Béar Féile Unveils its 2024 Schedule of Events
Béar Féile, the annual event put on by the Dublin Bears returns March 21st to 24th and we have all the details!
Back in the mid 2000’s the bears of Dublin met regularly at clubs like The Furry Glen, Men of the North and LUBE (Leather Uniform Bear Encounter). Some of the more adventurous among them used to go abroad to Bear events and festivals in Belfast, Manchester, Edinburgh and Sitges. Eventually, however, they thought it might be a good idea to start one of these events closer to home, and in March 2010 that’s just what they did when Béar Féile was born!
The goal was to create an event that would reflect the traditional flavor of the many festivals, or Féilí, that were so popular around Ireland throughout the year, but with the typically friendly Bear atmosphere that they had experienced at other bear gatherings abroad. After a lot of discussion and wordplay they finally landed on the name Béar Féile, which is a loose (and not necessarily grammatically correct) Gaelic translation of ‘Bear Festival’ or ‘Bear Fiesta’.
After that they of course needed a logo that would reflect their Celtic Bear culture. Working closely with their friend, graphic designer Glenn Quigley, they created a truly unique emblem which currently adorns their artwork, and even found its way onto a table at Baloo Bar in Torremolinos!
The Dublin Bears then proceeded to create a template for the Béar Féile event itself that had the flexibility within it to vary from year to year. From the very beginning they sought to involve every venue in the Dublin Gay village with an event that suited their individual layouts and ambience.
As Béar Féile grew it attracted guys from all over the world, and the lovable Dublin Bears themselves simultaneously garnered the warm support of other Bear groups and events across the globe becoming the beloved annual event it is today.
And while costs invariably increase as time goes by, the Dublin Bears always strive to keep their prices to a minimum and as such should take pride in offering such good value for your money at their event, the details of which are laid out below.
There will be quite a few highlights over Béar Féile weekend this year, not least of which will be their Welcome Night on Thursday, March 21st, which has become a firm favorite of locals and visitors alike. It is a very relaxed Meet & Greet at the PennyLane Bar in the evening, followed by a late night bop at Bridie’s Bar in The George with tunes from DJ Gerry Moore.
The official opening of the event will take place on Friday and as always it will begin with a ‘Ceili’ or Traditional music session at Street 66 with Booster & friends. This will help set the tone for a warm and welcoming festival for all. It’s also a great warm up for GlitterBear with DJ Martin McCann (The Furry Glen) at DV8 later in the night.
On Saturday they will have the Bear Bus tour with the fabulous Cabaret tour guide, Kris Kapelli and later in the afternoon there will be Disco Bingo, which thanks to the Leathermen of Ireland has now become a staple for Saturday afternoon. Be prepared to sing your heart out to Kylie and Madonna in the quest for great prizes! (Featuring DJ Paddy Fagan.)
The centerpiece of the festival is the Mr. Bear Ireland competition in the Button Factory on Saturday night. The competition is sponsored by The George and presented by The Queen of Ireland, Panti. It’s a very relaxed and fun event and always springs a few surprises. Back by popular demand ABBAesque will be performing live along with the ever-popular DJ Corky providing amazing dance tunes.
To round off the weekend on Sunday, there will be a party at Pantibar with an amazing live act called Lady Riot. Expect lots of songs from Gaga to Pink and everyone in between!
And finally, to wrap things up, you’ll head over to Bear Bingo in The George hosted by Shirley Temple Bar and friends.
Book now for an event you won’t soon forget!
Festival tickets are now on sale at: https://ticketstripe.com/bearfeile2024. (You can also pay on the door for any event.)
