“Bearpawcalypse”

Being located in the third largest city in the United States, Bear Pride offers the most urban of settings for this premiere event. Bear Pride 2012 is set to celebrate the unique and welcoming character of “The Windy City”. An estimated 500+ will register for the full weekend and thousands will attend at least one event.

This celebration of the Bear community is front and center over the Memorial Day weekend, with special emphasis put on the history of Chicago as a major destination for the GLBT community. Great Lakes Bears-Chicago, the sponsor club for Bear Pride, began in 1989 and holds a place as one of the oldest Bear organizations in the United States. Boystown is considered to be the historic home of the GLBT movement in Chicago and was the first officially recognized gay village in the United States. Opening in June of 2007, the Center on Halsted is the largest GLBT community center in the world and provides services to the 300,000+ members of the GLBT community in the greater Chicagoland area.

Providing you great planned events and world-class entertainment, Bear Pride offers up the best possible experience for all who attend and enjoy the event. The full event package will include access to venues from the fun and exciting bars of Boystown to the high-energy dance floor of Vision Nightclub. Additional tours will be offered to give even more of a glimpse into what makes the city with broad shoulders so special.