Rainbow Family Gathering to Occur

I remember the Rainbow People visiting our area in the past, but I never met anyone. Sharing as a local update.  

Rainbow Family Gathering to Occur 

Allegheny National Forest Chosen for Regional Gathering

 

Warren, PA, June 25, 2021 – The Rainbow Family of Living Light has chosen the Allegheny National Forest for a regional gathering. The gathering is taking place in the vicinity of Forest Road 339 on the Marienville Ranger District. The event will coincide with the Fourth of July holiday, and participants have already begun arriving. The forest will experience the highest concentration of participants during the first week of July. The Rainbow Family is a loose-knit group of people from throughout the USA and other countries. Each summer they hold a national gathering to pursue social and spiritual activities and pray for world peace. Since 1972, the event has taken place on a different national forest each year.

 The Rainbow Family chose Carson National Forest in New Mexico as their 2021 national gathering location. National Crowds range from 2,000 to 10,000 visitors. This year there are also simultaneous regional gatherings occurring nationwide. Attendance could reach 1,000 or more participants at the gathering on the Allegheny National Forest. “We understand there may be impacts to our local communities and our forest visitors,” said Rob Fallon, Marienville District Ranger. “We will work with our partners to minimize the effects on our neighbors and the environment. All visitors to the national forest are expected to obey federal, state, and local laws and regulations, and we take the equitable enforcement of these laws seriously.”

 

A resource design criteria for the event will address concerns about health and safety, watershed protection, natural resource protection, and rehabilitation of the event site before the group leaves. The Forest Service activated an incident management team with experience managing these types of events. The team is working in unified command with local authorities to lessen environmental impacts to the site by providing information and enforcing laws.

 

An event of this size can have significant impacts on traffic, communities, local resources, residents, and visitors. Local businesses can expect to see Rainbow Family participants visiting stores and buying food and supplies along routes to the gathering site. Roads on the Allegheny National Forest in Elk County are expected to become congested during the event. Please travel with caution, obey traffic laws, and consider recreating in less visited areas of the forest. For additional information about the Rainbow Family gathering on Allegheny National Forest please call the incident information line 814-313-4525.