Pickathon Creative Neighborhoods: Empowering the Future
Pickathon is not just a music festival; it’s a force for good, fostering an abundance of creative ventures and the highest practices of sustainability. This year, we’re thrilled to announce a major development: the launch of Pickathon Creative Neighborhoods, a non-profit initiative dedicated to empowering young creatives and skilled tradespeople. Pickathon Creative Neighborhoods starts on the festival grounds, and then goes well beyond it to ensure its lasting impact on the local community and regional environmental ecosystem.
One of the many attributes of a great mentor is that they don’t always know that they are actual mentors. They possess so many skills, but may not realize what a valuable community resource they are. Unintentionally over the last 20 years of Pickathon, we have built quite the mentor army. 2024 is the time to harness the collective knowledge and energy of these mentors and unleash them into the community.
Under the leadership of Executive Director, Matt Wagner, with a board consisting of gaming and technology executive Mark Subotnick; artist, entrepreneur and investor Paul Anthony Troiano; and Body Vox artistic director Jamey Hampton, Creative Neighborhoods aims to reshape the organic good that has developed from Pickathon’s experiential festival into a well-oiled, year-round mentor machine for the Pacific Northwest.
Pickathon 2024 is just the start with multiple programs launching in the fields of hospitality, sustainability, and creative culture.
Our inaugural programs include:
- Coffee Tech Barista Mentor Program: In partnership with Proud Mary, Coava, and Guilder coffee, this first-job training program aims to mentor aspiring baristas. The program will kick off at Pickathon 2024 and expand throughout the year.
- Film Camp: In collaboration with Benson High School’s video production program, this one-day summer film camp will introduce students to capturing stories at live events and producing documentary-style content.
- Sustainability Kiosk: During Pickathon, an informational kiosk will educate attendees about two decades of our groundbreaking recycling and sustainability efforts. This initiative is in partnership with Green Century Recycling.
- Mural Painting Mentorship: An artist will mentor teenage volunteers on building a site-specific structure for a new mural. During Pickathon, attendees can join in, learning and painting alongside the artist.
For more information, please visit creativeneighborhoods.com, email info@creativeneighborhoods.com or instagram @creativeneighborhoods.
Get Involved
Upcoming Events: We have exciting programming lined up, including job fairs, community events, and more. You can find us at the information table at Pickathon, August 1-4, by the medical area during the festival, where you can learn about our sustainability initiatives and how you can contribute.
Listen to Our Podcast: Tune into our latest podcast episode to hear more about the vision and mission of Pickathon Creative Neighborhoods.
Get Tickets: Join us in Happy Valley, Oregon, from August 1-4, 2024 to for the magic and the mission.
