Photo by John Keel

If the idea of festival juggernauts like Coachella, Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo stresses you out despite your appetite for the elongated thrill of a three-day party, Pickathon is a perfect alternative. Located at the Pendarvis Farm in Oregon, fifteen minutes outside of Portland, the festival is held not at a small venue, but at one of the most intimate settings there are for a large musical gathering. While offering the same escape as more mainstream festivals – on-site camping, seven stages designed to transport audiences into different realities (seriously, pictured above are The Barr Brothers performing on the Woods Stage at last year’s festival), and a diverse, genre-spanning lineup – the festival is wrapped up in a stress-free, family-friendly package. This includes limited capacity attendance, designated smoking areas, free water, a special lineup prepared just for children’s entertainment and free entry for kids under twelve.

This year marks the gathering’s 15th anniversary, so Pickathon 2013 is bringing some big names to the Pendarvis Farm from August 2nd through the 4th. With artists like Feist, Andrew Bird, Divine Fits and the rock and rollers of Kurt Vile & the Violators already filling out the bill, the festival recently announced new additions to the lineup – gospel funk legends The Relatives and San Francisco’s own Jessica Pratt and Ty Segall. For more information, head over to Pickathon’s official website and check out footage from Pickathon 2012 in the very first episode of Pickathon TV for a taste of what you can expect at this year’s festival.