A Look Back at Amsterdam Bear Pride 2023
Amsterdam Bear Pride took place from June 7th through 11th this year to great success. Take a look at our recap and photos from the event and keep a look out for our upcoming interview with Mr. Bear Netherlands 2023!
Speaking to co-founder Dirk Metzlar-Rudolph, we’ve come to understand that Amsterdam Bear Pride was created to replace Amsterdam Bear Weekend, which was one of the casualties of the COVID pandemic. Dirk and the organizer of the Bear-Necessity Party, Sjag Kozak, combined forces to create the new event because they couldn’t stand to see Amsterdam go on without an official bear event, and we’re so grateful they did!
Apparently nearly 2000 bears attended the Bear Necessity party on Saturday June 10th, which is an astonishing amount of attendees! WOOF! All the bears gathered that night to celebrate Pride, friendship and the new Mr. Bear Netherlands, Dany.
Other club and bar events held throughout the weekend included Groovy Growls at The Cuckoo’s Nest, Hairy Balls Bingo at Spijkerbar Amsterdam, the ABP Canal Boat Cruise, the Mr. Bear Netherlands Election at Akhnaton and the Bear Market, the BE(AR) Surprised Party, Bear Pride Brunch, and ABP Bear Cave party at The Web Amsterdam. Dirk has generously provided photos from this year’s festivities which you will see throughout this article.
The next Amsterdam Bear Pride will take place from June 5th -9th, 2024. Dirk recommends booking accommodation outside the city center around the Johan Cruyff Arena or in Noord in order to save some money. As we all know Amsterdam is one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world, especially for queer people on account of their liberal and open-minded policies.
When asked why bears should attend Amsterdam Bear Pride Dirk said:
You’ll meet Bears from all over the world, from the States, from all around Europe, from Africa, you name it. Amsterdam is very international and extremely liberal. You can be your utterly true self here and will make friendships for life.”
If you do happen to visit Amsterdam before Bear Pride, you’ll still find plenty to do as a bear:
“Unfortunately, Amsterdam doesn’t have a dedicated bear bar, but The Web comes very close. Every third Sunday of the month there is a Bear Social. Furthermore, Cuckoo’s Nest, Eagle Amsterdam and Spijkerbar are quite popular among the Bears. Every Monday lots of bears also attend Big Monday at Dirty Dicks, and every last Saturday of the month there’s a Bear Sauna in Sauna NZ.”
For more information on Amsterdam Bear Pride 2024, head over to their website.
Make sure to also follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
