Welcome to Sydney and welcome to Bear Essentials 16 – It's a Whole New Ball Game.
Set against the backdrop of one of the world's most beautiful cities, on a stunning harbour during the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festivities, Bear Essentials is now the largest gay festival for bears and cubs in the Southern Hemisphere.
In 2012 we're promising a whole new ball game to bring you everything from sports to arts, history to movies, great parties, special guests and hundreds of the sexiest, beariest men from around the globe.
Be part of the action in Sydney, Australia from Saturday February 11th 2012 and running until Sunday March 4th 2012
Contact us: be@bearessentials.com.au
Harbour City Bears Infoline:
(02) 8572 9913 | +61 2 8572 9913
A.B.N. 45 594 846 521
PO Box 1532
Darlinghurst NSW 1300
Australia
BE16 Monster Raffle for Inspire Foundation
1st Prize: iPad 32GB WiFi 3G, courtesy of HCB.
2nd Prize: $250 voucher, courtesy of Clinton @ the Flight Centre.
3rd Prize: HairyBoyz movie pack, courtesy of HairyBoyz.com
$5.00 per ticket from one of the BE16 volunteers.
To be drawn at the "Send Off" at the Lord Roberts on Sunday March 4th 2012.
All proceeds go to Inspire, to help young people lead happier lives.
Sydney
Sydney is a vibrant, exciting and multi-cultural city waiting to be explored. It is Australia's oldest and largest city, with 4 million people residing within the greater Sydney region.
Sydney is made up of diverse suburbs, world famous tourist attractions - most notably the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Bondi Beach - and a rich history.
The first residents of the Sydney city area are the Cadigal of the Eora nation. Harbour City Bears is proud to acknowledge the traditional indigenous owners of the land and we would encourage our visitors to learn more about Sydney's Aboriginal culture through this walking tour.
Sydney's gay & lesbian community is out and proud and is a very visible element of the city. A large concentration of gays and lesbians live in the inner Sydney suburbs of Darlinghurst, Potts Point, Erskineville, Newtown, Surry Hills and Zetland.
Venues:
Many of Sydney's gay venues exist close to Oxford Street, Darlinghurst (to the east of the city centre) with others located in the "inner west" - a few kilometres west of the city.
Bars/Pubs:
Harbour City Bears hosts its popular "Furry Friday" every Friday from 9pm at the Oxford Hotel, Taylor Square, Darlinghurst and bears, cubs and admirers are found in abundance every Sunday afternoon at the Lord Roberts Hotel, Stanley Street, East Sydney when the pub hosts "Bears on Sunday" upstairs on the sundeck from 4pm.
Parties:
Sydney is known for its specialist parties – you'll find a range of bears, cubs and a fun crowd at Chunky, WoofClub and Club Exile. The new dayclub UP, which opens at 4am on a Sunday morning, is also proving popular with the party bears and cubs.
Accommodation:
There isn't one recommended "host hotel", there are many great hotels in the Sydney City/Oxford Street area.
Our friends at Planetdwellers & Flight Centre can assist with your accommodation & travel requirements.
Write to Barry Warner at barry.warner@planetdwellers.com.au & Clinton Griffiths at clinton.griffiths@flightcentre.com.au
Beaches:
Sydney is famous for its beaches. Our favourites are Little Congwong Beach at La Perouse and for those who like to go naked - Lady Bay Beach (also known as Lady Jane) near Watsons Bay and Obelisk on Sydney's north shore.
Saunas/Sex on Premises Venues: (check if discounts apply).
Most bears seem to enjoy Kingsteam (a traditional steamroom type venue), next to the Exchange Hotel on Oxford Street. Kingsteam offers discount entry to Harbour City Bears members (bring your membership card). HeadQuarters on Crown Street, Surry Hills also offers HCB members discount entry and is worth the visit – especially for its advertised parties.
Gay Media:
Sydney's gay community newspaper is the Sydney Star Observer available free from venues every Wednesday or online at www.starobserver.com.au Gay and lesbian listings are also available in Sydney's Time Out Magazine. Online news and scene information can also be sourced from and www.samesame.com.au
For more information on our what to do in our great city please go http://www.sydney.com/
With support from ACON's Anti-Violence Project, the City of Sydney and South Eastern Sydney Local Health Network we are running a series of community health & well-being initiatives leading up to Bear Essentials 16.
Beginning in December 2011, we will focus on Domestic Violence.
It can happen in any relationship, it's about power and control and can take different forms including: physical violence, psychological, forced isolation from friends/family, financial control.
Harbour City Bears is proud to foster a community of inclusiveness and mate-ship.
When it comes to domestic violence we believe we all have a role to play in looking after our mates & offering support.
We're going all-out to ensure our furry friends play safe this Bear Essentials.
We know you'll be getting up to all manner of fun and games but we want you to Go Bear, Not Bare.
"It's a simple message for the community to roll on a condom and use water-based lube to protect yourself and your friends from sexually transmitted infections," says Harbour City Bears' vice-pres Marcus Pastorelli.
"Also important is regular testing for STIs with the frequency of tests dependent on how often you have sex, the more you do it the more frequent the tests each year."
The sexy campaign features posters and sex-pack wallet cards with referral information and eye-catching bear-candy
George – Mr. Harbour City Bears – with his hot mate Allan.
Charity
Youth suicide and mental health continue to be major issues for our country. While, thankfully, Australia's youth suicide rates have declined by 56% since 1997, all other mental health indicators for young people are rising at an alarming rate.
— 1 in 5 young people will experience depression this year.
— 1 in 10 suffer from an anxiety disorder.
— 1 in 30 makes a serious attempt at suicide.
(Sources: ABS 2007, AIHW 2007, Sawyer et al 2000)
For the 3rd year running we're excited to be working with the Inspire Foundation as our preferred charity: www.inspire.org.au
This group does some amazing work with young people, with a focus on delivering innovative and practical online programs that prevent youth suicide and improve young people's mental health and wellbeing. [ Click here for the Inspire Press Kit ]
Inspire's on-line service ReachOut.com provides practical information and support to young people with mental health difficulties, family issues, loss & grief and of course sexuality and coming out: www.reachout.com
We'll be selling raffle tickets and shaking collection buckets to benefit Inspire, so please give generously.
Every $50 raised represents 5 young people helped by Inspire and Reachout.com
Q: I don't think I fit the description of a "bear" – Will I be welcome?
A: Everyone is welcome at our events – we're a diverse group of people and we look forward to meeting lots of new people.
Q: Can I book a room at the Oxford or Lord Roberts Hotels?
A: I'm afraid not. "Hotel" is the Aussie word for a pub/bar.
Q: Why is there no event scheduled for Tuesday 14th Feb (Valentines Day)?
A: We've deliberately kept this day free of all events as we anticipate something very special will occur on this day. Stay tuned!
A: Tickets to most events go on sale December 1st 2011
Q: Can I buy a Party Pass?
A: No – tickets to all events are sold separately.
Q: Why are there no kindred price tickets this year?
A: We haven't sold kindred tickets for a while now, in order to keep the price as low as possible for our members. We suggest you join HCB to get the cheapest possible tickets.
Q: Where can I become a member of Harbour City Bears?
A: No, we recommend that you buy them as soon as possible online.
Q: Will tickets be available on the door?
A: We expect tickets to our events to sell-out beforehand online.
Tickets will only be available on the door if all tickets have not been previously sold.
Q: Are there any FREE events?
A: Yes, there are many free events. Please check the schedule.
Q: What Bear Essentials merchandise is available and where can I buy it?
A: To be confirmed.
Q: Where can I buy tickets to the Mardi Gras party?
A: Yes – all our events are "official" Sydney Mardi Gras festival events, but Bear Essentials is organised and run by Harbour City Bears.
Q: How do I march with the bears in the Mardi Gras Parade?
A: You must pre-purchase a ticket from Daisy Tickets. For $10 you get guaranteed entry to march with the bears in the parade, plus a free T Shirt to be worn in the parade and a free BBQ at the Lord Roberts beforehand. Note – you must redeem your ticket at 4pm on the day of the parade to claim your parade entry wristband.
Q: How do I get to Bondi Beach for the Bears Beach Day?
A: From Oxford Street take either bus 333 or 380 and exit the bus at Campbell Parade.
Q: When and Where is Chunky FC being held?
A: At Q Bar on Saturday 11th February 2012 from 9pm.
A: The Play party is being held at Headquarters on Crown, please access the venue via the rear entry.
Q: What is Headquarters?
A: Headquarters is a sex on premises venue, and is located at 273 Crown Street Darlinghurst.
The Play Party rear entrance is located at Lower Campbell St.
Q: When and where is Underbear being held?
A: At the Oxford Art Factory on Weds 29th February 2012 from 8pm..
Q: What is the weather like in Sydney during February/March?
A: Sydney enjoys a temperate climate and has more than 340 sunny days a year. The summer season is from December through to February. The average temperature at this time in Sydney is 24c or 75f.
Copyright Harbour City Bears 1995 - 2012 - All Rights Reserved | Web Compilation by Isengaard.com WEB | DESIGN | PRINT
1st Prize: iPad 32GB WiFi 3G, courtesy of HCB. 
