Every December, SA’s bear community celebrates Bearfest South Africa. The 2025 edition, themed Brokeback Bosveld, took place from 5 to 7 December 2025 at Die Windpomp, just outside Pretoria.
The three-day event was jam-packed with fun in the sun with old friends and new, games, prizes, drinks, live entertainment, braaivleis, a themed party, and, of course, the crowning of a new Mr Bearfest. It saw record attendance, with more than 200 bears and bear lovers participating.
It has been an annual highlight on the South African bears calendar since December 2014. A celebration of the gay subculture known as the Bears, Bearfest South Africa has been a source of community building and unforgettable memories for many South African bears over the past 10 years, and the event keeps getting bigger.
In April 2025, the world watched as Michael Ollé (crowned Mr Bearfest SA last year) went on to become Mr Bear International 2025 in Thailand. This year, the Mr Bearfest pageant included the use of a brand-new smartphone app for nomination and voting purposes, combined with voting at the event.
Johan Smith, all the way from Smithfield in the Free State, was nominated and voted to represent the local bear community for 2026. He wasn’t the only bear from out of town, and like every year, bears came from far and wide, including Kimberley, Cape Town, KZN, the North West, and Mpumalanga.
Aheesh Singh acted as the official photographer at the event and snapped these photos, capturing the spirit of Bearfest 2025.
