Events   <|>

  • 5 Dec 2025 19:00
    Kings Cross Hotel, 244-248 William Street, Kings Cross
  • 6 Dec 2025 11:30
    Sydenham Station
  • 7 Dec 2025 16:00
    Town Hall Hotel, 326 King St, Newtown

News   <|>

  • There are no blog posts to display.

Follow Us

Menu
Log in


Log in

LOGIN


Bear Essentials



Bear Essentials Events

    • 15 Feb 2026
    • 10:00 - 16:00
    • Victoria Park, Camperdown
    Register


    All Aboard the Love Boat

    Set sail with Sydney's finest bear crew! Harbour City Bears are dropping anchor at Fair Day! Join us under the bear tree to relax and enjoy the day. If you’re just testing the waters, the HCB committee will be on deck to answer all your questions about bears, Sydney and Bear Essentials!

    The first event in the Mardi Gras calendar is Fair Day at Victoria Park, Camperdown.

    Where? Victoria Park, Camperdown
    When? Sunday 15 February 2026
    10am to 4pm
    How Much? Free, no registration required


    • 15 Feb 2026
    • 16:00 - 23:30
    • The Townie, 326 King Street, Newtown
    Register


    Full Steam Ahead

    After fair day, Harbour City Bears is 'Full Steam Ahead' to The Townie in Newtown!

    For our fair day afterparty we’re taking over all the decks, from the ground to the rooftop. Members will get priority entry, as will those who’ve visited us at our Fair Day stall.

    Harbour City Bears regular home bar on a Sunday, The Town Hall Hotel in Newtown (affectionately known as The Townie) is where you can head to wind down after a busy day at Fair Day.

    So come along and visit the lower decks (Ground Floor), 1st deck (Midway Bar) or the crow's nest (Roof top Cactus Bar).

    For our Fair Day after party, we're taking over all 3 floors of the Townie from 3pm!

    When you get to the door, show your HCB membership card to get priority entry! If you aren't a member, come see us at the Harbour City Bear stall at Fair Day to scan a special QR code, which will also get you priority entry!

    Come and meet new friends and old, introduce yourself to visiting bears, or just relax and have a dance!

    The Townie is conveniently located directly outside Newtown Train Station.

    Where? The Town Hall Hotel
    326 King Street, Newtown
    When? After Fair Day
    Sunday 15 February 2026
    3pm until 11:30pm
    How Much? Free, no registration required


    • 19 Feb 2026
    • 19:00
    • 20 Feb 2026
    • 00:00
    • Sauna X 10 Taylor Street, Darlinghurst
    • 64
    Register


    Cabin Fever

    Step into the steam heat at our famous sauna party. Leave your worries (and clothes) at the door as you dive into a night of sweat and uninhibited fun at Sauna X, where the bears are taking over for the night.

    Join us for a celebration of body positivity at our Bear Sauna Night, hosted at Sauna X on Taylor Street, Darlinghurst. Dive into three floors of steamy fun.

    The lounge is a bar and chill out area where you can relax with a beverage. Drinks are assigned to your locker number for easy payment on your way out. Fresh towels are available from the counter at the entry.

    Harbour City Bears are proud partners of ACON, NSW's community health organisation for diverse sexualities, inclusion and genders. Stay up to date with your STI checkups, PREP, and vaccinations, and have fun!

    Where? Sauna X
    10 Taylor Street, Darlinghurst
    When? Thursday 19 February 2026
    7pm to midnight
    How Much? $25 for members
    $25 for kindred members
    $30 for non-members
    $35 on the door (if not sold out)
    • 20 Feb 2026
    • 19:00
    • Kings Cross Hotel, 244-248 William Street, Kings Cross
    Register


    Making Waves

    Whether you’re a salty sea dog or a fresh-faced deckhand, join your fellow bears, cubs, otters, and admirers as we drop anchor for a night of cheeky smiles, and smooth sailing into Mardi Gras weekend. Expect a sea of handsome crew, nautical beats from our resident DJs, and a wave of laughter that’ll carry you through the night.

    Throw on your best sailor stripes, cruise captain’s hat, or maritime chic as we make waves in Kings Cross.

    So batten down the hatches, grab a drink, and join the crew we’re setting sail with the Harbour City Bears for a night of nautical naughtiness.

    Where? Kings Cross Hotel
    244-248 William Street, Kings Cross
    When? Friday 20 February 2026
    7pm to late
    How Much? Free, no registration required


    • 21 Feb 2026
    • 11:30 - 16:00
    • Wharf TBA
    • 32
    Register


    Shipwrecked

    Climb aboard everyone and get ready to be Shipwrecked!

    The ultimate bear cruise adventure is setting sail across the harbour and landing on a sun-soaked beach.

    Expect music, cold drinks, and plenty of cheeky sea breeze as the bears cruise to meet up with the bears that are at the beach day at Obelisk. Prepare for a day of salty skin and pure laid-back mischief.

    Spaces will be limited so get in early for the scenic views with a BBQ provided. As an added bonus, the cruise will pull up to Sydney’s wonderful nude Obelisk beach, at the same time as our second beach day! You can swim to shore to catch up with the beach day attendees, or relax on the deck of our little boat.

    The cruise leaves at 11am at King Street Wharf in the city, returning at 5pm.

    Please note that the event is BYO drinks, however spirits are not permitted due to RSA restrictions. Pre-mixed drinks are fine.

    This event will likely be very popular so make sure you get in quickly to get your tickets!

    Where? Departing from King Street Wharf
    When? Saturday 21 February 2026
    10:30am to 5pm
    How Much? $100 for members
    $100 for kindred members
    $130 for non-members
    • 22 Feb 2026
    • Kings Cross Hotel
    • 52
    Register


    Gilligan's Tour

    Hoist the mainsail and polish your compasses!

    After you join HCB legend Barry Charles and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence for their history tour of Darlinghurst and the Cross. you can join Harbour City Bears as we set off on a boisterous on-foot “cruise” from Kings Cross to the Townie in Newtown!

    We’ll be making a flotilla of pub stops, including a hearty lunch to keep your sea legs steady, and plenty of wayward adventures as we chart a course through the back streets of Sydney.

    Don't worry, we will be hopping on and off public transport, you won't be walking the whole way!

    Where? meet at Kings Cross
    When? Sunday 22 February 2026
    directly after the History Walk
    How Much? Free, but registration required
    • 22 Feb 2026
    • 16:00 - 20:00
    • The Townie, 326 King Street, Newtown
    Register


    Hump Day

    Congratulations seamen, you've made it halfway through Bear Essentials 2026!

    For those of you who aren't napping in preparation for the super busy week ahead, our friends at The Townie in Newtown are hosting us for our regular Sunday afternoon meet up.

    So come along and visit the 1st deck (Midway Bar) or the Crow's nest (Roof top Cactus Bar). Grab a drink with your fellow maties, enjoy a hardy meal and exchange the salty stories of the first week.

    Come and meet new friends and old, introduce yourself to visiting bears, or just relax and have a dance!

    The Townie is conveniently located directly outside Newtown Train Station.

    Where? The Town Hall Hotel
    326 King Street, Newtown
    When? Sunday 22 February 2026
    4pm until 8pm
    How Much? Free, no registration required
    • 25 Feb 2026
    • 20:00
    • 26 Feb 2026
    • 03:00
    • Aura Nightclub and Sauna X 16 Flinders Street, Darlinghurst
    • 839
    Register


    All Hands on Deck!

    Hit the deck bears in your most seaworthy underdaks, strip down to your reliable tightie-whities, kinky jockstraps or even a whole union suit. Every able seaman is ordered to one of Aura’s two decks to dance the night away and show off their prized booty over both Aura’s dance floors. Each floor will cater to different music choices, though a sea shanty will be hard to find.

    When you need a break from shaking your booty, head down to the lower decks of Sauna X where you can explore where bears and seamen meet. Here you can work up a different kind of sweat while getting to know your dance partners better than a dance floor allows

    Where? Aura Nightclub and Sauna X
    16 Flinders Street, Darlinghurst
    When? Wednesday 25 February 2026
    8pm to 3am
    How Much? $65 for members
    $65 for kindred members
    $70 for non-members
    $75 on the door (if not sold out)
    • 26 Feb 2026
    • 18:00 - 21:00
    • Cook + Phillip Park Pool 4 College St, Sydney
    • 267
    Register


    Walk the Plank!

    Wash that man right outta your hair, before you walk the plank into the wave pool at the Cook + Phillip Park Pool. Seaman Stayns is not invited.

    That’s right, we’re celebrating Wet Furr again, but this year it’s on a Thursday. There will be plenty of pool toys to keep you afloat, so you won’t get a sandy bottom.

    There’ll also be some tasty treats and cold refreshments in the pool courtyard to give you the strength to look at all the hidden treasures.

    And our DJ will be pumping out tunes to keep everyone from Captain Peg Leg to Roger the Cabin Boy happy.

    There are a limited number of lockers, so bring a bag/backpack to store your cargo, your best budgie smugglers, and a towel. Parrot and eye patch optional.

    Get your tickets early, as this event sells out.

    Where? Cook + Phillip Park Pool
    4 College St, Sydney
    When? Thursday 26 February 2026
    6pm to 9pm
    How Much? $30 for members
    $30 for kindred members
    $40 for non-members
    $50 on the door (if not sold out).
    • 27 Feb 2026
    • 19:00
    • Kings Cross Hotel, 244-248 William Street, Kings Cross
    Register


    Nautical, But Nice

    Ahoy again, bears! After making waves last week, we’re keeping the ship steady and the good times rolling with a night that’s Nautical... but Nice!

    Sail back into the Kings Cross Hotel for round two of seafaring fun from the crows nest. As usual we’ve got the entire rooftop bar to ourselves, and since it’s Mardi Gras, we’ve got spillover room on the ground floor too!

    So pull up your rigging, grab your crew, and let’s keep this voyage afloat!

    Where? Kings Cross Hotel
    244-248 William Street, Kings Cross
    When? Friday 27 February 2026
    7pm to late
    How Much? Free, no registration required
    • 28 Feb 2026
    • Oxford Street
    Register


    Cruising

    Can you feel it?

    It starts as a heartbeat — one that’s echoed through this city since 1978.

    Then the bass drops: the roar of the crowd, the thunder of the Dykes on Bikes, the shimmer of sequins under streetlights. From that first rev to the final float, you can feel it rising — an energy that’s wild, defiant, and beautifully alive.

    This is Ecstatica — the 48th anniversary of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, lighting up Oxford Street, Flinders Street, and Anzac Parade on Saturday 28 February 2026.

    Over 200 floats and 12,000 marchers will bring the night to life — led proudly by our 78ers, First Nations LGBTQIA+SB communities, and the fearless icons who continue to shape our story. Together, they’ll transform Sydney’s most famous streets into a dazzling current of queer celebration and activism — a reminder of how far we’ve come, and how bright we burn when we rise together.

    Join hundreds of thousands of people from Hyde Park to Moore Park as the Parade turns the city electric — a living, breathing spectacle of love, unity, and ecstatic joy.


    Please register for this event if you would like to be in the Harbour City Bears 2026 Mardi Gras Parade entry.

    Note that this DOES NOT guarantee you a place- we will be selecting from this list of registrations randomly until all places are gone.

    HCB members and kindred members will get priority over the general public, so don't forget to log in or use the kindred code to increase your chances.

    If you are selected you will receive an email to confirm and make payment, likely in late January.

    Where? Oxford Street, Darlinghurst
    When? Saturday 28 February 2026
    How Much? $50 for members
    $50 for kindred members
    $100 for non-members

    • 28 Feb 2026
    • 17:00
    • Kings Cross Hotel
    Register


    View from the Crow's Nest

    Not joining the parade?

    Don’t want to battle the crowds but want to still be part of the fun?

    We have the answer.

    Climb up the ships rigging till you reach the crows nest and join our viewing party.

    We are taking over the ground floor and balcony level of the Kings Cross Hotel and you are invited along to watch the parade on the big screens.

    This is a free event that gives you the luxury of all the amenities of the vessel without the need to battle the high seas.

    Where? Kings Cross Hotel
    244-248 William Street, Kings Cross
    When? Saturday 28 February 2026
    How Much? Free, no registration required



    • 1 Mar 2026
    • 15:00
    • The Townie
    Register


    Bear Voyage

    Congratulations maties, you've made it to the end of Bear Essentials 2026 and Mardi Gras! If you're not totally shagged out by now, we're having one last hurrah at The Townie in Newtown before Mardi Gras sails away for a year.

    Join us in wishing a bear voyage to those people who’ve travelled here for Bear Essentials 30!

    Harbour City Bears’ regular watering hole on a Sunday, The Town Hall Hotel in Newtown (known as The Townie) is where you can sail to, to wind down after a busy fortnight.

    So come along and visit the 1st deck (Midway Bar) or the Crow's nest (Roof top Cactus Bar). Grab a farewell drink with your fellow seamen, enjoy a last meal and exchange the salty stories of the last two week.

    The Townie is conveniently located directly outside Newtown Train Station.

    Where? The Town Hall Hotel
    326 King Street, Newtown
    When? Sunday 1 March 2025
    4pm until 8pm
    How Much? Free, no registration required

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software