(Photo courtesy of Pickathon)
For 25 years, Pickathon has been one of America’s most acclaimed discovery engines for music, a legendary launching pad for future icons like Tyler Childers, Billy Strings, Khruangbin and Lake Street Dive. But that same spirit of discovery now fuels a revolutionary new vision.
Powered by its nonprofit partner, Creative Neighborhoods, Pickathon is pioneering a national model for community impact that leverages the energy of a music festival to build a better future. This powerful “cycle of good” is the next major milestone in Pickathon’s long history as a leader in sustainability. As the first American music festival to eliminate single-use plastics and introduce a reusable dishware system over a decade ago, Pickathon has consistently pushed the boundaries of what a festival can be. This new model for ephemeral architecture redefines sustainability once again — it’s not just about minimizing waste, but about maximizing positive community impact through three core principles:
A Dream Playground of World-Class Design:
The cycle begins by pushing the boundaries of design. Each year, a four-day city of more than two dozen unique architectural “neighborhoods” rises from the farm. This is a dream playground where legendary talent creates stunning, nature-based environments. This year’s city features, among many other stunning installations, the pulsating Timbre Grove, a collaboration between design lead ZGF Architects and build lead Hoffman Construction; the colossal, inhabitable peaks of the Mountains of Sound, from design lead West of West Architecture and build lead Turner Construction; and the futuristic, interlocking frames of the Fractal Forest, a partnership between Scott Edwards Architects and Bremik Construction.
An Engine for Careers and Community Missions:
The festival is a real-world classroom designed to empower people and accelerate partner missions. A few powerful examples of this in action include:
- Incubating talent through the partnership with the PSU School of Architecture, a world-renowned program that has become a direct pipeline for building careers.
- Providing hands-on experience for skilled volunteers with groups like the Guild of Oregon Woodworkers on complex and creative large-scale builds.
- Accelerating nonprofit missions by providing a “Super Bowl-like” platform for partners like Friends of Noise to train teen sound engineers on a massive stage.
A Tangible Legacy of Community Assets:
The cycle completes when the festival’s ephemeral architecture is transformed into a lasting legacy. While every neighborhood structure is repurposed to serve the community, notable past and present projects include:
- A historical project that turned a past stage into a village of tiny homes for veterans, designed and built by PSU students.
- This year, the timber framework of the Diversion stage will become an outdoor classroom for Portland State University.
- Vendor booths from the AfroVillage Oasis will be transformed into a greenhouse for a community garden, supporting local food security.
Pickathon is more than a festival; it’s a movement proving that culture can create profound and lasting change.
To explore all of the 2025 Creative Neighborhoods and see how each team is meeting these core principles, visit pickathon.com/2025/07/the-festival-built-to-be-given-away.
The 25th annual Pickathon festival takes place July 31-August 3, 2025. To experience this magic firsthand and become part of the legacy, purchase your tickets now at Pickathon.com.
About Pickathon:
Pickathon returns July 31-August 3, 2025, to Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Oregon. Forget what you know about music festivals. For 25 years, Pickathon has been a different kind of summer adventure, transforming a wooded farm outside Portland into an immersive, nature-based cultural metropolis. The festival features handcrafted stages dreamed up by visionary artists and architects, distinct explorable neighborhoods filled with music, art and community, and a deep commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. Set against Oregon’s stunning natural beauty, Pickathon is more than a lineup — it’s an internationally recognized experience designed for discovery, connection and pure joy.