A Glimpse Into the Bangkok Bear Scene and Pride Parade
The bears came out to celebrate Pride in Bangkok, Thailand earlier this month and we have the pics to prove it!
Nothing pleases us more at BWM than when we hear from our bear brothers from around the world, telling us what they are up to. Our friend Karin S., also known as Dream Bear hit us up to let us know that nearly 300 bears took part in the Bangkok Pride Parade on June 4th and he sent us a bunch of photos to share with you!
According to Karin, this is the first time the bears have joined the Pride celebrations as a group. The Thai LGBTQ+ community aren’t as familiar with bear culture as other places, so there is a lack of representation for the community; but the Thai Bears are taking a huge step forward in changing that by showcasing their visibility and showing up!
The group was called together with very short notice, only 3 days, but in that limited time to get ready, they had a great turn out. The trouble is, there is no official bear organization in Bangkok. The group was put together by some ambitious bears and quick word of mouth.
Anxious to learn more, we asked Karin about the bear scene, in general, in Bangkok. Apparently, there are two main bars in Bangkok that are servicing the bear community:
Hugs Bar located at Silom 4 Alley which is mainly a bear karaoke bar but also does monthly dance parties with cover charges.
Kuma City Camp Bear Zone located at Silom near 12 Alley which is a bar, karaoke, disco and massage space spread out over six floors. The owners of this venue also throw the Bangkok Twilight Foam & Pool party during the Songkran Festival in April. Check out video from this year’s Twilight Party below:
We certainly look forward to hearing more from the Thai Bears and will update you as we learn more. For now, the best way to keep up with the Bangkok Bear scene is the Kuma City Camp Bear Zone Facebook page.
Ḥòng!! (Woof!!)
