Recapping North American Bear 2025

North American Bear (NAB) Weekend 2025: Bears in the Barnyard took place last weekend in Lexington, Kentucky and had a stellar turnout! Over 1700 attendees from across the nation filled the host hotl and two overflow hotels for a weekend of fun, frolic and camaraderie.

The event featured lots of talent and entertainment from the likes of comedians Marquis the Honey Bear & Joseph Schles, Divine Holeburn who hosted her Divine Intervention Drag Game Show and DJ Castle (Zayne Williams) & DJ HazMat (Matthew Christopherson) who were at the turntables all weekend.

Of course the main event was the naming of the new North American Bear title family. The contest featured eight contestants with three title winners: North American Bear Cliff Boyd, North American Cub TooMuchNeon and North American Pet Pup Julius. There was no North American Mama Bear this year.

In addition, the Victor Rodriguez-Routt “Espiritu del Oso” Award was given to Karen Stormbringer at the event while the recipient of the Jack G. Hinkle Memorial Award, was Benita Bloom.

North American Bear will return to Lexington next year from February 12-15, 2026 with the theme of “Bear-O-Vision. The Marriott Griffin Gate Resort & Spa will serve as the host hotel with rooms starting at &156/ night plus tax. Run passes start at $169 and registration will being on April 1, 2025.

For more information head to www.nabweekend.com