Bears Sitges Week returns from today until 13 September, with an extensive programme of cultural, recreational and social activities. The ten-day event brings together participants from all over the world and again makes Sitges one of the main international meeting points for the Bear community.

The initiative is organised by Bears Sitges, this year marking their 25th anniversary, and is supported by Sitges Town Council through the Councillor’s Office for Tourism. This year’s edition was inaugurated at the Hotel Calipolis on Thursday, with an explanation of the programme and a look back at the last quarter of a century. Over the years, Bears Sitges Week has become firmly established on the town’s calendar, also contributing to its international exposure in the period after the summer months. The Mayor of Sitges, Aurora Carbonell, noted that celebrating the 25th anniversary of Bears Sitges is “also celebrating a part of the town’s recent history and its international positioning. During this time, the organisation has helped make our town a reference point for the Bear community and to promote our values of openness, diversity and welcome all over the world, as well as being an event that generates considerable economic activity in the municipality”.

The organisers estimate that everybody attending Bears Sitges Week spends an average of €275 per day, and that 8,500 people visit the town during the event. This generates a significant economic impact in the sectors of accommodation, restaurants, leisure and local commerce. 

The programme includes daytime activities, outings, meeting points at the beaches, cuisine, routes around establishments in the town and different social activities. One of this year's most notable changes, exceptionally marking the 25th anniversary, is that the Bear Village will also be open on 4, 5 and 6 September as a meeting point but with no music performances. On all the other days it will be hosting various musical, social and meeting activities. The Hotel Calipolis will be hosting the official supper for the 25th anniBEARsary on Friday 11 September.

One of the themes that stands out in the programme is to introduce people to Sitges aside from its festive activity. Under the proposal “Discover Sitges”, the organisers are encouraging participants to make the most of their stay and discover the cultural and architectural heritage of the town, to visit its museums and enjoy different cultural options. These options will fill the Joan Tarrida space this year, which hosts the exhibition 25” by Blanca de Nicolás, offering a sample of things to visit during all the festival days.

The programme also includes themed sessions, music and many other options that can be found on the website www.bearssitges.org.