Brighton Bear Weekend

Brighton Bear Weekend returns from Friday 9 July to Sunday 11 July 2027, marking its 17th year. It's the south coast's biggest bear event of the summer, and it kicks off a day early with a bear-themed icebreaker quiz on Thursday 8 July, so if you're around, you can get stuck in before the main weekend even starts.

It's spread across several venues in Kemp Town, the city's gay quarter, which keeps everything within easy reach. The list includes Dorset Gardens, The Angel, Dust, Manchester Street Art Club, The Grand Brighton, Legends, Bulldog and the Camelford Arms. The weekend celebrates bear culture — a community built around larger, hairier men and their admirers — and welcomes a broad range of LGBTQ+ people. It's as much about the social side as the parties, with the Kemp Town strip of pubs and clubs near the seafront acting as the heart of it all.

There's a fundraising side to it too. Since it started in 2009, the weekend has raised more than £15,000 for the Rainbow Fund, which gives grants to LGBT and HIV organisations providing front-line services to LGBT people in Brighton and Hove. Along with the parties, it's known for bringing people together and electing Mr Brighton Bear. The main dates are Friday 9 July to Sunday 11 July, with that icebreaker quiz on Thursday 8 July to get things moving.