Picture an empty field that suddenly turns into a tent city with more people than many towns have residents. That's what happens at the largest Pathfinder Camporees. But exactly how many people are we talking about? The numbers circulate by word of mouth, sometimes inflated, sometimes confused. So we went straight to official Adventist sources to present, with full transparency, the biggest Camporees in history, and to clearly state where the data is an estimate or where sources disagree.
Two Giants: South America and North America
Before the numbers, an important and honest clarification: there is no single, truly worldwide Campori that brings together every Pathfinder on the planet at once. The major Camporees are organized by division of the Adventist Church. So when someone talks about the "largest Campori in the world," the fairest comparison is between the giants of each region.
Two stand out by a wide margin. On one side, the South American Campori, held by the South American Division and famous for drawing hundreds of thousands of people to Barretos, in the interior of Sao Paulo state. On the other, the International Pathfinder Camporee, run by the North American Division, which for years filled Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and in 2024 moved to Gillette, Wyoming.
Each has its own logic and its own numbers, and both rank among the largest youth camps in the world, Adventist or not.
The South American Campori: The Largest by Headcount
When it comes to sheer size, the South American Campori leads the way. According to official Adventist news outlets, the V Campori, held in Barretos, Sao Paulo, in January 2019 under the theme "The Best Adventure," brought together more than 100,000 children and teenagers from eight South American countries.
It's worth being transparent about how that total was counted: it was split across two phases, each with roughly 50,000 participants from different age groups, held at the Parque do Peao fairgrounds in Barretos. It wasn't 100,000 people camped out simultaneously on the same day, but combined, the event mobilized that impressive number.
And the next one promises to be even bigger. The VI South American Campori, announced by the South American Division for January 2027, again in Barretos, projects around 120,000 children and teenagers, a figure that, according to the division itself, would make it the largest gathering of its kind for Pathfinders in the world. Since this is a forecast for a future event, it's best treated as an official estimate, not a confirmed number.
"The camp, designed for 120,000 children and teenagers, focuses on discipleship, mission, and strengthening Pathfinder identity."Adventist News (adventistas.org), on the VI South American Campori
The International Pathfinder Camporee: Oshkosh and Gillette
In North America, the giant is the International Pathfinder Camporee, held every five years by the North American Division. For more than two decades it had a fixed home in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, at the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) airport grounds.
The growth has been remarkable. The "Faith on Fire" Camporee, in 2004, brought together more than 31,000 participants from 83 countries. Then "Chosen," in 2019, drew more than 55,000 people from around 100 countries, the largest gathering ever held in Oshkosh at that point, with a total of 1,311 baptisms recorded during the week.
In 2024, the event changed address. The ninth International Pathfinder Camporee, themed "Believe the Promise," took place in Gillette, Wyoming, from August 5 to 11, and brought together more than 60,000 participants from over 100 countries, a record for the North American international series.
So Who's the Biggest? An Honest Comparison
If the question is "which Campori drew the most people?", the answer, based on the official numbers available, points to the South American Campori in Barretos: 100,000 in 2019 and a projected 120,000 for 2027 exceed, in total volume, the North American record of 60,000 in Gillette.
But the comparison needs care. The South American figure adds up two phases with different attendees over nearly two weeks, while the North American figure gathers everyone in the same week. These are metrics that don't line up perfectly. Calling one "bigger" always requires explaining how each total was counted.
There are also division-level Camporees in other regions, plus large union and country-level Camporees, that draw tens of thousands and rarely make it into international statistics. The full picture is richer than a single ranking.
"More than 60,000 young people, from over 100 countries, attended the ninth International Pathfinder Camporee, in Gillette, Wyoming."North American Division (nadadventist.org), on the 2024 Camporee
More Than Numbers: What These Camporees Really Mean
Behind every figure are thousands of stories. Families that save all year, clubs that travel for days by bus, volunteer leaders who set up massive infrastructure, and young people who live out some of the most memorable experiences of their lives. The numbers only impress because they translate into real people gathered around the same faith.
So the next time you read "100,000" or "60,000" in a Campori headline, remember two things: first, that it's worth checking the source and the way it was counted; second, that every single dot in an aerial photo is a Pathfinder with a name, dreams, and a tent to pitch. And that's what truly makes these gatherings so great.