Sitges Bear Week is one of Europe's most cherished bear events — a week each October when the beautiful Catalan coastal town fills with bears, cubs, chasers, and admirers from across the continent and beyond. Unlike the mega-circuit events in Ibiza or the leather conventions of Berlin, Sitges Bear Week has a quality that's genuinely rare in the world of LGBTQI+ travel: intimacy. The event takes over a charming, walkable Mediterranean town and turns it into a warm, friendly, and very hairy community for seven days.
The 2026 edition runs from 7–11 October, settling into the town during the sweet spot of Catalan autumn. Sitges Bear Week has been running for over two decades and has built a loyal following that returns year after year. First-timers often describe the same experience: arriving slightly uncertain about what to expect and leaving already looking up flights for next year.
It's worth being clear about what Bear Week is and isn't. It's not a leather event, it's not a circuit party, and it's not a pride parade. It's a social gathering built around beach days, pool parties, relaxed bar crawls, and the particular pleasure of being in a beautiful place with a crowd of people who are entirely comfortable in their own skin. The vibe is inclusive and low-key. Bears and their admirers of all shapes and sizes are welcome; the atmosphere is supportive rather than competitive.
The official Bear Week programme is organised by the Bear Week team and centres on a mix of ticketed and free events across the week. Pool parties are the headline events — typically held at Hotel Calípolis or similar resort venues on the seafront, with DJs, food and drink, and a full day of sun and socialising. These are the events to book in advance, as capacity is limited and they sell out.
The Bear Week parade is one of the highlights of the programme — a cheerful, colourful procession through Sitges town centre that draws spectators from well beyond the bear community. It's more street party than formal march, and it captures something essential about what makes Sitges Bear Week special.
Evening parties run throughout the week at venues across town. The closing party is the unmissable event — a full night that brings the whole week to a crescendo, typically at a larger venue with multiple rooms and a programme of DJs running until dawn. Buy tickets for the closing party as early as possible; it consistently sells out weeks before the event.
Many events during the week are free or pay-at-door. The Bear Week website publishes the full programme in the weeks before the event. Alongside the official schedule, bars and venues across town run their own Bear Week specials — it's easy to fill a week even without buying a single ticket.
Sitges has one of the most concentrated and welcoming LGBTQI+ scenes in Europe, centred on Carrer del Pecat — literally 'Street of Sin' — in the old town. The strip is dense with bars, clubs, and venues that are queer-owned or queer-oriented, and during Bear Week the entire area operates as an extended open-air party from early evening well into the early hours.
The layout of Sitges works in the event's favour. The old town is entirely walkable, the beach is two minutes from Carrer del Pecat, and the informal social circuit between bars, the promenade, and the beach happens naturally and constantly. There's no need to plan or navigate — you follow the crowd, run into people you met at the pool party, and end up somewhere completely different from where you intended. This is part of the appeal.
Bar-hopping is the norm rather than the exception. Most venues are small and social, and the culture is friendly and conversational. If you're travelling solo, Bear Week is an excellent event to attend — the community is welcoming and it's genuinely easy to meet people.
One of the key decisions for Bear Week is whether to stay in Sitges itself or base in Barcelona and commute. Both approaches work, and the right choice depends on what you want from the week.
Staying in Sitges puts you at the heart of the action. You can walk home after the closing party, join the informal morning coffee gatherings on the promenade, and spend the week fully immersed in the event. Sitges accommodation ranges from small boutique hotels and guesthouses to apartments and larger resort hotels on the seafront. The town fills up entirely for Bear Week — book 4–6 months in advance, especially for accommodation within walking distance of the old town.
Basing in Barcelona and day-tripping (or evening-tripping) into Sitges is a workable alternative, especially if Sitges accommodation is sold out or outside your budget. The RENFE Rodalies R2 Sud train runs directly from Barcelona Sants or Passeig de Gràcia to Sitges in around 35–40 minutes, with trains running frequently throughout the day and into the late evening. The last trains back to Barcelona run around midnight; for the closing party you'll either need to stay over or arrange a taxi. This is the one logistical wrinkle with the Barcelona base approach.
Barcelona itself is an extraordinary city with abundant accommodation options, a world-class restaurant scene, and its own strong LGBTQI+ scene in the Eixample neighbourhood (known as the Gayxample). Many Bear Week visitors use the event as an anchor for a longer trip combining both cities.
The timing of Bear Week in early October is one of its greatest assets. Summer is over — the August crowds have long since left, the prices have dropped, and the town is returning to its quieter, more authentic self. But the weather remains genuinely good: average daytime temperatures of 19–23°C, very low rainfall, and sea temperatures still warm enough to swim comfortably. The light in October is golden and the sunsets over the Mediterranean from the Sitges promenade are spectacular.
October Sitges is also just a nicer place to be than August Sitges. You can get a table at a restaurant, walk through the old town without being jostled, and enjoy the architecture and beaches without fighting for space. Bear Week arrived at October partly by accident of the calendar and partly by design — the weather, the crowd levels, and the atmosphere combine well.
Pack layers for evenings. Temperatures drop noticeably after dark, and you'll want something warm for the walk back from the bar at 3am. Days can be warm enough for the pool party; nights call for a jacket.
Sitges is served by Barcelona El Prat Airport (BCN), which has direct connections from major European cities and long-haul connections via hubs. From the airport to Sitges, the most direct route is the RENFE R2 Sud train from the airport station (Terminal 2) or a taxi/transfer (around 30–40 minutes by road). From Barcelona city centre, the train from Sants or Passeig de Gràcia takes 35–40 minutes.
European visitors are well served by flights into Barcelona. From the UK, there are direct services from multiple airports. From North America, Barcelona is typically reached via a hub — Madrid, London, Amsterdam, or Frankfurt are common connections. Once you're in Barcelona, Sitges is trivially easy to reach.
Accommodation: book 4–6 months out. Sitges itself fills up quickly — if you want to stay in town, set a reminder and book as soon as you've confirmed your dates.
Event tickets: the Bear Week website (bearweek.es) sells official event passes and individual event tickets. Buy pool party tickets and the closing party ticket as soon as they go on sale. Other events can usually be bought closer to the date.
Flights: Barcelona is well-connected from most of Europe. Book 2–3 months out for reasonable fares from the UK and Europe; longer lead times for North American and Australian visitors.
Currency: Spain uses the euro. Cards are accepted almost everywhere in Sitges, but carry some cash for smaller bars and door entry.
Sitges Bear Week 2026 is expected to run approximately 7–11 October (dates to be confirmed on bearweek.es — the site was unavailable at time of generation). The event follows its established Wednesday-to-Sunday format in the first full week of October, centred on Sitges town with parties spread across the town's bars, clubs, and hotel venues.
Sitges Bear Week is one of Europe's largest bear gatherings, attracting several thousand attendees internationally. The programme includes welcome parties, pool parties, leather nights, bear pageants, and community daytime activities. Accommodation in Sitges sells out months in advance; Barcelona serves as an overflow base with easy 40-minute train connections.
