Atlanta Bear Pride: A Celebration of Community, Culture, and Connection
Edited by Mikkel Hyldebrandt
Atlanta Bear Pride has grown into one of the Southeast’s most anticipated LGBTQ+ events – a three-day celebration that centers visibility, body positivity, and chosen family within the bear community. Held annually each spring in Atlanta, the event brings together bears, cubs, otters, chubs, chasers, and allies from across the country for a weekend that blends nightlife, social connection, and cultural pride.
What began as a handful of informal gatherings and pool parties has evolved into a full-scale citywide celebration supported by many of Atlanta’s most iconic queer venues. Over the years, Atlanta Bear Pride has carved out a distinct space within the city’s broader LGBTQ+ calendar— complementing legacy events like Atlanta Pride while offering a more niche, identity-driven experience rooted in inclusivity and self-expression.
At its core, bear culture challenges traditional beauty standards and celebrates authenticity in all forms. Atlanta Bear Pride embodies that ethos, creating a welcoming environment where attendees are encouraged to show up exactly as they are. This emphasis on community and acceptance is a big part of why the event has grown into a premier bear gathering in the United States, attracting both local attendees and international visitors.
Atlanta Bear Pride Events
Atlanta Bear Pride 2026 takes place Friday, April 24 through Sunday, April 26, delivering a packed weekend of events across multiple venues in the city. Tickets and weekend passes are available at atlantabearpride.com. And check out Atlanta Bear Pride on Facebook and Instagram for event updates.
Friday, April 24
Woofs Kickoff 7-9 pm, Woofs Atlanta
Bear Invasion
w. DJ Ralphi Rosario 10 pm – 3 am, The Heretic
Friday After Hours
w. Karlitos
3-6 am, XION/2069 Cheshire Bridge
Saturday, April 25
RANDY Outdoor Tea Dance w. DJ J Warren 3-8 pm, The Heretic
Bearracuda Atlanta w. DJ Tony Moran 10 pm – 3 am, The Heretic
Saturday After Hours
3-7 am, XION/2069 Cheshire Bridge
Sunday, April 26
Sunday Funday 3-7 pm, Woofs
Closing Party w. DJ Goonz 7-12 pm, The Heretic
Tickets and weekend passes are available at atlantabearpride.com. And check out Atlanta Bear Pride on Facebook and Instagram for event updates.
Atlanta Bear Pride isn’t just a party weekend— it’s a reflection of how diverse, joyful, and interconnected Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ community truly is. Whether you’re there for the dance floor, the friendships, or the sense of belonging, it’s a weekend that continues to leave a lasting impression year after year.
Bear Jamboree Roars Into One Magical Weekend
Edited by Mikkel Hyldebrandt
As One Magical Weekend continues to evolve as one of the largest LGBTQ+ celebrations in the country, its expansion to include Bear Jamboree marks a meaningful and long-overdue spotlight on a beloved subculture within the community. Launched in 2023 as a “sister” event, Bear Jamboree was created specifically to celebrate bears, cubs, otters, and their admirers, bringing a dedicated space of visibility, connection, and joy to an already iconic Pride weekend.
At its core, Bear Jamboree is about representation. While One Magical Weekend has long drawn massive crowds for its high-energy parties and global appeal, the addition of Bear Jamboree ensures that a community often underrepresented in mainstream LGBTQ+ nightlife has a space that centers its identity. It’s not just about inclusion – it’s about intentional celebration. The event creates an environment where body diversity, masculinity in all its forms, and queer camaraderie are not only accepted but amplified.
This sense of belonging is what makes Bear Jamboree so vital. In a culture that can sometimes prioritize specific aesthetics, Bear Jamboree flips the script, fostering confidence and community through shared experiences. From laidback daytime gatherings to high-octane nighttime events, the weekend is designed to encourage connection as much as celebration. Organizers emphasize that it’s “a celebration of Pride, friendship, and the kind of memories you never forget,” reinforcing that the magic lies just as much in the people as it does in the parties.
And yes, the parties are a major part of the appeal. Bear Jamboree delivers a fullscale festival experience with a packed lineup of events running alongside One Magical Weekend. Among the standout highlights is the legendary Riptide party at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park, an unforgettable fusion of sun, water, music, and thousands of revelers dancing beach and poolside or floating down the lazy river. Nightlife is equally electric, with worldclass DJs spinning everything from circuit to tribal house, transforming dance floors into immersive, late-night experiences. This year, the all-new Bearlicious dance
party will create a dedicated, bear-focused space where partygoers can roam and roar even more freely. These marquee events, combined with more intimate social gatherings, create a dynamic balance that keeps the energy flowing all weekend long.
Ultimately, Bear Jamboree isn’t just an add-on – it’s an essential evolution of what modern Pride can look like. By carving out space for the bear community within one of the most high-profile LGBTQ+ weekends in the world, it reinforces a simple but powerful truth: Pride is for everyone, and every identity deserves its moment in the spotlight.
Cherri: Love, Longing, and Liberation
Edited by Mikkel Hyldebrandt
A new queer cinematic voice emerges this spring with the release of Cherri, a visually rich and emotionally layered Cuban drama from director Fabián Suárez. Set to debut April 21 on all major streaming platforms via Breaking Glass Pictures, the film offers a poignant exploration of desire, loyalty, and emotional resilience through the life of a man who refuses to give up on love – no matter the cost.
Set against the textured backdrop of Havana, Cherri follows its titular character, a flamboyant ballet lover and antiques dealer who leads a plus-size ballet troupe at a local weight clinic. His days are devoted to caring for his disabled husband, a responsibility that defines his routine and emotional world. But beneath that devotion simmers a longing for connection that resurfaces when he meets Tim, a young security guard whose attention awakens dormant desires – and dangerous possibilities.
“Cherri loves his husband whose lifeless body now needs his care,” Suárez explains. “But Cherri is still vibrant and capable of love and desire.”
What unfolds is a delicate and at times unsettling portrait of vulnerability. Even as Cherri suspects Tim may be exploiting his affection, he leans into the emotional risk, choosing to believe in the possibility of romance. “Cherri truly longs for love. He’s an idealist who takes a chance – but life doesn’t always give you what you’re looking for,” Suárez notes.
Dance plays a central role in the film – not just as art, but as liberation. Through his leadership of a ballet troupe composed of larger bodies, Cherri challenges entrenched ideas about beauty and grace. Movement becomes both protest and sanctuary.
“Cherri is obese, yet he loves ballet,” Suárez says. “His body is heavy and light at the same time. Dance becomes a space of freedom where another way of moving – and another way of being – can exist. Just as he refuses to give up on love, he refuses to give up on dance.”
The character of Cherri is inspired by renowned Cuban dancer and choreographer Juan Miguel Más, who also stars in the title role. Suárez recalls first encountering Más during his time at the University of the Arts in Havana, an experience that left a lasting impression.
“I was surprised to see an atypical dancer on stage who shattered my preconceived notions of the Cuban school of dance,” Suárez recalls. “I immediately felt a connection with that dancer. His body is both political and artistic. It stands
against the established norms of style and the misguided idea that sculpted bodies are the path to happiness.”
Beyond its intimate character study, Cherri also reflects the broader emotional landscape of contemporary Cuba. Through imagery like an empty home and the gradual selling off of possessions, the film becomes a quiet meditation on a country grappling with isolation and hardship.
“I inhabit a country that grows lonelier, poorer, and sadder every day,” Suárez says. “The image of the empty house in the film, and of Cherri parting with his valuables, becomes a metaphor for a Cuba in agony. Cherri asks how to live with loneliness and brokenness. I ask myself that same question.”
At its core, the film is a story about persistence and hope—even when love defies logic. “Ultimately, Cherri is a deeply human story about persistence, vulnerability, and hope,” says Richard Wolff of Breaking Glass Pictures. “Through its unforgettable protagonist, the film reminds audiences that love is rarely logical – but it remains essential.”
Suárez echoes that sentiment with a universal call to empathy: “You don’t need to have a large body to feel alone. What matters is the desire to love again. This film invites us to look beyond appearances and celebrate love in all its free expressions.”
How to Watch
Cherri will be available to stream on all major digital platforms beginning April 21, making it easily accessible for audiences ready to experience this tender, daring, and deeply human story.
Photos by: Russ Youngblood
BARS & CLUBS MIDTOWN
BLAKE’S ON THE PARK blakesontheparkatlanta.com 227 10th St NE
BULLDOGS
893 Peachtree St NE
FRIENDS NEIGHBORHOOD BAR friendsonponce-atl. com
736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE
MY SISTER’S ROOM mysistersroom.com 66 12th St NE
X MIDTOWN xmidtown.com 990 Piedmont Ave NE
THE T modeltatlanta.com 465 Boulevard SE
CHESHIRE
HERETIC hereticatlanta.com 2069 Cheshire Bridge Road
BJ ROOSTERS bjroosters.com 2043 Cheshire Bridge Road NE
WESTSIDE
MARQUETTE 868 Joseph E. Boone Blvd NW
840ATL 840 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd
BOGGS SOCIAL & SUPPLY 1310 White St. SW Atlanta, GA 30310 boggssocial.com
ANSLEY
ATLANTA EAGLE 1492 Piedmont Ave NE
FELIX’S 1510 Piedmont Ave NE
MIXX mixxatlanta.com 1492 Piedmont Ave NE
OSCAR’S oscarsatlanta.com 1510 Piedmont Ave NE
WOOFS woofsatlanta.com 494 Plasters Ave NE
TRIPPS
fb: tripps-bar 1931 Piedmont Cir NE
EAST ATLANTA, GRANT PARK & EDGEWOOD
MARY’S marysatlanta.com 1287 Glenwood Ave SE
LORE ATLANTA loreatl.com 466 Edgewood Ave loreatl.com
DINING
MIDTOWN
CASA ALMENARA 991 Piedmont Ave NE casa-almenara.com
LA HACIENDA lahaciendamidtown. com
900 Monroe Dr NE
TUK TUK THAI FOOD LOFT TUKTUKATL.COM 1745 Peachtree Rd NW
DEKALB
LIPS ATLANTA atldragshow.com 3011 Buford Hwy NE
RETAIL MIDTOWN
BOY NEXT DOOR MENSWEAR boynextdoormenswear.com 1000 Piedmont Ave NE, Ste A
ANSLEY
BARKING LEATHER barkingleather.com 1510 Piedmont Ave NE
GCB & PLEASURES brushstrokesatlanta. com
1510-D Piedmont Ave. NE
FITNESS MIDTOWN
URBAN BODY FITNESS urbanbody tness. com
500 Amsterdam Ave N
CHESHIRE
GRAVITY FITNESS
gravity tnessatl.com 2201 Faulkner Rd NE
SPAS/BATHS ADULT
FLEX SPA exspas.com 76 4th St NW
SOUTHERN NIGHTS VIDEO 2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
Photos by: Russ Youngblood
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