer camp for the soul."

Across 7 main stages (and a few others that are secret if you're lucky enough to have the right credentials to get to them), you'll get a new experience at each locating. From the main stage "Paddock" stage with a perfect view of Mt. Hood, to the "Woods" stage which is hands down the coolest festival stage I've ever experienced, to the "Galaxy Barn" that gives attendees a more venue-like experience, there's never a dull moment on the farm. Not only is there a carefully curated lineup and schedule across the 4 day fest, there's a LOT more beyond that. They have vinyl only DJs playing throughout the grounds to keep the party going, there's "The Refuge" with sound baths and meditation, there's a whole area that's just for kids with free instruments to play with, a treehouse, a stage for aspiring teens to perform and so much more.

One of the best things about Pickathon is their dedication to sustainability with their stainless steel cup requirements (purchasable at each drink tent) and their dish token program. For most of the (all local!) food vendors, you'll need a camping-ready bowl, which is purchasable on the festival grounds and is re-usable for the entire festival. You can either wash it yourself when you're done at the dish station, or you can exchange it for a wooden dish token so you don't have to lug your bowl around until the next meal.

It's hard to really express how special of a festival this is unless you also attend. Every bit of the festival has small touches that couldn't happen without the dedicated team behind Pickathon and the army of volunteers that exchange their time for a festival pass. One thing I highly recommend is camping in the woods in the "Wild Camp". Fully dispersed and seemingly endless, this is the best way to experience Pickathon. Just be aware that a lot of the best spots get snagged up by Thursday arrivals (a separate ticket) so the earlier you arrive, the better!

I unfortunately wasn't able to attend Sunday, which was a huge bummer but I still saw an incredible amount of acts Friday and Saturday. One thing that is incredible about Pickathon is that almost all of the lineup plays two sets across the festival. So, if you have a scheduling conflict, you can find their second set and have another chance at catching them! Or, you loved one show so much and can't wait to see them again? Lucky you, now you can see them again and make sure all of your friends don't miss the set you keep raving about.

As always, some of the best acts I saw were at the "Woods" stage. It's a special stage that is magical and brings the most out of every act that graces the woven branch adorned stage just a short hike into the wooded area on Pendarvis Farm. Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek from Germany brought Psychedelic Turkish sounds to the Friday night crowd and had us all entranced. Shortly after, DJ Oscurita spun some international sounds that had a lot of the crowd waiting for Haley Heynderickx tearing up the wooded dancefloor. Speaking of Haley, she brought one of the most beautiful sets of the entire festival, which I'm sure was enhanced by Pickathon being this Portland native's favorite music festival and place in the world.

Seeing SML was also a treat on the "Cherry Hill" stage. They're a Los Angeles jazz quintet that brings together synth, bass, percussion, sax, and guitar for a fully improvised hour of music. They're a supergroup of sorts, with you getting the opportunity to see some members perform solo throughout the festival as well like Anna Butters and Josh Johnson. Melbourne's Surprise Chef were another treat, with their signature cinematic psychedelic soul sound playing late into the night. Dummy (also from L.A.) were another crowd favorite with their lush and dreamy Stereolab-esque sounds. Reyna Tropical brought her Colombian, Peruvian, and Mexican inspired sounds, where you can tell the music literally flows through her.

Pickathon is also heavily represented by folk, bluegrass and soul, which I regret not attending more of, but what I saw was beautiful and incredible. Humbird, The Cactus Blossoms, Thee Heart Tones, Dougie Poole, and Chris Acker were some other favorites. The late Michael Hurley was originally on the lineup, but we lost him earlier this year. Pickathon came through with a Michael Hurley tribute show to this special and important freak folk musician, which I regret not attending.

It's hard to believe that Pickathon has been happening for TWENTY FIVE YEARS and hopefully, it happens for another twenty five. This truly is a special event, at a special venue and it's something that any music fan should experience. It's carefully curated, sustainable, family friendly, and something that every music festival should aspire to be.

See you in 2026 Pickathon!