Mental health tips to help you make the most of Sitges Bear Week
An Instagram post has sparked debate about what goes on at bear festivals.
Mark
A posting on Instagram has sparked debate about the best way to approach Bear Week in Sitges, Spain.
The annual event takes place for ten days at the beginning of September. There’s also a smaller bear long-weekend event in the town at the start of May. Sitges is around a 30-minute train ride from Barcelona.
The September festival is easily the biggest such gathering in Europe and attracts between 6,000-8,000 bears from across the continent and beyond. The ‘Bear Village’ section of town is literally rammed with big, hairy guys in the evening and the gay stretch of Balmins Beach is full during the day. Some men return year after year.
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However, it helps to approach with the right attitude, according to artist and art director Alexander McKinney-Raphelt (@art_zaddy and mckinney-raphelt.com).
“Bear pressure cooker”
Alexander posted a series of cartoon panels to his Instagram, based on him and his husband, Will (@txbeef86). The two men have attended Sitges Bear Week several times.
Advice offered includes, “You will always be ‘option b’. Don’t take it personal if someone looks past you mid-chat or ghosts … courtesy goes out of the window.”
“And the apps? Forget it. Don’t waste time making plans. The ‘Bearlebrities’ will be there… and will 100% ignore you. Just be spontaneous.”
“FOMO [Fear Of Missing Out] fuels everything: best party, secret beach, hottest crowd. Ignore the chase. Do your thing – don’t let anxiety set your schedule.”
There’s also a recommendation to get plenty of sleep and keep properly hydrated (“Sangria ain’t Red Bull”).
“Most important: Accept you might not hook up. That’s real. Lift your gaze – Sitges and Spain are beautiful.”
“Be social, be kind. The scene can be loud, fun, overwhelming. Tap out if you need to. And remember – Sitges is a real town, not just a beach darkroom.”
The last point refers to the fact that the bears have been known to get frisky in public spaces, to the understandable chagrin of some locals. Few people want to open their front door to find a couple of drunken, chunky tourists getting down to business on their doorstep. Organizers have previously implored attendees to be mindful of not upsetting the townsfolk.
“Only took me 30 years to learn these wise lessons”
In the comments, many applauded the message and added a few points of their own.
“The way to go about it for all events!” said one. “Lots of OFF creators attend these events [so] don’t be mad if they can’t get you cause this is their busy window to get lots of content for their business too. Something to also keep in mind.”
“That’s my attitude for ALL Bear events tbh and I’m happy I allow myself to enjoy myself and my surroundings when they happen without the pressure of self imposed expectations,” agreed another.
“It only took me 30 years to learn these wise lessons 
thanks for sharing with our younger community members,” added a third.
“Wild expectations”
GayCities reached out to Alexander to ask him about his own Bear Week experiences and what prompted this cartoon.
“I’ve been to Bearweek plenty of times. I remember when it was still a small, intimate gathering — hotels were cheap back then, and Sitges was still kind of a hidden gem for most travelers. We still love the event, even though it’s grown huge. Sadly, this year we’ve got to work (turns out being gay is expensive). But we’ll be back next year!”
“The comic I made came out of countless chats with friends and fellow Bearweek-goers. Social media has built up such wild expectations around the event. I just wanted to share a few tips and bits of wisdom that made my own experience a lot easier — and way less stressful.”
If you’ve never been to Bear Week in Sitges, it’s hard to comprehend quite how busy it gets. The hotels in the town center get booked up many months in advance. Many attendees arrive determined to have as much uninhibited fun as they can squeeze out of their stay.
“Sitges Bearweek can be intense, especially toward the end when people get cranky and realize they’re about to head back to their cold northern countries — without the hot bears they just met,” says Alexander. “But Sitges is special: it still feels social and open in a way that other, more curated overseas events don’t. There’s less pressure to spend, stay in the ‘right’ hotel, or follow a script. Make the most of that freedom!” he advises.
Sitges Bear Week 2025
This year’s Bear Week Sitges, its 24th “anny-BEAR-sary”, runs from September 5-14.
The event includes bar crawls around the Bears Village, sauna parties, cultural tours of Sitges, a Bears Market, sunbathing at three different beaches (Gay Bassa Rodona Beach by the Pique Nique Chillout, Balmins Beach by La Caleta Beach Bar, and Fragata Beach by Iguana Beach Bar). There’s a rooftop-set sunset Tea Dance and appearances from international clubs, such as London’s wonderful Beef Mince, among many, many other parties.
Related
Meet the Bears of Sitges
The event now attracts around 5,000 men from around the globe – with many increasingly making the journey from the US.
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