2025 Ozarhoma Rainbow Gathering

  We, the Rainbow Family of Living Light, peacefully assembled as Vision Counsel, in the Mark Twain National Forest on the land, at the site of the 54th Annual Rainbow Gathering, in 2025, have lovingly reached consensus on the following:    We invite all beings to cocreate the 55th Annual Rainbow Gathering from July 1-7, 2026, and to participate in a silent prayer and meditation for peace from dawn until noon on the fourth day of July, in a national forest in the lands currently known as Pennsylvania or New York.    We lovingly invite all Indigenous and Native peoples of Turtle Island to join us in love and peace and solidarity. We recognize that all lands in this region are traditional Indigenous lands, and we invite your guidance to respect these sacred lands in a good way.    We gratefully acknowledge the indispensable aid of veterans of foreign wars in visioning and creating the Rainbow Gathering we cherish today. We invite all veterans to join us...

 For those who received a citation from the Forest Service, please read.  This is based on what we learned from the citations issued in California 2024. I can't guarantee everything will be identical, but it does seem to be so.  Most of the citations issued read "Mandatory Court Appearance" but did not list a court date. The citation indicated you would be mailed a court date. In approximately 2-4 weeks, you can go to the website listed on the back of the ticket, enter your citation # and additional information and then the website will list how much the ticket costs.    For most of these tickets, there will be a dollar amount listed that you can pay before your court date in lieu of going to court in Springfield, Missouri or possibly St. Louis, Missouri.  If you want to fight your ticket, you will have to go to your court date for arraignment. In 2024, we had to appear in person for arraignment. However, you can call the Clerk of the Court for more in...

Lost People Every year people go to the gathering and their loved ones worry.  Just a reminder, that in the mountains, we often don't have cell reception and even if there is some service near the gathering, it varies by cell service. Plus, phone run out of batteries, get dropped in the mud, or get lost. If you haven't heard from your friends and/or family since they went into the gathering, odds are they are still down in the gathering and can't call you due to one of the above reasons. Again, on the road where the cars and cops are is the area where problems occur. We strongly recommend that people stay inside the gathering. Going in and out increases a persons risk of a negative experience with law enforcement. Again, people on the land will strongly suggest to your loved one that they stay inside the gathering until it's over.  This may mean that you won't hear from your loved one for a couple of weeks. That being said, if you're going to the gathering, call...

The Basics  First, drink water, drink water, drink water. Put an  electrolyte powder in your water at least a couple of times a day.  Make sure you are drinking a minimum of one gallon of non- alcoholic liquids a day. Alcohol  dehydrates people. Think about your pets. They don't sweat so pour water over them to help reduce their body temperature.   Bring extra electrolyte powder to share! During the middle of the day, all creatures, human and non-human, should stay in the shade and rest.  Please do not overdue it.    The Symptoms to watch for:   Heat exhaustion Heat stroke High body temperature between 101 F (38.3 C) and 104 F (40 C). High body temperature above 104 F (40 C). Pale skin. Dry, red skin. Muscle cramps. Inability to sweat. Headaches. Seizures. Dizziness. Dizziness or fainting. Weakness and fatigue. Slurred speech. Rapid breathing and increased heart rate. Hallucinations and altered mental state. Nausea and vomiting. Co...

Bad Tent Location - Too Close to surface water ( Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/meganpru/5914413517/ ) Creeks, rivers, lakes and other surface water provide water for animals in the area and spawning grounds for fish.  Water is the heart of the ecosystem. When folks disrespect the lake, they disrespect the land on which we gather as well as the heart of the gathering itself. While one or two people swimming in a lake or river can have minimal impact, when there are a few thousand of us, we can negatively impact the lake or river if we do not take the same precautions our local public pool requires. Tips & Tricks for protecting the creeks, rivers, and lakes Grab a bucket of water and rinse off at least 300 feet away from the lake, stream, and or creek and where the water won't run back into the water.  This helps remove sunscreens, tick repellent including natural remedies, and skin oils that are harmful to the lake and the creatures that live there. Do...

  Updated information will be posted here as it becomes available over the next week or so. Check back frequently as information will be refined. New directions may be added. Existing directions may be clarified.   Site specific information will be added. Last updated Wednesday, July 2nd at 10:30  AM Central Time.     I was at the site until approximately 10:30 PM on July 1st. This is what I know.   This gathering is so sweet, I cried at dinner circle last night. Lot's of love and hugs. Great tasting food.   Medical is coming together and supplies seem to be taken care of.    Great places to get into very cold water including off dinner circle / main meadow which is really a lovely clearing under a bunch of shade trees. Thank you family for clearing this space.    There is parking available off FS Road 4150 . For those who have cars that can take parking on the side of the road there is parking on FS Road 3173. A shuttle was ...

 Today's guest post comes from Carla We call them Rainbow Gatherings, not Rainbow Festivals, for good reason. Here’s why.  I suppose new folks have noticed by now that regular gatherers are very picky about word choices. Take, for example, the term “festival.” If someone calls the gathering “The Rainbow Festival,” they usually get jumped on and corrected, sometimes quite rudely, and almost always without explanation. So I will attempt to explain.  Technically, the gathering does fall under the general definition of a “festival,” which in many countries means a local community-wide religious or cultural observance. However, in the U.S., “festival” has a very specific meaning, and it has nothing to do with local tradition. “Festivals” here are highly commercial, usually focused around several-day music or themed events. There are ticket sales and entry gates and lots of vendors selling food, drink, and merch. The people attending go as passive observers, and have a wonderfu...