Since 1994 the bears have been descending on San Francisco on President's Day weekend, and this weekend is no different. Bear aficionados who have been around for a while will remember the International Bear Rendezvous and its predecessor Bear Expo, but SF Bear Weekend is a grassroots event driven by social media, rather than a traditional sponsor or any of the trappings of a traditional bear event.
Returning for its third year, SF Bear Weekend promises a chance for fun and frolic with all sorts of bears, cubs, and other creatures. Planned for the weekend are a series of bar nights, beer busts, dance parties, and other events designed to carry on San Francisco's bear traditions.
According to organizer Shaun Tierney, the idea for SF Bear Weekend came to him in 2011. "The idea hit me during the last International Bear Rendezvous. I looked around and seemed to me that much of the fun of IBR could still happen if we just decided to - well, party anyway."
And party they will. To celebrate Bear Weekend, there are events spread across the entire weekend, starting with the Welcome Party on Friday, February 14 at SF Eagle, and going practically non-stop until Monday. In between, expect a wide range of events, from a Saturday beer bust at the Lone Star, to several large-scale dance parties, including the return of SF's legendary Honey Soundsystem for a Saturday night blowout at Beatbox.
Similar events often come with an official sponsor, schedule of events, and an expensive pre-paid "tag," but the SF Bear Weekend website proudly boasts having none of these trappings of a traditional bear event. Tierney says that the loose format of Bear Weekend was based in his own experience with previous events.
"My inspiration was largely based on the fact that I'd attended four IBRs and never bought dog tags, went to official events or even visited the host hotel - though I did drop a scruffy cub off at his hotel at 4 a.m. once. To me, the fun of IBR wasn't Kathy Griffin shows or Bear Bingo. It was the crowds of guys!"
Fitting with its "2.0? logo, SF Bear Weekend is a reinvention of the bear event, relying on Facebook and the website (www.SFBearWeekend.com) to get the word out about the festivities. Without an official sponsor, anyone is free to create an event during Bear Weekend. Tierney says, "Anyone who wants to have a Bear Weekend event can put it on the schedule. The only requirement is they do their best to make it fun! Dog tags or any kind of paid registration just don't fit into the simplified, '2.0? structure that SF Bear Weekend has adopted."
In addition to the parties and events designed to bring people together, Bear Weekend will be connecting people via their website. New for this year is a BearMail chat feature that users will be able to access via smartphone. Guests will be able to go to m.sfbw.info on their phones to get an ID which they can write on their SFBW Name Tag. They can then send messages and photos to anyone else they see with an ID.
There's no official charity for SF Bear Weekend, but that doesn't mean that Tierney and event organizers aren't giving back.
"Charities are encouraged to work together with promoters and venues to raise money at SFBW events," he said. "In fact, I'd love to see more involvement from charities. Actually, I'd love to see more involvement from just about anyone! BOSF, which is a non-profit, is having several events this year. Also some proceeds from Pound Puppy at the SF Eagle will be going to the SFPCA. "
We asked Tierney what makes SF Bear Weekend different from some of the other events on the bear social circuit, and he touted the event's homegrown nature.
"Hello? It's San Francisco! We've got The Castro, and more gay bars than I'm even aware of!"
Tierney added, "A community worked together to save its 'Bear Weekend.' If there's one thing I want people to understand, it's that SF Bear Weekend is about having having fun. That is, in fact, my sole motivation. The only thing I ask in return is that you come enjoy it with me. And bring five friends!"
SF Bear Weekend: Fri., Feb. 14 - Mon., Feb. 17. For schedules and event listings, visit www.SFBearWeekend.com.