Recap

Top Performances of Pickathon 2026

Including a Portland cumbia group and Sam Cooke’s granddaughters.

08/11/2026 By Rebecca Jacobson

Advice Booth

8 Tips for Surviving and Thriving at Pickathon

First, shoes. Second, forget about catching every band. Third, baby wipes.

07/22/2026 By Rebecca Jacobson

Things to Do

The Best Shows and Events in Portland, July 2026

The Hollywood Theatre turns 100, Pride, Pickathon, and competitive fencing.

07/01/2026 By Rebecca Jacobson, Margaret Seiler, and Matthew Trueherz

in the woods

Can’t-Miss Bands Playing Pickathon 2025

The state’s most charmingly idiosyncratic music festival has an expectedly packed lineup. Also: chefs, authors, and sound baths await.

07/10/2025 By Matthew Trueherz

Farm Life

As Pickathon Grows, Its Music Lineup Doubles Down on Young Talent

The beloved festival runs a venue in Portland and just launched a nonprofit. But its heart remains the annual Happy Valley campout, stacked this year with Gen Zers.

07/26/2024 By Rebecca Jacobson

Uh-Oh

The End of Pickathon? Festival’s Permit Expires This Year

The music festival’s fate sits in the hands of a volunteer committee in Happy Valley. Will its permit be renewed?

08/04/2023 By Katherine Chew Hamilton

Music Festivals

Pickathon Is Back (and Vibier Than Ever) After a Three-Year Hiatus

The 10,000-person Happy Valley festival returns, and it’s bigger and weirder than ever.

08/04/2022 By Matthew Trueherz

Music

Pickathon Announces 2019 Lineup

Khruangbin, Nathaniel Rateliff, and Mandolin Orange are headed to Happy Valley this summer.

01/21/2019 By Rebecca Jacobson

Music

20 Reasons to Check Out Pickathon on Its 20-Year Anniversary

2018 marks the legendary music fest’s 20th birthday, and it’s as alive and kickin’ as ever.

08/01/2018 By Sam Pape

Spoken Word

Poets at Pickathon? We're In.

Shayla Lawson may be best known as a poet, but that doesn’t mean she can’t play a music festival.

08/02/2017 By Bryanna Briley

The Essentials

12 Portland Shows, Events, and Pure-Genius Things to Know This August

See a different kind of eclipse, get your family heirlooms assessed at the Antiques Roadshow, and belt tunes from the Revolution Hall roof.

07/10/2017 By Rebecca Jacobson and Fiona McCann

Music

Charles Bradley, Dinosaur Jr., and Drive-By Truckers Are Pickathon Bound

The annual Happy Valley hoedown has announced its initial lineup of 42 international and local acts.

01/19/2017 By Lauren Kershner

MUSIC

Pickathon 2016: The Music, the Magic, the Photos to Prove It

Our Pickathon weekend in pictures.

08/10/2016 By Portland Monthly Staff

PoMo Picks

Top Things to Do This Weekend: Aug 4–7

Aerialists spinning from the trees. Pink Martini crooning at the zoo. Coney Island photography in the Pearl. Pirouettes (and prima donnas, and Pee-wee, and Prospero) at the park. Ahoy, August.

08/04/2016 By Rebecca Jacobson and Lisa Dunn

Music

Your Day-by-Day Pickathon Guide

The annually awesome Pendarvis Farm festival returns with a kick-ass lineup on six stages. We've combed through a packed schedule for musical highlights.

08/02/2016 By Portland Monthly Arts Team

Restaurant and Bar Updates

PREAM, Muselet, and the Bent Brick Call It Quits, Plus More PDX Food News

… including a flashy Ava Gene’s acquisition and Pickathon’s new dinner series.

07/18/2016 By Michelle Porter

CULTURE CALL SHEET

The Latest in Portland Arts News—Powell's Expands on Hawthorne

Plus: Portland Art Museum promises Warhol and Rodin, and Pickathon starts the party.

01/14/2016 By Fiona McCann

MUSIC FESTIVAL

Recapping Pickathon 2015—in Photos!

From a soulful Leon Bridges to Sinkane's sweaty psychadelia; from tUnE-yArDs' heart-pounding hypnotism to JD McPerson's retro rockabilly, Pickathon filled our ears, souls—and bellies—with delights. And we've got the pics to prove it.

08/03/2015 Photography by Brendan Duggan, Amy Martin, Andrea Tomasi, and Samuel Hunt By Benjamin Tepler and Allison Jones

ARCHITECTURE

PSU Students Designed this Awesome Pickathon Stage

A totally tubular backdrop reuses massive industrial materials.

07/31/2015 By Rachel Sandstrom

FESTIVALS

The Ultimate Pickathon 2015 Playlist

Eighteen hours of music, 271 songs: That’s our Pickathon playlist to get you tuned up for the annual festival.

07/27/2015 By Fiona McCann With Allison Jones