Pickathon
Pickathon is a privately held Oregon company that produces an annual immersive, multi-day music festival at Pendarvis Farm, drawing regional attendees with curated lineups, themed neighborhoods, camping tiers, and culinary and wellness programming under its "Creative Neighborhoods" initiative.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersPortland, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Pickathon does
Pickathon is a privately held music festival company (Pickathon LLC, Oregon-domiciled) that has produced an annual immersive, multi-day music festival at Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Oregon since 1998. The festival runs five days (July 30 – August 2 in 2026) across more than 20 themed "neighborhoods" — including multiple stages (Woods, Paddock, Cherry Hill, Grove, Windmill, Galaxy Barn, Lucky), culinary programming (Curation), wellness (The Refuge), literary (LIT Sunday), and family (Coyote) zones — set within a 40+ acre Pacific Northwest forest that also offers five distinct camping tiers (Wild, Willow, South, Lush, Welcome Lot). The company sells tickets direct-to-consumer through its website and is known for a 25+ year track record of artist discovery, having featured acts such as Khruangbin, Big Thief, and Billy Strings prior to mainstream success.
The core product is built around a "Creative Neighborhoods" initiative in which over two dozen design teams annually transform the venue into a temporary city of immersive installations that emphasize 100% re-use structures. Pickathon's underlying technology footprint is limited to standard web and social properties (website, email newsletter, ticketing, and social platforms including Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Spotify, iTunes, Tumblr, and YouTube); no proprietary technology platform, AI capability, or mobile app is disclosed.
Pickathon's revenue model rests on three streams: (1) one-time ticket sales for single-day and weekend passes, with weekend passes including complimentary tent camping and Curation dinners sold as a separate premium tier limited to roughly 100 guests per event; (2) transaction fees / commissions from on-site food and beverage vendors; and (3) transaction fees / sponsorships from a curated portfolio of beverage partners including Deschutes Brewery, Baumans Cider, Maloof Wines, Rubato, Dominio IV, and Wilderton Non-Alcoholic Botanical Spirits. Customer acquisition is driven by organic content marketing (artist announcements, neighborhood reveals), an email newsletter, social media, and earned media around the festival's discovery reputation. The company is independently operated by its founders with no disclosed institutional investment, parent company, or M&A activity.
Pickathon firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pickathon
- Legal name
- Pickathon LLC
- Website
- https://pickathon.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Pickathon is a privately held Oregon company that produces an annual immersive, multi-day music festival at Pendarvis Farm, drawing regional attendees with curated lineups, themed neighborhoods, camping tiers, and culinary and wellness programming under its "Creative Neighborhoods" initiative.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pickathon industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Music Festival Events
- NAICS
- Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Seasonal & Pop-Up Campsites (Event/Harvest/Temporary) (THAGAOAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Festival, Fair & Event Mobile Concessions (THAFAHAI)
Keywords
Where Pickathon is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Pickathon business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Weekend passes and single day tickets to the annual music festival. Weekend passes include complimentary tent camping in 40+ acres of PNW forest. Additional ticket tiers for Curation dining experiences.
- Food & Beverage Vendor Commissions: The festival hosts numerous food trucks, restaurants, and culinary creators bringing Pacific Northwest flavors. Curation events pair chefs with performing artists for exclusive dining experiences limited to 100 guests each.
- Beverage Partnerships: Partnerships with regional breweries, wineries, cideries, and spirits brands featured at the festival including Deschutes Brewery, Baumans Cider, Maloof Wines, Rubato, Dominio IV, and Wilderton Non-Alcoholic Botanical Spirits.
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Pickathon product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pickathon produces an annual, five-day immersive music festival at Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Oregon, selling weekend and single-day passes that include tent camping across 40+ acres. Its offering combines hand-curated artist lineups across multiple stages, rotating Creative Neighborhoods design installations, on-site food and beverage vendors, intimate chef-artist Curation dining events, wellness programming, and camping tiers for cars, vans, RVs, and tents.
Product overview
Pickathon is a multi-day immersive music festival held annually at Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Oregon. The festival features a hand-curated lineup of musical artists across multiple stages and neighborhoods, including the Curation culinary experience, various camping options (Willow Camp, Wild Camp, South Camp, Lush Camp), wellness programming at The Refuge, food and beverage vendors, and rotating art installations. The festival operates across over 20 themed 'neighborhoods' including Cherry Hill, Woods, Paddock, Grove, Windmill, Courtyard, Coyote, Market, Galaxy Barn, Farmhouse, Refuge, Lucky, Orchard, Welcome Lot, Meadow, Curation, Lush Camp, Quail Trail, South Camp, Wild Camp, and Willow Camp, each offering distinct experiences, amenities, and programming.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Pickathon Music Festival Core annual five-day immersive music festival at Pendarvis Farm featuring a hand-curated artist lineup across multiple stages and 20+ themed neighborhoods, with weekend and single-day ticket options including tent camping.
- Curation Culinary Experience Separate-ticket culinary experience series pairing Pacific Northwest chefs with performing artists for intimate shared meals and performances, limited to 100 guests per event.
- Willow Camp Vehicle camping area (cars, vans, RVs) near the main festival gates featuring a large willow tree and a relaxed pastoral atmosphere.
- Wild Camp Remote tent-only camping area located among the largest trees on the property, west of the logging road, offering an off-grid immersive forest experience.
- South Camp Vehicle camping area (RVs, vans, cars) immediately adjacent to the Farmhouse transit hub, providing quick access to the festival entrance.
- Lush Camp Central forested campground on the east side of Pendarvis Farm housing the designated Quiet Camp area for families and peaceful overnight stays.
- Welcome Lot Drive-through ticketing check-in, parking, and gear drop-off area with shuttle services for vehicle-arriving festival attendees in Damascus, OR.
- Meadow Central grassy neighborhood connecting Paddock, Windmill, and Grove, featuring large-scale art installations and open space for relaxation.
- Orchard Entry transition neighborhood with old-growth apple trees guiding visitors from Farmhouse to Lucky Barn and Galaxy Courtyard, with archways designed by Bora Architecture & Interiors.
- Quail Trail Whimsical wooded art installation path featuring floating serpent lighting that connects the Woods Stage to the main festival grounds.
- LIT Sunday Literary Programming Sunday literary programming at the festival featuring poetry, author readings, and live storytelling from award-winning writers and Pacific Northwest literary voices.
- The Refuge Wellness Programming Daily morning wellness programming at The Refuge neighborhood offering sessions designed to support body, spirit, and mind during the festival.
- Kaleidoscope City (Lucky Neighborhood 2026) 2026 installation of the Lucky Neighborhood featuring modular, living-cell-inspired structures with 100% re-use capability and a designed second life as an outdoor classroom.
Quantifiable outcome
- Artists discovered at Pickathon have gone on to achieve mainstream success including Khruangbin, Big Thief, and Billy Strings
Companies that use Pickathon
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Pickathon technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Pickathon partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Cafe OllicoreNortheast Portland cafe and bakery featuring seasonal menus, naturally leavened breads, and local farm sourcing. Paired with The Brothers Comatose for Curation Friday Night Dinner event at Pickathon 2026, celebrating craftsmanship, community, and musical traditions.
- NostranacoreJames Beard Award-winning chef Cathy Whims' Northeast Portland restaurant. Featured at Curation Saturday Brunch paired with Family Company, offering countryside-inspired Italian brunch with dishes like sformato and fresh-baked breads.
- Sunday SaucecoreNortheast Portland restaurant rooted in long-simmered Italian-American family recipes. Chef Isaiah Brown paired with The Womack Sisters for Curation Saturday Happy Hour event.
- RepublicacoreChef Angel Medina's Mexico-forward restaurant. Paired with Mexican Institute of Sound for Saturday Curation Dinner, celebrating traditions, histories, and creative energy shaping contemporary Mexican culture.
- Wilderton Non-Alcoholic Botanical SpiritsminorPacific Northwest non-alcoholic distillery and tasting room. Featured as supporting act partner for Curation events, offering handcrafted aperitivos from raw botanicals.
- Baumans CiderminorOregon cidery rooted in over a century of Bauman family farming tradition dating to 1895. Modern cidermaking techniques with heritage methods using fruit from their farm in Willamette Valley.
- The Womack SisterscoreSoul music artists, granddaughters of Sam Cooke and daughters of Cecil and Linda Womack. First release on Daptone Records produced by Gabriel Roth. Featured performers at Pickathon 2026 Curation and main stage events.
- The Brothers ComatosecoreSan Francisco-based bluegrass band known for infectious harmonies and high-energy performances. Nearly a decade since first Pickathon appearance, returning with seasoned musicianship for Curation Friday Night Dinner.
- Mexican Institute of SoundcoreProject of producer, DJ, and cultural agitator Camilo Lara, redefining Mexico's sound since mid-2000s. Blends cumbia, mariachi, and Latin traditions with hip-hop and electronica. Featured at Pickathon 2026 Curation and main stage performances.
- Family CompanycorePortland-based soul collective of Alex Kyhn, Josh Teitelbaum, and Jason Goldstein. Blends folk, Americana, and rich vocal harmonies. Featured at Curation Saturday Brunch with Nostrana chef Cathy Whims.
- Bora Architecture & InteriorscoreArchitecture firm partnered with Dream Big City for 2026 Orchard neighborhood redesign, featuring story poles and archways as part of a longer journey from Pendarvis Farm to Dream Plaza 2.0 community skate and arts space.
- Dream Big CitycoreSocial impact organization partnering with Bora Architecture for Orchard neighborhood design, creating pathway to Dream Plaza 2.0 community skate and arts space coming to Portland's Central Eastside.
- Andersen ConstructionminorConstruction firm serving as builder for Orchard neighborhood architecture project at Pendarvis Farm.
- Deschutes BreweryminorOregon-based brewery known for off-beat beauty and compassionate values. Co-owner model with unique and spirited team. Featured as beverage partner at Pickathon.
- Maloof WinesminorChosen-family winery dedicated to low-intervention wines capturing place and time. Works closely with farmers who inspire their craft. Featured as Curation supporting act partner.
- RubatominorWine brand focused on dissolving edges of time to deepen sensation. Philosophy of wine releasing moments. Featured as Curation supporting act partner.
- Dominio IVminorExpressive wines with artistic labels and appreciation for balance. Co-owned by winemaker Patrick Reuter and vineyard manager Leigh Bartholomew. Featured as Curation supporting act partner.
- Ame MezcalminorMezcal brand featured as Curation supporting act partner, represented by Autoramezcal.
- Holladay BourbonminorBourbon brand featured as Curation supporting act partner.
- Biotic FermentsminorFermented products brand featured as Curation supporting act partner.
- Division Wine Co.minorWine company featured as Curation supporting act partner.
- Wandering Goat CoffeeminorCoffee brand featured as Curation supporting act partner.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Pickathon competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Treefort Music Fest: Annual indie multi-genre discovery festival in Boise, Idaho. Most directly comparable peer: comparable size, similar curator ethos of spotlighting emerging artists before they break, comparable mix of music, food, comedy, and storytelling programming, and a Pacific-adjacent regional footprint.
- Newport Folk Festival: Long-running curated folk and indie music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, renowned for surprise artist collaborations and discovery-style bookings. Directly comparable to Pickathon in its intimate scale, artist-first curation philosophy, and generational loyal attendee base.
- Life is Beautiful: Las Vegas-based music, food, art, and ideas festival. Comparable to Pickathon in its deliberate blend of musical headliners with culinary and immersive art programming, positioning as a curated experiential destination rather than a pure music event.
- Lightning in a Bottle: California-based boutique camping festival with strong sustainability, wellness, and art-installation programming. Closely aligned with Pickathon's nature-immersive, design-forward, multi-vertical format and similar audience demographic.
- Telluride Bluegrass Festival: Long-running intimate camping music festival in Telluride, Colorado with strong artist-discovery reputation and outdoor mountain setting. Comparable to Pickathon in scale, longevity, curated booking philosophy, and integrated camping model.
- Hardly Strictly Bluegrass: Free, curated San Francisco outdoor music festival in Golden Gate Park, emphasizing discovery and a broad Americana/indie palette. Comparable to Pickathon in curated outdoor, nature-immersive format and artist-discovery ethos, with the additional free-pricing distinction.
Broad incumbents
- Outside Lands: Major San Francisco music, food, wine, and art festival held annually in Golden Gate Park. Comparable to Pickathon in its West Coast setting and integration of food, beverage, and art programming alongside music, though at materially larger scale and operated by a major promoter.
- Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival: Iconic Tennessee multi-stage camping music and arts festival. Comparable to Pickathon as a camping-integrated music festival with multi-vertical programming, but operates at substantially larger scale under corporate ownership.
Regional players
- Project Pabst: Portland-based indie music festival that historically operated in Pickathon's same metro region with similar indie-leaning curation. A relevant regional peer for understanding local Portland music festival dynamics and audience overlap.
Emerging players
- Eaux Claires: Wisconsin-based boutique curated music and arts festival co-founded by Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), built on a discovery-first, artist-collaborative model. Closely aligned with Pickathon's curation ethos and intimate scale; though now dormant, it represents the archetype Pickathon continues to operate within.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pickathon social profiles
Digital presencePickathon financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pickathon leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Pickathon funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pickathon M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pickathon
What does Pickathon do?
Pickathon produces an annual, five-day immersive music festival at Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Oregon, selling weekend and single-day passes that include tent camping across 40+ acres. Its offering combines hand-curated artist lineups across multiple stages, rotating Creative Neighborhoods design installations, on-site food and beverage vendors, intimate chef-artist Curation dining events, wellness programming, and camping tiers for cars, vans, RVs, and tents.
Is Pickathon a public or private company?
Pickathon is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Pickathon founded?
Pickathon was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Pickathon based?
Pickathon is headquartered in Portland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Pickathon make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are food & Beverage Vendor Commissions and beverage Partnerships.
Who are Pickathon's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Treefort Music Fest, Newport Folk Festival, Life is Beautiful, Lightning in a Bottle, Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Broad incumbents are Outside Lands and Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. Project Pabst is listed as a regional player. Eaux Claires is listed as an emerging player.
Does Pickathon have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pickathon.
What industry is Pickathon in?
Pickathon's product category is Live Music Festival Events. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAGAOAH, Seasonal & Pop-Up Campsites (Event/Harvest/Temporary), with a secondary code of THAFAHAI, Festival, Fair & Event Mobile Concessions. Its NAICS code is 711310 and its SIC code is 7900.