WAMA's Annual Pickersfest is held each year on the first full weekend of August.
For 2027, the festival will be August 06 - 08, 2027.

For 2027, The WAMA Pickersfest venue is the Oakview Grange in Centralia, WA.
Please check our Directions page for a map and written directions.

The WAMA Pickersfest is an acoustic music festival that covers a diverse selection of musical genres (i.e., Swing, Choro, Bluegrass, Old-Time, Celtic, Cowboy, Country, 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, the genre schedule, camping details, ticket info, links, and much more.

The WAMA Pickersfest encompasses a wide variety of Acoustic Music Genres. If your band is interested in being considered for WAMA's 2027 fun-filled festival, please submit your request using our Band Submission Form.

Band Submissions accepted until October 31, 2026

Please NOTE: Our band selection process requires bands use our Band Submission Form 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 weekend 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!
The Oakview Grange doesn't have a playground, but there is lots of room for kids to run and play in the camping areas. (Please Note: The grange is very close to busy roads. Please monitor your children for safety!)

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 run, yell, and scream inside the grange hall, 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 camping 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, the genre jam 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, a Cornhole (Corn Toss) game is available to check out.
   
   
2. Can I dance during a music performance?
   YES.  If the music moves you, please feel free to dance. We just ask that you step to the side or back of the auditorium, 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 grange provides folding chairs for performances and activities in the auditorium, and in the kitchen and dining area. The grange doesn't allow outside chairs to be used inside the grange. For outside activities around the grange and camping areas, we suggest you bring your own comfortable lawn chair for your best seating. Please don't take any grange chairs outside. If you're going to be jamming, you might want to bring your music and/or instrument stand,
   
   After sitting for awhile, many people find the folding chairs inside the grange to be a bit hard, so you might want to bring your own chair cushion to be comfortable during performances and other inside activities.
   
   
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 in the grange kitchen dinning area, starting at noon on Friday through Sunday Breakfast.
   
   If you don't care about purchasing the festival food offered at the grange, we suggest you bring the amount and type of food you enjoy eating.
   
   Please, NO food or drinks are allowed in the auditorium.

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!
   
   Camping dates for Pickersfest are from noon on Thursday, the day before the festival, through Sunday, the last day of the festival. The check-out time for Sunday is 1:00 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.   Please check the Tickets page for the price of camping at the festival. Our venue has plenty of room for dry camping. There are mowed grassy areas for rigs and tents, as well as separate areas for tents only.
   
   Please check the Camping page to see an overhead view of the grange camping and parking areas.

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 camp grounds 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 parking area is conveniently located across the entry road on the north side of the grange and on the south side of the grange. We suggest that people who are camping park their non-RV vehicles at their campsites.

Click here to see an overhead view of the Pickersfest festival grounds.

If assistance is needed, please inform volunteers working at the entry gate or information booth for assistance. WAMA may have a golf cart available to transfer guests needing assistance from the parking areas to the entrance of the grange and back.

Grange restrooms are located in the auditorium on the left side of the stage. Portable toilets are located near the camping area and north parking area.

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 Oakview Grange.

There is a small market across the road from the grange that might have an ATM. There is an Umpqua Bank ATM 2.5 miles to the south of the grange. Click this link for to that ATM.

There are about 32 ATMs located around Centralia. That's too many to put links on this page.

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 around Centralia.
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 WAMA 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.)
  
• Grange Concession Stand food is cash only.
  
• Purchase of performer's CDs and other merchandise is cash only.
  

If a need arises, emergency services can quickly be provided from Centralia.

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 grange will have a food concession stand that will be selling a diversified menu of food items and canned drinks, and hopefully morning breakfast dishes. Food is available at the concession stand starting at noon on Friday through noon on Sunday (Sunday breakfast). If this type of food does not meet your needs, we suggest you bring the types of food and drinks you prefer.

1. There are No public phones at the grange. The small market across the road might have a public phone.
   
   
2. Is there good cell phone service at Oakview Grange?
   YES.   Cell service at the grange seems to be OK. if need be, WAMA will be providing 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.   We will have a cell phone USB charging station (USB-A) located in the Grange dining area. near the info booth. Look for a sign indicating where it is.
   (Please provide your own charging cable.)
   
   You might consider bringing an alternate device for charging your phone (i.e., cell phone charging batteries, etc.).

YES.   WAMA provides free WiFi during Pickersfest. This service is available in and around the grange. Since the Wi-Fi internet speed is 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 WiFi connection information can be found in the schedule brochure provided at the entry gate or INFO booth. Also, look for signs with connection information and a connection QR-code.

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 Centralia, WA?
   To find restaurants in and around Centralia, please Click this link.
   
   
2. What grocery stores are in Centralia, WA?
   Click here to see grocery stores in Centralia, WA.
   
   
3. What is there to see and do around Centralia, WA
   Click here to discover Lewis County.

Pickersfest ends at 12:00 noon on the Sunday of the festival.
Checkout for Pickersfest Campers is at 1:00 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!

Camping dates for Pickersfest are Thursday, the day before the festival, through Sunday, the last day of the festival. All camping registration must be paid for at the Pickersfest entry gate.

Check out our Pickersfest Camping page for more information.

NO.   Oakciew Grange has plenty of room for dry camping for only $15 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 1:00 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 Oakview Grange 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.
   
   
3. PLEASE NOTE: No open flame fires are allowed.

1. What RV hookups are available when camping during Pickersfest?
   Oakview Grange 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.   Oakview Grange has plenty of room for rigs this size.
   
   
3. Is there an RV Dump Station near Oakview Grange?
   YES.   Oakview Grange does NOT have an RV Dump Station.
   This is a link to the dump stations near Centralia, WA.

Grange restrooms are located in the auditorium on the left side of the stage. Portable toilets are located near the camping area and north parking area.

There are NO showers at the Oakview Grange.

YES.   During the festival, well-behaved pets are allowed throughout the camping 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. 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.  

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 Centralia, WA?
   To find restaurants in and around Centralia, please Click this link.
   
   
2. What grocery stores are in Centralia, WA?
   Click here to see grocery stores in Centralia, WA.
   
   
3. What is there to see and do around Centralia, WA
   Click here to discover Lewis County.

1. PLEASE NOTE: No open flame fires are allowed.
2. The check-out time for Sunday is 1:00 pm.
3. All campers must stop and register at the Pickersfest entry gate. Please park extra vehicles at your campsite.
4. Well-behaved pets are allowed throughout the festival grounds.
   (Please cleanup after your pets!)
5. The speed limit in the campground and parking area is 5 mph.
6. Please do not climb on or destroy trees.
7. An adult must monitor their children under thirteen years old at all times.
8. Do not feed wild animals or encourage them in the RV park/campground.