North American Bear Weekend

12/01/2024

To celebrate Cyber Monday, North American Bear Weekend is offering a $25 discount on Standard & VIP All-Weekend Passes to our upcoming event in Lexington, KY this February. Visit the link below to get yours before the sale ends on 12/2 at 11:59pm.

www.eventbrite.com/e/826292080857/?discount=CYBER

NOTE: Discounts are not retroactive to purchases made prior to today. Offer is only for event passes; hotel stay sold separately. Offer ends 12/2/24 at 11:59pm.

Join over 1,200 guests from around the world for our 13th annual North American Bear Weekend from 2/20 to 2/23/2025 in Lexington, KY!

11/28/2024

NAB Weekend is celebrating Black Friday this year by offering an automatic $40 discount on any Standard or VIP All-Weekend Passes purchased til 11:59pm tomorrow night. No promo code necessary. Get yours now at https://nab2025.eventbrite.com.

NOTE: Discounts are not retroactive for passes purchased prior to sale dates. This discount is only for the event passes; hotel costs are separate. This offer ends at 11:59pm on 11/29/24.

11/21/2024

Let’s introduce our Emcee’s for NAB Weekend 2025: Bears in the Barnyard February 20-22, 2025 at the Marriott Griffith Gate Resort in Lexington, Kentucky!

Introducing Lady V: a polyamorous, kinky trans woman with a flair for adventure, Lady V delights in burritos, DIY projects, and the occasional butt rub. She holds several prestigious titles, including 2018 International Community Bootblack, 2016 North American Bear, and 2011 Miss Kentuckiana Pride, where she dominated every category except Miss Congeniality. As an accomplished actress, performer, photographer, and experienced emcee, Lady V knows how to captivate an audience.

Next we have Petty Giuliana Poussey,
Petty Giuliana Poussey has dedicated nearly two decades to public service.
Her local community
engagement has led to serving
on the board of
Lexington Fairness, becoming a Court Appointed Special Advocate for CASA of Lexington, as well as working in fundraising and development for
nonprofits such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass and Lexington Habitat for Humanity,
Petty served as Empress 37 of the Imperial Court of Kentucky. During her reign, with the communities' help she raised over $100,000 for many charities including Moveable Feast. Petty resides in Lexington with her husband and local drag entertainer, Shady Dior Couture.

Join over 1,500 guests from all around the world in February 2025 in Lexington, KY for an epic 4-day weekend of fun, fur & frolic! Our 13th annual event will feature exciting entertainment, as well as our signature North American Bear Contest.
Guests can also expect lots of mingling activities, pool parties, dance parties, workshops, and vendors; as well as a few new surprises!

Tickets are available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nab-weekend-2025-bears-in-the-barnyard-tickets-826292080857?utm_experiment=test_share_listing&aff=ebdsshios

www.nabweekend.com

10/17/2024

The contestant application to compete in the North American Bear Contest in Lexington, KY in February is now active at http://nabweekend.com/contest/application/. The application deadline is December 31, 2024. We are excited to see y'all on stage in a few months!

10/09/2024

Attention Educators: We are now accepting applications for educational workshops at our upcoming NAB Weekend event in Lexington, KY from 02/20 to 02/23/25. For more information, follow the link below: http://nabweekend.com/workshops/.

Workshops Thank you for your interest in providing education and/or entertainment at NAB Weekend. Fill out the form below to be considered for one or more education/entertainment spot(s) during the weekend. ELIGIBILITY, REQUIREMENTS, & PERKS Below is a brief list of requirements to be considered for...

04/01/2024

Tickets officially go on sale today for NAB Weekend 2025: Bears in the Barnyard. You can also start booking your rooms today at the host hotel. Get yours now at

ABOUT We Are Going to the Farm in 2025! Join over 1,500 bears from all over the world in Lexington, KY for a trip to the farm in 2025! Be sure to pack your bib overalls and flannel and get ready to enjoy some wild weekend fun in the Barnyard. Cheer for your favorite candidates in our signature...

03/31/2024

The Contestant Application for the World Bear Contest is now active at https://worldbearweekend.com/contest/. All 4 titles are now open to all genders to compete. Application deadline is 6/15/24. We hope to see you on-stage this August in Lexington, KY!

CONTEST OVERVIEW World Bear Weekend: the ultimate destination on your contest journey! If you’ve ever wanted to take the next step beyond your current title, keep reading. This unique event…

03/17/2024

The producers of North American Bear Weekend and members of the Kentucky Bourbon Bears are pleased to announce our charitable contribution of $10,000 from our recent NAB Weekend event last month. AVOL Kentucky, Camp Beacon, Caracole, The Sweet Evening Breeze LGBTQ Youth Shelter, and the Lexington Pride Center will each receive $2,000 from our event proceeds.

03/03/2024

Something very exciting is coming in 2025. Stay tuned! 🥳

02/25/2024

Reminder: today is the last day for Early Bird Registrations for NAB Weekend 2025. This will be the lowest weekend pass pricing you'll see all year. PLUS... early birds will get first dibs on host hotel reservations.

Sale ends TONIGHT at 11:59pm. Register now at https://nab2025.eventbrite.com.

NOTE: the hotel booking link will be sent to Early Bird Registrants in mid-March. Registration will re-open around April 1st.

02/18/2024

We will be having a Celebration of Life for Jack Hinkle TODAY at 10am in Ballroom D at Marriott Griffin Gate Resort. Everyone is welcome.

Note: No NAB Weekend event passes are required to attend the memorial service.

Marriott Griffin Gate
1800 Newtown Pike
Lexington, KY 40511

02/14/2024

Don't miss out on the largest bear event in the Midwest! You can still purchase Day & Evening Passes to NAB Weekend at our Event Registration Desk all weekend. Come party with over 1,200 attendees this weekend in Lexington, KY!

02/11/2024

Today is the LAST DAY to purchase full weekend passes to NAB Weekend. Day & Evening passes WILL be available for purchase on-site, but will not include meals. If y'all want meals included... buy those passes before 11:59pm tonight at nabweekend.com.

01/23/2024

We will be preparing a slide show of photos & video clips to share at Jack's Celebration of Life on Sunday, February 18th. Anyone wishing to share photos/videos for the presentation can upload up to (5) below. Also, if you would like to share a funny memory about Jack on-stage, please indicate your interest below so we can add you to the list of speakers. All submissions must be received by February 5th.

Please click the link to complete this form.

01/20/2024

The board members of the Kentucky Bourbon Bears have been made aware of numerous violations to our North American Bear Weekend Code of Conduct by a prospective contestant AND staff member. Due to the timing the information was brought to our attention, and after reviewing all information presented thus far, we have voted to disqualify both persons from participating in this year's program. After the completion of this year's event, both parties may present additional information to further justify their case to participate in our 2025 event. The board will make a final decision of their eligibility after all information has been reviewed from all parties involved.

01/16/2024

The Kentucky Bourbon Bears are excited to announce Class #12 of contestants for our upcoming North American Bear Contest next month in Lexington, KY. Get your tickets now at NABWEEKEND.COM and come cheer for your favorite!