Pickathon 2025
Pickathon: The Magic of 25 Years of Music, Place & Purpose
As Pickathon marks its 25th anniversary from July 31 to August 3, 2025, Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley transforms into an immersive, community-shaped celebration of music, art, and sustainability. For a quarter-century, Pickathon has served as both a launchpad for emerging talent and a sanctuary for genre‑defying legends. This year’s lineup is both a nod to the past and a reach toward the future, interwoven with thoughtful programming—from wellness and comedy to neighborhood architecture and intentional community vision.
[Get Pickathon Tickets HERE]Headliners & Deep Discovery
At the top of this year’s bill are Portugal. The Man, Taj Mahal, Fruit Bats, Greensky Bluegrass, Haley Heynderickx, Reyna Tropical, Ocie Elliott, and Surprise Chef—artists whose lived-in sounds and authentic energy embody Pickathon’s spirit.
These established acts coexist with a wide array of breakthrough artists. Each performer plays at least two unique sets, ensuring repeated musical moments and unexpected collisions. Among the highlights:
- Cory Hanson, known for rich psychedelic songwriting and expressive, shape-shifting performances.
- Being Dead, whose ambient folk-rock creates melancholic soundscapes that shimmer and sigh.
- Colby T. Helms & the Virginia Creepers, offering honky-tonk fervor and indie-country heart.
- Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek, blending Anatolian folk textures with improvisational jazz.
- Rosali, the Portland-based rising star whose soulful indie pop feels intimate and cinematic.
- Jimetta Rose & The Voices of Creation, a dynamic gospel–jazz choir whose expansive choral energy is unforgettable.
- DUMMY, bringing psych-minded indie. Their recent album Free Energy blends toothsome synth-pop, noise, ambient and dance rhythms, built on playful hooks and dynamic textures.
- Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, carrying the torch of spiritual Chicago jazz through burns of percussion and deep groove.
- Emily Nenni, Hannah Cohen, Improvement Movement, Jourdan Thibodeaux et les Rôdailleurs, SML, The Cactus Blossoms, and many more reflect Pickathon’s depth of curation.
See These Artists At Least Once
Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek
The Turkish folk-jazz ensemble infuses Anatolian tradition with inventive improvisation—rich percussion, wild horns, and songs that journey across time and geography.
Jimetta Rose & The Voices of Creation
A choir ensemble combining gospel, soul and jazz into joyous, shrine-like performance will having you praising the trees at the Woods stage.
Rosali
Portland’s rising genre-fluid songwriter welds indie pop, soul, and experimental textures into emotionally potent songs. Expect electrifying intimacy.
Colby T. Helms & the Virginia Creepers
A hometown treasure delivering raw, honky‑tonk truth with swaggering indie-country flair and lyrical storytelling.
Cory Hanson
Wands don’t create themselves. Hanson’s psych‑tinged songwriting balances experimental edge and melodic clarity.
Ethnic Heritage Ensemble
Masters of spiritual jazz groove, combining rhythm and chant with tradition-fueled improvisation and danceable pulse.
The Art of Place & Architecture
This year introduces the newly built Paddock Neighborhood, a timber-lined meadow amphitheater designed by ZGF Architects—with open views to Mount Hood, breathable sun shading, and sustainably milled materials sourced entirely from the Northwest.
With 15 neighborhood spaces on the farm—Cherry Hill (formerly Treeline), Woods, Meadow, Grove, Galaxy, Refuge, Lucky Barn, Windmill, and more—each becomes a curated micro-world. They combine performance, wellness, family, art and architecture into an all‑day experience that feels handcrafted and interconnected.
The festival’s nonprofit arm, Creative Neighborhoods, now pursues year-round stewardship of Pendarvis Farm as a Cultural & Conservation District—deepening Pickathon’s roots beyond just one weekend.
More Than Music: Wellness, Comedy & Vinyl Grooves
Wellness & The Refuge
Mornings begin with forest yoga led by long-time instructor Pamela Sery and team members Karli Janine Erickson & Danny Mezza. Sound baths, plant meditations, somatic breathwork, nature weaving, cacao ceremonies, and sound healing—The Refuge is both restful sanctuary and creative oasis. Morning hikes to Scouter Mountain, forest bathing, and mindful recovery groups round out the daily offerings.
Laughs in the Lucky Barn
Always a Pickathon tradition, comedy returns with the delightfully sassy host Amy Miller and acts like Simon Gibson, Ricci Armani, Katie Nguyen, and Portland’s own rising star Ikes. Two showcases — Friday & Saturday, 7:30‑9 PM — will be your opportunity to catch some craft laughs.
Vinyl DJ Sessions & Dancefloors
Curated by local legendary DJ Stonebunny (Rachel Good), Pickathon’s 2025 DJ lineup spans rare global grooves, soul 45s, Latin funk, reggae, country cuts, psych and beyond. New DJs like Honest John, DJ Dentside, Impact Sound join returning favorites such as DJ Papi Fimbres, Rescue, disco diablo, Greg Vandy, Wayward Girls Soul Club and Maaxa & Serene. Sponsored by Daydream, the vinyl collection spins across all five DJ neighborhoods, day and night.
Sustainability, Access & Stewardship
Pickathon continues to lead in environmental innovation: fully eliminating single-use plastics, deploying hydrogen-powered zero-emission generators, solar charging stations, and under-forest shower/water systems built from cedar.
Local access remains paramount: nearby residents can request a complimentary day pass, and carpooling, biking, and shuttle usage are encouraged. The festival intentionally caps attendance to preserve intimacy and environmental balance.
Creative Neighborhoods is evolving beyond festival weekends—year-round placemaking, mentorship, conservation, and public art initiatives position Pendarvis Farm as an iconic cultural touchpoint.
Planning Your Experience
- Catch your artists twice, but consider a third for a belly filling bonus—order tickets early for the exclusive Curation Dinner Series (with about 100 new and old friends) where you can choose one five artists paired with a top chef for an intimate acoustic set.
- Navigating neighborhoods: Cherry Hill, Woods, Paddock, Grove, Meadow, Lucky, Galaxy, Windmill—each has its own architecture, visual identity, food, wellness or art features. Map ahead using Pickathon’s neighborhood visual guide.
- Start early with wellness: do yoga or a forest hike before diving into music. Use the Refuge for mid-day resets or massages.
- Come prepared for weather shifts: forests offer shade; open meadows get sun. Water up, layer clothes, and pace your hydration thanks to solar-powered refill stations.
Let’s Folking Go
Pickathon is no mere music and arts festival. Pickathon is a living organism crafted over 25 years. With its manicured neighborhood architecture, deeply attuned lineup, holistic programming, and climate-forward practices, it stands apart as America’s most intentional indie festival. From Jimetta Rose’s choir power to DUMMY’s ambient dance-pop, from yoga in the refuge to late-night DJs beneath the trees—it’s a four-day collage of artistry, laughter, rhythm and magic.
Tickets are already moving fast: Tier 2 pricing ends soon. Block off your calendar for July 31 to August 3 this year (and every year), gather your friends, and step into a world where music, design, sustainability, and community converge. Let’s celebrate the next 25 years of Pickathon together.
Get your Pickathon 2025 tix here now.
Wanna volunteer for a ticket? More info here.
