Search 
Pickathon Music Festival
Camp out and enjoy all kinds of music in a unique, verdant venue.
Know Before You Go
Note: The 2021 festival has been postponed until 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic. For the latest information, please visit the Pickathon website.
For music fans and performers alike, Pickathon Music Festival feels like heaven. Every August since 1999, this annual gathering of artists and audiences at Pendarvis Farm has celebrated the summer with music and revelry.
Bands at Pickathon
The three-day festival on 80 acres just outside Portland attracts a range of indie, rock and rap artists as well as the bluegrass troupes that gave the event its name.
Pickathon’s lineup is geared toward new music discovery; don’t worry if you haven’t heard of most of the artists — that’s half of the fun! The festival always releases a Spotify playlist so you can hear participating acts beforehand. And once you’re at the fest, Pickathon makes it easy to see all the artists you want. Each act performs two times over the course of the weekend at two different venues.
Camping at Pickathon
Attendees can choose between day tickets or weekend passes, which include camping at Pendarvis Farm. If you choose to camp (highly recommended!), you have a few options. With car camping weekend parking tickets, you can set up your tent right next to your car. RV camping is also available, as are a couple of “glamping” options that include tent and gear rental. Finally, general camping is available in the woods uphill from the main festival grounds. Because the ground is sloped, hammocks are a popular option.
Food at Pickathon
You can bring your own food to Pickathon (no outside alcohol), but with so many great local dining options, you certainly don’t need to. Each year, the fest features around a dozen food carts, most from Portland, serving a wide range of eats, from healthier options like salads and smoothies to festival favorites like biscuit sandwiches and pizza.
Attendees can tantalize their taste buds as well as their ears at the Pickathon Curation Series, a limited-seating dining experience that features multi-course meals prepared by lauded Portland chefs. Every meal is followed by intimate, special-guest musical performances from Pickathon artists. Check out the Pickathon Curation Series videos (sponsored by Travel Portland) for a taste of the magic.
Sustainability at Pickathon
In addition to an earful of tunes, the acclaimed festival is also sustainable summer fun. Eco-friendly transport makes getting to the event both convenient and good for the environment. In 2011, Pickathon became the first large outdoor music festival in the U.S. to eliminate single-use plates, cups and utensils, and each year promises to be even greener.
In practice, this means that you can bring your own cup (for the plentiful, free drinking water and tasty local beverages) and dishes and wash them on-site. Or do as most attendees do and purchase a stainless steel cup and a dish token. The token gets you a clean, reusable dish and utensils at any food vendor, and at the end of the festival, you can take them home as souvenirs of this unforgettable festival.
Summer Concerts
Upcoming Music Picks
Piano Push Play
Piano Push Play invites local artists to transform old, donated pianos into whimsical works of art which are distributed across the city.
My People’s Market
A Diverse Marketplace of Multicultural Vendors My People’s Market is back in real life. Join us Friday-Sunday, August 6, 7, and 8 on the North Park Blocks in downtown Portland, for a market experience that only the MPM crew can deliver. Be immersed in the vibrancy Portland has to offer at My People’s Market. Connect…
My People’s Market
My People’s Market showcases local entrepreneurs and makers of color, connecting them with industry professionals and consumers.
Vanport Jazz Festival
The Vanport Jazz Festival is scheduled to return Aug. 7, 2021. See website for details. The Vanport Jazz Festival honors the city of Vanport and the voices who formed Portland’s jazz community. Near the site of the historic 1948 flood, the event transforms Colwood Golf Course into a cultural revival, welcoming nationally renowned artists and…
Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn
With acts that have ranged from Al Green to ZZ Top, McMenamins Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn are an annual rite of summer and the hottest ticket in town.
Montavilla Jazz Festival
Montavilla Jazz Festival (MJF) is a two-day festival that showcases the very best in Portland jazz. While other festivals focus on international acts, legacy heavy hitters, or mainstream jazz, MJF instead supports and strengthens local culture by highlighting emerging and established artists from Portland’s eclectic and vibrant jazz scene. Taking place annually, MJF offers Portlanders…
Portland Hip Hop Week
Portland Hip Hop Day was founded in 2015 as a result of a collaborative effort to address concerns and conflicts between the Portland Hip Hop scene and various agencies representing the City of Portland. As the result of continued relationship building and successful annual events between the city and the Hip Hop community, in 2019…
El Grito
El Grito Fiestas Patrias celebrates the independence of Mexico and other Latin American countries from Spain. As the Mexican President presents the nation’s traditional El Grito in Mexico City, so too will Portland commemorates Mexico’s independence at the Moda Center/Rose Quarter Commons. Join in the most important holiday celebrated by the Hispanic community in Oregon….
Oregon Symphony Presents Comfort and Joy: A Classical Christmas
Join the Oregon Symphony for an evening of good cheer with seasonal classics, a very merry sing-along and a jubilant celebration sure to put you and yours in the finest of Yuletide spirits.
Gospel Christmas
Celebrate the joy of the season at the Gospel Christmas. Presented by the Oregon Symphony. This tradition just gets bigger and better, year after year. Clap your hands and stomp your feet along with the region’s premier gospel singers and the Oregon Symphony at this beloved annual concert.
Portland Folk Festival
After taking 2021 off, the Portland Folk Festival is coming back strong in 2022 with not two, but THREE days of an all-ages celebration of Folk and American music at the historic Crystal Ballroom. This carefully curated lineup will highlight some of the best folk and Americana acts that the West Coast has to offer….
RX Fest
Music is medicine. RX Fest is a multi-venue, multi-day festival is a large-scale benefit for organizations vital to our community, all centrally located in downtown Portland at Star Theater, Dante’s, Kelly’s Olympian and Valentine’s.
Was this page helpful?