Come out of your caves, Reykjavík Bear is set to warm the grizzly out of you!
There are many festivals Reykjavík is known for. Music lovers can have their fancies tickled with many different options throughout the year including festivals like Secret Solstice and Airwaves. Those who love art and theatre can get knees deep in it each summer with the Reykjavik Fringe Festival and a huge portion of the country turn up every year to celebrate Hinsegin dagar (also known as Reykjavík Pride). A recently new festival is making its mark on the most Northern Capital in the world and it’s hairy, cuddly and ready to party. It’s time to get ready for Reykjavik Bear, set to take to the streets of Iceland in September for the second time.
We sat down with two of the fab bears running the festival; Andres Pelaez and Sigurður Júlíus Guðmundsson to find out what’s going on in the woods with this year’s fest, why they decided to get involved and what exactly defines a Bear
Firstly tell us what exactly is Reykjavik Bear?
“Reykjavik Bear is an annual four-day international GBTIA+ festival that celebrates the Bear community in all its diversity. We invite bears from all over the world as well as other guys who just like bears to come have fun with us experiencing Icelandic nature and partying in downtown Reykjavík. The event consists of three parties, two day-tours to the Golden Circle and to the world famous Blue Lagoon and we wrap it up with a Sunday brunch.”
NOTE: The term BEAR is believed to have originated in San Francisco in the 1980s. Originally it referred to gay men who were typically heavier set and hairier. The term bear originally represented a section of the gay male community who were ruggedly masculine. Since then the community has become arguably more inclusive than its first iterations. So the festival celebrates Bears, but for the uninformed, what exactly is a Bear?
“That question is always getting more and more complicated. Ultimately a bear is a queer guy who basically has a cuddly body. Traditionally a bear is more heavy set and hairy but the bear community has welcomed all sorts of different bodies under the bear umbrella.
In the end, you could say that being a bear is more of an attitude and a sense of comfort with our bodies and our different masculinities that don’t fit into the mainstream for the most part.
Bears can present in very different ways nowadays. Again, traditionally they have presented as very masculine but that’s not really the norm anymore. The community now tends to embrace the different and reject the masculine ideal and embrace and celebrate diverse bodies. There is room for all of us whose bodies don’t fit into the mainstream and also for all those who do fit there but like the way we look and are.”
How did the festival start?
“We started out in 2019 when we formed the Bears of Iceland organization called Bangsafélagið to serve as a community anchor and host for a new Bear festival based on our predecessor, Bears on Ice.”
NOTE: For those that don’t know Bears On Ice was a similar event that ran annually from 2005 and was recognized as the most Northern bear festival in the world.
“When the guys who held Bears on Ice decided to retire that event, a few of us who had been part of the volunteer group decided to keep it going. So we organized and made a plan to do our first event in 2020. We ultimately had to cancel and luckily we did manage to do an event in 2021 with limited guests and limited opening hours. But we had the best time.”
Where do the Reykjavik Bear participants come from?
“Aside from the locals, we have guests coming from all over the world. Most of our guests come from the US, Canada and Europe. But we also have guests coming from as far as Argentina and Australia.”
What can participants expect at this year’s festival?
“Hopefully a fun friendly event that they will remember for a long time. We have the two tours that are a great way to experience some of the best Iceland has to offer and at the same time get to know each other in a setting outside of the club vibe. Aside from that we also have three parties, each with their own feel. Thursday is our welcome party for the guests to get to know each other. Friday is our Top-off party where we let loose and just enjoy having fun without judgement; then Saturday is our main event where we go all out.
We have fantastic entertainment like Stand-up comic Dan Nava and Burlesque comedians; Dan the Man and Mr. Tombastic, as well as our DJ trio, Kris with a K, DJ Mighty Bear and Dj Rino Sorrentino. And at the end we will say a fond farewell the only way we know how, with a Sunday brunch fit for any bear.”
“I remember the first time I went to a bear event back when I was much more skinny and not really knowing if I fit in, I just knew I liked the big bears.”
Can non-bears attend some of the events?
“Any queer guy can attend the events. Be it cis, trans or genderqueer, big or small, hairy or smooth. We love it when our friends and admirers show up. The more the merrier. We only ask people to remember to leave their body shame at the door. Shame and judgement is not welcome at our events. Just come on over and have a look,” says Andres.
“I remember the first time I went to a bear event back when I was much more skinny and not really knowing if I fit in, I just knew I liked the big bears,” recalls Sigurður. “And the bears were so welcoming and I found a community there that I felt like I belonged. Even though I didn’t fit the mould as it was.”
What makes RVK Bear different from Bear festivals in other countries?
“I think it is the atmosphere we try to create. We do love to party and all that but we want to bring a little bit of our small island vibe to the experience. We love to get to know the guys and see them make new friendships within this little bear bubble of ours. Our slogan is “It’s more than a party” and that’s exactly what we try to do differently,” says Andres.
“Our slogan is “It’s more than a party” and that’s exactly what we try to do differently.”
Does Iceland have a big bear community?
“It’s honestly not that big yet,” they both admit. “We know there are a bunch of bears out there but they don’t know of the community or don’t understand what it is. That is one of those things we are working to improve within the organization.”
How can local bears get involved in the community outside of the festival? Are there other events throughout the year?
“There are plenty of opportunities to get involved. We are building our organization and working towards making our presence more visible in society and making this a more body positive world. And we will also have many more local events now that life is finally back to normal. The best way to get involved is to contact us on socials or our websites, bangsafelagid.is and reykjavikbear.is”