WAMA's Annual Winlock Pickersfest is held each year on the first full weekend of August.
For 2024, the festival will be August 02 - 04, 2024.

Winlock Pickersfest is held at Winolequa Park, just north of Winlock, WA.
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 anyone wanting to have fun and listen to fantastic live music. People who play acoustic instruments will find impressive workshops, and lots of jamming with plenty of great pickers who show up every year for this awesome festival.
Please check our Directions page for a map and written directions.

Winlock Pickersfest is an acoustic music festival that covers a diverse selection of musical genres (i.e., Swing, Choro, Bluegrass, Old-Time, Celtic, Cowboy, etc.) The festival includes instructional workshops, genre jams, open mics, plenty of picking and grinning, lots of unorganized jamming of different genres, and other activities. Check out the rest of our website to see details about the live bands, the workshop schedule, camping details, ticket info, links, and much more.

Winlock Pickersfest encompasses a wide variety of Acoustic Music Genres. If your band is interested in being considered for WAMA's 2025 fun-filled festival, please submit your request using our Band Submission Form.

Please NOTE: Our band selection process requires bands to submit a band bio, a band photo (JPG or PNG file format), and a band soundtrack file (mp3 file format) that may be used in advertising our festival and your band. Also, if your band has a website or social media site(s) (i.e., Facebook), please provide a link for each site you want to have shown with the band's bio in the Band Bio entry box. Our Submission Form allows attaching your band's photo and your band's soundtrack.

1. How and when can tickets be obtained?   Festival tickets may be purchased at the entry gate using cash, check, or debit/credit card on Thursday through Saturday of the festival. Every person (age 13 and over) must purchase tickets for the days they will be attending. Colored wristbands will be issued to each attendee, and the specific color of the purchased wristband will designate the number of days paid for. Every attendee needs to wear a wristband. Attendees purchasing tickets online will need to stop at the entry gate to receive their color-coded wristbands.
   PLEASE NOTE: Sunday performances are FREE. No wristband is required that day.
   Please visit our Tickets page for more information.
   ONLINE TICKET SALES:  Tickets will be sold online using a credit/debit card from June 1, through one week before the festival begins. Online ticket purchases may be made within this time frame using the link above.
   
   
2. Can I buy a 1-day ticket?
   YES.  Tickets are sold as "Friday Tickets, Saturday Tickets, or Weekend Tickets."
   Please visit our Tickets page for more information.
   PLEASE NOTE:  Sunday performances are FREE for the public
   There will be two performances on Sunday. The first starts at 10:00 am and the second concludes at 11:45 am.

YES.   WAMA members get a great discount on Pickersfest tickets!

If you're not already a WAMA member, please consider joining WAMA today.
Click here to JOIN WAMA NOW.

YES.   Pickersfest is a very kid-friendly festival!
Winolequa Park is a beautiful park with a very nice playground and lots of room for kids to run and play.

We do ask that parents monitor their children during the performances and around other scheduled events to prevent distracting the audience and performers (i.e., please make sure your children don't roll handfuls of gravel down the metal slides or yell and scream during a performance, etc.)

YES.   Children 12 years of age and under are FREE when accompanied by an adult.

YES.   You can leave the festival grounds whenever you want. When you return, you must stop at the festival entry gate and have everyone in the vehicle show their wristbands for re-entry to the festival.

YES.   During the festival, well-behaved pets are allowed throughout the park and camping area, except in a marked off pet free zone around and in front of the stage and the large covered picnic area.
(Please clean up after your pet.)

YES.   Sunday at Pickersfest is FREE for the public!
Pickersfest has two (2) performances on Sunday, starting at 10:00 am and ending at 11:45 am.

NO.   On Pickersfest Thursday, Friday and Saturday, everyone must have a ticket to enter the festival grounds, but Sunday at Pickersfest is FREE for the public!
Pickersfest has two (2) performances on Sunday, starting at 10:00 am and ending at 11:45 am.

If you want to check on getting a press pass, please use our "Contact Us" page (Put Attention: Marv Sobolesky - Press Pass in the Subject field). Please provide Marv with your contact information and press credentials, and ask him about getting a press pass.

1. Besides music performances, what other activities are part of the festival?
   The festival includes instructional workshops, genre jams, open mics, plenty of picking and grinning, lots of unorganized jamming of different genres (if you don't plan to jam, you are free to watch and listen), and other activities. Check out the rest of our website to see details about the live bands, the workshop schedule, camping details, ticket info, links, and much more.
   
   If you don't do workshops and don't jam, but are looking for something to do during the day, you can check out some horseshoes and play at one of the two horseshoe throwing targets located behind the large covered picnic area and near the park entrance. There will also be a couple of Cornhole (Corn Toss) games to check out, as well.
   
   
2. Can I dance during a music performance?
   YES.  If the music moves you, please feel free to dance. Some people have even enjoyed using hula-hoops with the beat of the music. We just ask that you step to the side, so you don't disturb audience members that only want to listen and watch the performances.

1. What kind of seating is available for performances and other activities?
   The park only has a few picnic tables near the stage. We suggest you bring your own comfortable lawn chair for your best seating.
   
   
2. Do you provide water?
   We suggest you bring plenty of water (cooled the way you want). If you forget or need more, WAMA does sell chilled bottled water for $1.00 per bottle at the INFO booth.
   
   
3. What about the food at the festival?
   Food is available at the festival, prepared by and supporting the Winlock Youth Baseball organization, at the baseball field concession behind the stage, starting at noon on Friday through Sunday Breakfast.
   
   If you don't care about purchasing the festival food offered at the park's baseball concession stand, we suggest you bring a cooler with the amount and type of food you enjoy eating.

1. Is there on-site camping?
   YES.   You can arrive as early as noon on Thursday. The festival officially starts on Friday, but the jamming, fun, and camping begin on Thursday!
   
   Winlock now only allows camping during multi-day events like Winlock Pickersfest. Therefore, camping dates for Pickersfest are Thursday, the day before the festival, through Sunday, the last day of the festival. The check-out time for Sunday is 3:00 pm. All camping registration must be paid for at the Pickersfest entry gate.
   
   
2. Is camping included in the price of a festival ticket?
   NO.   Winolequa Park has plenty of room for dry camping for only $10 per night per campsite. There are mowed grassy areas for rigs and tents, as well as separate areas for tents only.

1. When do the festival grounds open?
   The festival grounds for Pickersfest open at 12:00 noon on Thursday, so campers wanting to get an early start on setting up and jamming can purchase their festival tickets and pay the entry gate for the nights they will be camping. If you arrive earlier than that, you will need to register for the festival and the camping when the entry gate is open.
   
   
2. When will we get our wristbands?
   All festival attendees will get their wristbands when they register at the entry gate, starting on Thursday at 12:00 noon.
   
   
3. When does the music start?
   Please check our Schedule page for actual starting times for workshops, genre jams, performances, and other festival activities. You will also find lots of unscheduled jamming happening around the park that you can ask to join or listen to.

Pickersfest has NO reserved seating locations for performances. Seating is first come, first served. For consideration of others, we do ask that you don't set up your seats, then not attend the performances.

A large parking area is conveniently located across the entry road from the performance area. We suggest that people who are camping park their non-RV vehicles at their campsites. Four designated ADA parking slots are located next to the ADA-accessible restrooms. There is limited parking space along the road running through the park. RVs are allowed to park on the lawn of one of the ball fields with tents and trailer campers. Click here to see a map of the Pickersfest festival grounds. If additional ADA parking consideration is needed, please inform volunteers working at the entry gate or information booth for assistance. We have a WAMA golf cart available to transfer guests from the parking lot to the performance area and back.

Well maintained park restrooms are located directly behind the concert seating area (grassy knoll) on the roadside end of the large covered picnic area. These restrooms are ADA-accessible.


Portable toilets are located near the main camping area and parking lot.

YES.  Pickersfest is truly a labor of love created by the volunteers of WAMA. If you are available to volunteer your time working at the festival, you will find it to be a very FUN and REWARDING experience. Pickersfest always welcomes exceptionally friendly, easy-going volunteers. We appreciate people who love music and who love people, and we're grateful for all the dedicated volunteers who make the festival and related music programs possible.
Click here for Instructions for Signing Up to volunteer.

If you want to check on being a vendor, please use our Contact Us page (Put Attention: Marv Sobolesky - Vendor in the Subject field). Please provide Marv with your contact information and ask Marv about being a Pickersfest vendor.

NO.  There are No ATMs at Winolequa Park. We suggest you bring the amount of cash you feel you will need with you. If you find yourself in need of cash, you may leave the festival grounds to drive the few miles to access an ATM conveniently located in downtown Winlock. ATMs are located at Timberland Bank (209 NE 1st St.), in the front of a building at 401 NE First St., and inside the IGA Grocery Store (206 E Walnut St.). Please be sure you have your wristband when returning to the festival.

Cash needed at the festival:

• Tickets and camping may be paid via cash, check, or credit/debit cards at the entrance gate.
  
• Most merchandise at the INFO Booth may be purchased with cash, check, or credit/debit cards.
  
• The 50/50 Raffle is cash only (It is much more convenient to use cash for other raffles as well.)
  
• Concession Stand food prepared by Winlock Youth Baseball is cash only.
  
• Purchase of performer's CDs and other merchandise is cash only.
  
• If you're camping, and you want to take a shower, the shower is coin-operated (4 quarters for 1 hour). You will need to bring lots of quarters. There are NO coin change machines at the park, and WAMA will not be able to provide change.

In the past, an EMT has sometimes been available at the park. If a need arises, emergency services can quickly be provided from Winlock, which is a very short distance from the park.

YES.   You can bring your camera. We would love to see your shared photos on social media sites or post them on the WAMA Facebook site.

1. Will you provide water?
   We suggest you bring as much of your own water as you feel you will need. It does get hot in August. If need be, WAMA sells cooled bottles of water for $1 per bottle at the INFO Booth.
   
   
2. What kind of food and drinks will you have?
   The Winlock Youth Baseball organization will be operating a food concession stand at the baseball field behind the stage. They will be selling a diversified menu of food items and canned drinks, including morning breakfast dishes. Food is available at the concession stand starting at noon on Friday through noon on Sunday (Sunday breakfast). Funds raised at the concession stand are used to support Winlock Youth Baseball. If this type of food does not meet your needs, we suggest you bring a cooler with the types of food and drinks you prefer.

1. There are NO public phones at Winolequa Park.
   
   
2. Is there good cell phone service at the park?
   NO.   Since Winolequa Park is in a low-lying area behind the hills, cell service is very limited, with only a few providers (you might be one of the lucky ones.)  Since WAMA provides a limited free Wi-Fi service, if your cell service allows Wi-Fi Calling, this might work for you with texts and short calls.
   
   
3. Will you have phone charging stations?
   YES.   Starting this year, we will have a cell phone USB charging station located in the large covered picnic area.
   
   There are some AC outlets in the large covered picnic area, most of which are in use for operations concerning festival performances and management. If you are planning on using your cell phone a lot, you might consider bringing an alternate device for charging your phone (i.e., cell phone charging batteries, etc.).

YES.   WAMA provides free Wi-Fi during Pickersfest. This service is available near the large covered picnic area. Since the Wi-Fi to internet speed is very limited, we ask that you use it for short Wi-Fi Calling, texts, emails, etc. Please be considerate of others by NOT trying to stream videos and large files. The Wi-Fi connection information can be found in the schedule brochure provided at the entry gate or INFO booth.

YES.   If you are planning on staying in a local hotel, motel, or B&B;, we suggest you make your reservations early. You can find the information you want by using our website page on Lodging and clicking on the Discover Lewis County image.

1. What restaurants are near Winlock, WA?
   To find restaurants in and around Winlock, please Click this link.
   
   
2. Does Winlock have a grocery store?
   Winlock's grocery store is IGA.
   400 SE Cowlitz Rd
   Winlock, WA 98596.
   Click here to see grocery stores near Winlock.
   
   
3. What is there to see and do around Winlock?
   Click here to discover Lewis County's Winlock area.

Pickersfest ends at 12:00 noon on the Sunday of the festival.
Checkout for Pickersfest Campers is at 3:00 pm.

YES.   You can arrive as early as noon on Thursday. The festival officially starts on Friday, but the jamming, fun, and camping begin on Thursday!

Winlock now only allows camping during multi-day events like Winlock Pickersfest. Therefore, camping dates for Pickersfest are Thursday, the day before the festival, through Sunday, the last day of the festival. The check-out time for Sunday is 3:00 pm. All camping registration must be paid for at the Pickersfest entry gate.

Check out our Pickersfest Camping page for more information.

NO.   Winolequa Park has plenty of room for dry camping for only $10 per night per campsite. There are mowed grassy areas for rigs and tents, as well as separate areas for tents only.

NO.   There are no reservations for campsites at Pickersfest. Campsites are first come, first served. We suggest you arrive early enough to select a campsite that best suites your needs.

1. Can I pay to camp just one night?
   YES.   Please keep in mind:
   
   
   1. If you purchase a Friday only ticket, and you are going to arrive on Friday morning for a 1-day entry to the festival and camping for 1 night, we ask that you leave early enough on Saturday morning, so you don't disturb the Saturday morning festival events. Because of this, you will NOT be allowed to attend any of the Saturday events without purchasing a Saturday festival ticket.
      
      
   2. If you plan to camp on Thursday night and attend the festival on Friday, you will then need to leave shortly after the last performance on Friday evening (about 9:00 pm). If you then decide to camp on Friday night and leave early the next morning, you will need to pay for a second night of camping.
      
      
   3. If you are only going to purchase a Saturday-only ticket, you will need to arrive before 9:00 am on Saturday morning, if you want to attend the Saturday Workshops. You will then need to leave by 3:00 pm on Sunday, which is the normal camping checkout time. Since the festival is free on Sunday, you can catch the Sunday morning performances and maybe have breakfast at the concession before you leave, if you want.
      
      
2. Can I camp at Winolequa Park during the festival and NOT pay to attend the festival?
   NO.   During the Pickersfest festival camping nights of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, you will need to purchase tickets for the number of days you will be attending the festival and pay the camping fee for the type of tickets you purchase.

1. What RV hookups are available when camping during Pickersfest?
   Winolequa Park provides only dry camping. (Dry camping is a way of using your RV without hooking up to utilities. While it is somewhat less comfortable, it also helps keep your festival cost down.) We suggest you make sure your RV has plenty of water, a well charged battery for any camping electrical needs, and that you've dumped your black water storage before you arrive to camp at Pickersfest.
   
   
2. I have a 34 ft motor home and a tow vehicle. Will my rig fit in the camping area?
   YES.   Winolequa Park has plenty of room for rigs this size. Keep in mind, to get through the opening in the fence to the campers' area, you may need to disconnect your towed vehicle, so you can get your rig in at a correct angle to avoid problems.
   
   
3. Is there an RV Dump Station at Winolequa Park?
   NO.   Winolequa Park does NOT have an RV Dump Station.
   This is a link to the dump stations near Winlock, WA.

Well-maintained park restrooms are located directly behind the concert seating area (grassy knoll) next to the large covered picnic area. These restrooms are ADA-accessible. Portable toilets are located near the main camping area and parking lot.

There is NOW a coin operated shower facility near the restrooms in the covered picnic area, which uses quarters. If you plan to use the shower (4 quarters for 1 hour), you will need to bring lots of quarters. There are NO coin change machines at the park, and WAMA will NOT be able to provide change.

YES.   During the festival, well-behaved pets are allowed throughout the park and camping area, except for a marked-off pet free zone around and in front of the stage and the large covered picnic area.
Please clean up after your pet.

NO.   For festivals like Pickersfest, a great many of the campers staying throughout the festival are acoustic musicians that come to jam with other musicians and get as much jamming time as possible. Therefore, jamming may be heard in the camping areas up to 24 hours a day. Also, Winolequa Park is located adjacent to very well-used train tracks, and the sound of trains can be heard periodically throughout the day and night. If you are a light sleeper, we suggest you bring and use comfortable ear plugs, or try to locate your campsite away from where most of the jamming is happening. For tent campers, the Pickersfest Info booth, or a person at the entry gate may be able to indicate where the quieter campsites "might" be found.

NO.   Winlock now only allows camping during multi-day events like Winlock Pickersfest. Therefore, camping dates for Pickersfest are Thursday, the day before the festival, through Sunday, the last day of the festival. The check-out time for Sunday is 3:00 pm. All camping registration must be paid for at the Pickersfest entry gate.

YES.   You can leave the festival grounds whenever you want. When you return, you must stop at the festival entry gate and have everyone in the vehicle show their wristbands for re-entry.

If you're camping, please keep in mind that camping sites at Pickersfest are first come, first served. If you leave the festival grounds in your RV, you may need to find a new campsite when you return.

1. What restaurants are near Winlock, WA?
   Click to find restaurants near Winlock.
   
   
2. Does Winlock have a grocery store?
   Winlock's grocery store is IGA.
   400 SE Cowlitz Rd Winlock, WA 98596.
   Click here to see grocery stores near Winlock.
   
   
3. What is there to see and do around Winlock?
   Click here to Discover Lewis County's Winlock area.

1. The check-out time for Sunday is 3:00 pm.
2. All campers must stop and register at the Pickersfest entry gate. Please park extra vehicles at your campsite.
3. Well-behaved pets are allowed throughout the festival grounds.
4. The speed limit in the campground and parking area is 5 mph.
5. Please do not climb on or destroy trees.
6. An adult must monitor their children under thirteen years old at all times.
7. Do not feed wild animals or encourage them in the RV park/campground.