Rainbow Gathering

Festival Location: Somewhere In, ID, USA

Festival State: Idaho Festivals

Festival Type(s): Folk Festivals, Folk Music Festivals

By: © Nelson Taylor 2009

The first Rainbow Gathering was held in 1972 -- a result of both the peace movement and the back-to-the-land movement getting together to throw a celebration. Part of that first invitation reads as follows: "We, who are brothers and sisters, children of God, families of life on earth, friends of nature and of all people, children of humankind calling ourselves Rainbow Family Tribe, humbly invite: all races, peoples, tribes, communes, men, women, children, individuals -- out of love, all nations and national leaders -- out of respect, all religions and religious leaders -- out of faith, all politicians -- out of charity to join with us in gathering together for the purpose of expressing our sincere desire that there shall be peace on earth, harmony among all people."

What began as a one-time event has grown into an annual gathering of 20,000 tree-huggers, taking place every first week of July in a different national forest every year. But the entire event can last over two months, as hundreds of people show up early to help set-up and stay late to break down. The Rainbow movement has no doubt swept the nation. Handfuls upon handfuls of smaller gatherings occur across the nation year round. (Since Jerry is dead, any time you see a throng of VW microbuses tooling down the highway, chances are there's a Rainbow Gathering near.) There are no membership qualifications, no fees or dues, no leaders, and virtually no rules other than one of peaceful respect.

As the gathering takes place in the wilderness, people are asked to bring their own tent, sleeping bag, eating utensils, and whatever else he or she thinks might add to the collective good of the gathering. Most often this is just a willing pair of hands to volunteer at one of the kitchens or a guitar to add song to someone's step. While all of the food is free, family members are encouraged to donate to the Magic Hat, which is passed around after every meal. Otherwise people might drum, dance, go on nature walks, search for wild herbs and mushrooms, barter, hang out, meditate, chant, talk politics or take part in body, mind and spirit healing exercises.

Locations for this annual event are not released until several months before the actual event. All I know is that right now the Rainbow Gathering for 2000 is scheduled for "somewhere in Idaho." But the family is very good about spreading the word. They have a massive presence online, which offers everything from maps to forest service messages to weather reports to rideshare information.