Pickathon Music Festival Preview
To begin, the location and time of year are perfect; Pickathon takes place in Happy Valley, Oregon, just twenty minutes outside of Portland. It hosts bright, sunny days with loads of shade throughout the forest to cool off under. Attendees have the option of going for hikes on miles of trails marked with color-coded lights or they can relax in the campgrounds and participate in activities. Festival organizers have multiple zones fit for all types of campers. There's a section set apart for those who want to stay up late and keep jamming, a quiet segment, and a family-friendly area for parents with small children. Kids have the option to attend the festival or take part in an array of pastimes, such as archery, arts and crafts, screenprinting, and nature hikes. Family yoga takes also takes place in the morning.
Besides being located in a natural environment, Pickathon maintains an eco-friendly policy across all aspects of the festival. It is the only large, outdoor festival in the country that reduces utensil and dishware use by offering tokens to reuse festival-issued dishes and by providing dishwashing sinks for attendees to clean their own plates and cups. Solar panels run across the roof of one of the stages and there are three solar power generators in use throughout the weekend that power all trail lights and provide power for cell phone charging. Free drinking water is available to all who bring their own reusable bottles. In an effort to reduce vehicular carbon footprints, the festival offers free shuttles to and from the event to its partner hotels and also offers a paid shuttle from the town center of Clackamas, OR.
The lineup this year shows how prominent the festival has become; recent indie favorites such as Warpaint, Mac DeMarco, and Foxygen are playing alongside groups like Blind Pilot, X, and The Sadies. Many artists will be playing two sets throughout the weekend at Pickathon rotating around seven different stages. To help tide over festivalgoers, food trucks and stands set up by local restaurants and businesses will be providing a wide selection of fresh, organic food and beverages. With so much going on at the festival this weekend, you'd be hard pressed to find a moment of downtime in Happy Valley.
Reach Staff Reporter Chandler Golan here.