The Dead End

For twenty-five years, Pickathon has used the woods as a laboratory. We’ve always been obsessed with the idea of a festival that leaves a legacy instead of a footprint. But following the 2023 festival, we hit a wall.

We were faced with a choice that wasn’t really a choice at all. The rising tide of global costs meant that the traditional way of building our immersive neighborhoods had reached a dead end. We looked at the “Generic Path”—rented stages and corporate tents—and knew it would make money, but it wouldn’t be Pickathon. We also knew that simply raising ticket prices to an elite level would price out the very community that gives the festival its life.

We had to innovate.

The Innovation: The Third Way

In 2024, we launched Creative Neighborhoods. We realized that the only way forward was to decouple the Moment (the four-day festival) from the Movement (our year-round mission). The “Third Way” stops treating architecture as a temporary expense. Instead, we treat it as a permanent investment. By separating these costs, we keep the festival accessible while supercharging our ability to build world-class environments.

The Proof: 2025 as the Blueprint

The “Third Way” is already happening. In 2025, we took the first major steps toward this vision:

• The Windmill Neighborhood: Vendor booths were reverse-designed to be reassembled as greenhouses for the Oasis Day Shelter.
• The Grove: Modular structures were built as a “Kit of Parts” that now serve as permanent community infrastructure and seating.

The Circular Engine: How it Works

Our process is built on a cycle of Reverse-Design. We are moving from our history of upcycling toward a future where every Neighborhood has a permanent home secured before we even begin.

1. The Permanent Vision: We work with Founding Partners to design a masterpiece—a garden sanctuary, a workspace, or a public landmark—engineered for a 10+ year lifespan.
2. The Kit of Parts: We decode that design into a modular system of high-quality building blocks.
3. The Festival Foundry: Over a dozen professional teams build the functional elements—the stages, spas, and bars integrated into the farm’s landscape.
4. Life-Changing Mentorship: Aspiring designers, makers, and artists work alongside elite professionals through the entire design, build, and reassembly cycle.
5. The Final Delivery: The components are reassembled at their final destination as permanent community assets.

Seeking Our 2026 Partners

While every neighborhood will continue to use this model, we are now seeking a select group of visionaries to anchor our inaugural 2026 scale-up.

• Founding Partners: We are looking for private, nonprofit, and civic partners with a project budget for permanent structures—from garden sanctuaries to public shelters.
• Professional Build Teams: We are making a final call for architects and master builders to lead our 2026 neighborhoods and mentor the next generation of creatives.