Welcome

2020 Winlock Pickersfest
July 31st - August 2nd, 2020

Don't Miss it!

If you attended Pickersfest '19, you already know what an awesome festival it was. If you missed it, please accept our heartfelt sympathy. But all is not lost! We are already hard at work planning for next year's music festival and believe it or not, we are on the fast track of making the next festival even better! Mark your calendars now for July 31st through August 2nd, 2020.

Note: The park only has a few picnic tables near the stage. We suggest you bring your own comfortable lawn chair for your best seating.

 

PETS: During the festival, well behaved pets are allowed throughout the park and camping area with the exception of a marked off pet free zone around and in front of the stage and the concession area. Please clean-up after your pet.

 

 

 

To see Winlock Pickersfest band lineups from previous years,
Visit our Lineup Archive page.

Visit our Photo Gallery page.

 

Winlock Pickersfest includes instructional workshops, genre jams, open mics, plenty of pickin' and grinnin', and organized kids activities! Check out the rest of the site to see details about the live bands, the workshop schedule, camping details, ticket info, links, and more.

New Genre Jams At 2019 Winlock Pickersfest!

The 2019 festival included three new genre jam sessions on Friday afternoon. Here are descriptions of these jams:

• Celtic Music Jam

  Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe. It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and recorded music. The styles vary considerably to include everything from traditional music to a wide range of hybrids.

  The Pickersfest Celtic Jam included songs from the list below. If you're considering jamming with us, you can look up these tunes to get familiar with them. Click HERE for a PDF with standard notation for these tunes.

   

  • Bonaparte crossing the Rhine
  • The Flowers of Edinburgh
  • The Irish Washer Woman
  • The Maid behind the Bar
  • Midnight on the Water
  • Swinging on the Gate

   

   

  • Temperance Reel
  • The Rights of Man
  • Spootiskerry
  • St. Anne's Reel
  • St. Josephs Reel
  • Whiskey Before Breakfast

   

• Old-Time Music Jam

  An old-time jam is, naturally, a place where folks get together to play old-time music. "Fiddle tunes" form the bulk of the old time jam repertoire, but other songs may be played as well. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of potential tunes in the Old Time repertoire. This varies to some extent by region, but there are several dozen "standards" which will be known anywhere. Banjos, fiddles, and guitars comprise the primary instruments, but don't be surprised to find someone playing the bass, washboard, spoon, bones, jug, etc. You're bound to find people of all ages, walks of life, and ability levels. The atmosphere will almost always be welcoming. Click HERE for a PDF with a list of some of the possible Old-Time tunes we will be playing.

• Swing Music Jam

  This jam can include Gypsy Jazz, and Swing music, or simply swing. Swing is a form of popular music developed in the United States that dominated in the 1930s and 1940s. The name swing came from the 'swing feel' where the emphasis is on the off–beat or weaker pulse in the music. Swing bands usually featured soloists who would improvise on the melody over the arrangement. Click HERE for a PDF with a list of some of the possible Swing tunes we will be playing.
  
  

The festival officially starts on Friday, but the jamming and camping begin on Thursday!

Nestled in a beautifully wooded area, Winolequa Park is conveniently located close to Interstate 5. Less than 2 hours drive south of Seattle and an hour north of Portland, this gem of a Pickersfest is within close driving distance for plenty of great pickers who show up every year for it. And since the festival is put on by an all-volunteer staff, the price of admission is remarkably inexpensive.

Food is available on the premises from the Winlock Park Board starting at noon on Friday through Sunday Breakfast.

PETS: During the festival, well behaved pets are allowed throughout the park and camping area with the exception of a marked off pet free zone around and in front of the stage and the concession area. Please clean-up after your pet.

The Winlock Pickersfest is a labor of love created by a dedicated group of volunteers from the Washington Acoustic Music Association (WAMA) and co-sponsored by the Winlock Park Board.

WAMA hosts events throughout the year, so we hope you'll check the site to see the impressive display of music events offered throughout the year.

Bands interested in being considered for the 2020 festival may submit music samples and band press kit
(including band bio, band photo, and a link to your website or social media site) by December 31, 2019.
Submit Your band info to WAMA at info@wamamusic.com .