Since 1972, the Rainbow Family of Living Light has gathered in forests and mountains around the world to pray for peace and live, for a time, as a community without money, leaders or admission. Much of that history was never written down; it lives instead in home movies, campfire recordings, news clips and the memories of those who were there. Rainbow Videography brings together 522 of those videos, selected from publicly available sources on YouTube, and arranges them into 18 topics that can be followed in order from beginning to end or explored on their own. The collection moves from first introductions and the founding gathering, through five decades of National Gatherings and the 50th-anniversary Jubilee, out to regional, European and World Gatherings, into the daily life, music, faith and personal stories of the Family, and finally to how the press has seen it. Each topic page opens with an overview and lists its videos with a short description, so visitors can find a place to begin whether they are new to the gatherings or have been coming home for years.
Welcome Home: What Is a Rainbow Gathering? (16 videos) - Short explainers and practical guides that answer the first questions everyone asks: what a Rainbow Gathering is, why people go, and how to find one.
Roots: The First Gathering and Its Founders (8 videos) - The Rainbow Family's origin story, told through footage of the first 1972 gathering in Colorado and interviews with the founders and early participants who were there.
Archive Reels: The 1970s to the 1990s (26 videos) - Rare archival films and home movies from the 1970s through the 1990s, including the 1978 'Experience the Rainbow' film and the 1979 Arizona Gathering of the Tribes.
The National Gatherings, 2000 to 2009 (26 videos) - A year-by-year look at the U.S. National Gatherings of the 2000s, from Idaho and West Virginia to Wyoming 2008 and the New Mexico gathering famous for its 2009 double rainbow.
The National Gatherings, 2010 to 2012 (37 videos) - The early 2010s National Gatherings in Pennsylvania, Washington and Tennessee, when smartphones and YouTube put the gathering on camera as never before.
The National Gatherings, 2013 to 2019 (38 videos) - The National Gatherings from Montana in 2013 through Utah, the Black Hills, Vermont, Oregon, Georgia and Wisconsin, as the gathering grew more visible and more contested.
The 50th Anniversary: Colorado 2022 (32 videos) - The 2022 'Jubilee' in Colorado's Routt National Forest, marking fifty years since the first gathering, seen from the road in, the meadows and camps, and the long goodbye.
Beyond Fifty: Gatherings of the 2020s (25 videos) - The gatherings around the anniversary, from the pandemic summer of 2020 and Taos in 2021 to New Hampshire in 2023 and the contested California gathering of 2024.
Regional Gatherings Across the United States (20 videos) - Smaller regional gatherings held throughout the year across the United States, especially the winter gatherings in Florida's Ocala National Forest.
European Rainbow Gatherings (52 videos) - Rainbow Gatherings across Europe, from Portugal and Greece to Sweden and Belgium, including the songs and films that came out of the annual European gathering.
Asia and the Middle East: From Nepal to Turkey (41 videos) - Rainbow Gatherings across Asia and the Middle East, from Thailand, India and the 2023 World Gathering in Nepal to Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia, Israel, Turkey, Georgia and Morocco.
The Americas and Oceania: From Palenque to New Zealand (21 videos) - Rainbow Gatherings in Canada, Mexico and Central and South America, and on to Australia and New Zealand, including the ceremonial World Gatherings at Palenque.
Inside the Village: Kitchens, Healing, Trade & Ritual (36 videos) - How the temporary village actually works, from volunteer kitchens and herbal first aid to the Trade Circle, the Morning of Silence and the July 4th Om for world peace.
Songs Around the Fire: Music of the Rainbow (52 videos) - The songs and chants passed from campfire to campfire at Rainbow Gatherings, in classic recordings, live performances and modern versions of the songs.
Documentaries, Films & Books (17 videos) - Feature-length documentaries, multi-part films and books that try to capture the whole Rainbow Gathering experience, from 'We Love You' to 'Growing Up Rainbow' and scholarly studies.
Voices of the Family: Stories & Conversations (20 videos) - Personal stories, memories and long conversations with the people who live and grew up in the Rainbow Family, in their own words.
Faith Camps & Spiritual Outreach (16 videos) - The spiritual camps and faith communities found within the gathering, including Jerusalem Camp, the Hare Krishna camp and Christian outreach.
In the Headlines: News, Law Enforcement & Controversy (39 videos) - How the outside world sees the gatherings, through local TV news, encounters with the Forest Service and police, disputes over community impact, and cleanup.