Every year, the Rainbow Family of Living Light descend on public lands for what they call a Rainbow Gathering. Who are they? Described as a “counterculture,” they have no official leadership; many are nomadic. Some people shrug them off, simply describing them as hippies. But it’s hard to dismiss them with a shrug when the Rainbow People by the thousands show up on public lands near you. Hang on, this year thousands are heading for Plumas National Forest in Northern California. And not everyone in the area is happy about it.
Unauthorized events
The Rainbow Family got its start in the 1970s and, perhaps influenced by the music festival, Woodstock, later began holding annual gatherings. Thousands—between 8,000 and up to 20,000—gather on public land to commune and pray for world peace. Their gathering this year in Plumas National Forest is, like all of their gatherings, an unauthorized event.
We could draw on another big counterculture festival that happens every year. Smack in the middle of BLM land in Nevada, the Burning Man Festival likewise draws thousands. But unlike “Rainbow Gatherings,” as the Family calls them, Burning Man is authorized. And Burning Man organizers pay the BLM a permit fee of $750,000 for their event. The Rainbow Family holds that paying a fee to gather on public lands is a First Amendment rights violation, and doesn’t pay. In 2006, the U.S. Forest Service said it cost the agency $750,000 to “monitor” a Rainbow gathering.
The Rainbow people are coming, despite concerns
Fee or no fee, the Rainbow people say they’re going to Plumas the first week of July. Locals, particularly tribal nations, are worried bad things will happen. The Rainbow gathering is set to take place on Susanville Indian Rancheria ancestral lands.
Representatives from the Rainbow Gathering met with tribal members earlier this week to discuss their plans, Scott Dixon told sfgate.com. Dixon is the tribe’s emergency services coordinator. Tribal council still isn’t convinced that the land will be left unharmed once the event is through. “They said they’re going to be light on the land, but we all know that with thousands of people, that’s not going to be light,” Dixon added. “They’re going to leave a footprint, and it’s going to take a while for the land to come back from that and be natural again.”
RVers whose long-ago travels to Quartzsite, Arizona, might recall Rainbow Family gatherings on BLM land near one of the Long Term Visitor Areas. Some locals claim that the Rainbow gatherings were so damaging, that the BLM later prohibited anyone from using the area—discouraging both the Rainbow people and visiting RVers.
Tribe begs group to reconsider
The Susanville Indian Rancheria wasn’t happy with the outcome of the meeting with Rainbow Family representatives. They sent the group a letter begging them to reconsider their plans. “We are recommending that the proposed 2024 Rainbow Gathering take place outside of SIR’s ancestral lands due to the egregious damage and irreparable harm that would result to our places of traditional cultural and religious importance,” the letter reads. Dixon says the letter had no effect.
Arrests, citations, and warnings
Another “tribe,” if you will, the U.S. government isn’t happy with the Plumas plan. “It’s a challenge for us,” said Hilary Markin, in the piece carried by sfgate. Markin is a spokesperson for the Forest Service’s national incident management team. “The Rainbow Family, unfortunately, has consistently refused to comply with our permit process during these national gatherings.”
The Rainbow Family says that because they have no official spokesperson or representative, nobody can speak or work on a permit request. In the past, no Rainbow gatherings have been officially recognized. The unpermitted events garner hundreds of citations handed out to those at the gatherings.
In 2023, the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire was the group’s chosen venue. Six arrests, 116 violation notices, and 270 written warnings were noted there. Alcohol- and drug-related acts, damaging natural resources, and interfering with law enforcement activities were typical write-ups. There were around 2,200 at White Mountain. The Forest Service expects more than 10,000 at Plumas.
The 4th of July week will indeed be memorable. The Rainbow People will be at Northern California’s Plumas National Forest. It could be a great week for RVers to gather, too. Maybe at Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
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I’ve seen first hand how destructive these people are to the environment and local businesses. They (and I’m including everyone who went) stole groceries, gas, camping supplies to the point that businesses had to ban these people. And after they were gone, they never helped to pay or even help repair the damage they did. It took 5 years before that area came back. The fact that they don’t care about permits or what the tribe thinks tells you everything about this group.
This same group was up here in Central Oregon a few years back in the Ochoco National Forest. Same old story – tons of wannabes swoop in, tear up the land and forest, then leave and nothing gets cleaned up or damages repaired by them. The group does not have a good reputation and should be held accountable for damages they inflict on public lands.
I am just glad they are not coming to Colorado this year!
Since there are no permits, are we to assume that there are no requirements for outhouses or other sanitary stations?
Thank you, Russ and Tina! 🙂 Wow! I have never heard of this group. I do applaud them praying for world peace. However, it seems that they haven’t any particular concern for the effect of such a large gathering. 🙁 They should transition this activity, event from an in-person deal to a virtual one. 🙂 Thanks again, have a great week, and SAFE travels! 🙂
Wow! You’ve never heard of the Rainbow gatherings?!? They’ve only been around since the early ’70’s… and as Fernweh Ric so eloquently stated above, they’re really a bunch of charlatans only acting like they pray for peace. Modern day gypsies really.
Nope. Never had an inkling. But, frankly, from 1972 until about 2012 (about then I refocused on RVs and RVing), I paid attention to little (nothing?) beyond distance running, so lots of (all?) aspects of popular culture over a 40-year period are entirely unknown and foreign to me. So, I’ll guess that they have never made it into East Tennessee. Thanks, MattD! Have a great weekend and safe travels! 🙂
These thieves, beggars, and degenerates and criminals have been coming to the Ocala National Forest in Florida for years. They are dirty nasty low lives that steal from businesses, destroy the forest and have been known to murder. They are not peaceful at all. They are lunatics that don’t work and live from begging and stealing.
They came to the Cherokee National forest in East TN some years back , it was a disaster to say the least .
The Plumas National Forest supervisor shut it down. Google “Plumas Sun” for the details.
I read it, good article, sounds like that forest service group took the action a number of others need to do! Good for them.
Yep. gave ’em 48 hours to get out.
Apparently, they operate like other illegal groups. No ‘official’ organization so no one person can be held accountable for damage. Investigate. Determine the hidden leadership & arrest/incarcerate.