International Bears Week Sitges
About This Event
Sitges Bears Week is the September gathering that fills this small Catalan beach town, about 40 minutes by train from Barcelona, with bears, cubs and chasers. It is run by the Association Bears Sitges, whose founder and president is Lluís Ramírez. Sources disagree on when the first Bears Week was held: one says the late 1990s, others give 2000 or 2006, so we've left the year blank. Bear World Magazine counted more than 7,000 bears and chasers at the 2018 edition, from the US, UK, France, Austria, Germany and Australia.
The week runs for about ten days in the first half of September. Evenings centre on the Bear Village of bars, and past programs have included a welcome party, an official Bear Week dinner, a retro night, a White Party at Disco Organic, a ten-hour BBQ, nights for visiting groups such as Prague Bears and French Bears, and the beART art show. The Mr. Bear Sitges contest is the headline event. Outside promoters run their own nights too: in 2026 London's BEEFMINCE took over the Bear Cave at Club Mambo, the town's biggest club, from 9 to 13 September, with tickets sold through bearsevents.com. A smaller spring edition takes place around the 1 May weekend.
Book accommodation as early as you can, because Sitges is small and the week takes over the town. Trains run from Barcelona's Passeig de Gràcia and Sants stations on the R2 Sud line. In past editions the week has run across two weekends, so check which nights your must-see parties fall on before you book flights.
The 2026 edition ran from 4 to 13 September, according to listings that say they checked organiser channels. The 2027 dates hadn't been announced when we checked. bearssitges.org is where they will appear first.
Where to stay during International Bears Week Sitges
via Stay22Schedule & Sub-Events
+ Add Event
Sitges Bears Week 2027
Sitges Bears Week 2027 takes place from the 6th to the 12th of September with more than 10,000+ Bears and admirers descending upon the village.
Practical Tips
Book Sitges accommodation months out — the town genuinely sells out and rack rates climb week by week as September nears.
Bear Village opens at 21:00 and runs to 03:00 (03:30 Fri/Sat); pace your first night so you're not fried by the Mr Bear Sitges finale.
Take the R2 Sud coastal train from Barcelona — you'll see the Mediterranean the whole way and skip motorway traffic.
Each night carries a different theme, then everyone rolls to Scandal on Calle Bonaire for the official after-party.
Videos
BOY BEACH - Provincetown's Gay Nude Beach
