Sadly we have to cancel BearScotFest this year. 

There is unlikely to be any formal announcement from the Scottish Government permitting large indoor gatherings until well into autumn, and there is still no planned date for nightclubs to reopen. 

We have been working closely with our venues, and as the rules currently stand any event would have to be fully seated with table service. Each table can be made up of no more than 3 households and table-hopping would have to be rigidly forbidden. This would require the event both to run on significantly reduced numbers, and wouldn’t create the sort of event we want to invite you to.

Logistics aside, hosting an event of this size is also morally against the ethos of the lockdown rules. We care about you and the safety of our community, and with many bears being at a higher risk from COVID, we have taken the sad decision to not proceed with the event. 

We look forward to welcoming you all back to celebrate Bearscot’s 21st birthday next year.

See you all soon,

Murray 
Bearscots President 

The dates for BearScotFest 2021 are...
Thursday 30 Sep - Sun 3 Oct

We are all excited that The Regent is opening back up again from the 3rd Aug. Alan and the team are working hard to ensure all the final safety measures are in place to keep both staff and customers safe. 

The Regent are following a clear policy on group size to comply with COVID19 regulations, and they will not be taking bookings or allocating tables of more than 8 people. Add to this the limit of 3 households per table and that once seated, mingling or table hopping is prohibited. 

🔹 THIS MEANS WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RESTART THE BEAR SOCIALS UNTIL SOCIAL DISTANCING RESTRICTIONS ARE LIFTED 🔹

We wish Alan and the team all the best with the re-opening, and we are looking forward to getting together again really soon. 

Murray & the Bearscots Boys

Follow us on Facebook for the latest information

If you do decide to drop in to The Regent after they open on the 4th August, here is a brief description of what to expect...

🔹There will be someone on the door, who will allocate you table

🔹It will full be table service and everyone must be seated

🔹A one way systems is in place, and only one person at a time can be in the toilet

🔹Several tables & chairs have been removed so they can enforce social distancing. 

🔹Max 3 different households per table 

🔹Max table size 8 people 

🔹People sitting together must confirm to the pub that they are from the same household, otherwise they must be at least 1 metre apart. Tables have been set up to allow this extra space safely. 

🔹Contact details of customers must be recorded for "test & trace" 

🔹Once allocated a seat, you must then remain there - people are not allowed to table-hop or "mingle"

These rules are for your safety as a customers and of the staff who are serving you...  
I am sure the bears who visit The Regent will do what they can to make the re-opening as easy as possible.

 We wanted to keep everyone updated on The status of BearScotFest this year. 

You will be aware that all large public events planned for the Summer have already been cancelled, and as of yet we have received no guidance from the Scottish government or our venues as to whether events in the autumn or later will be able to go ahead. 

While all arrangements are already in place, we will not commence ticket sales until we get confirmation that large events like this can actually happen, and we take into consideration the impact of social distancing will have on both numbers and your experience of the event.  

Please keep watching our page for more information, and we will let you know as soon as we do! 

Murray 
Bearscots President
 
Gary 
BearScotFest Event Manager

This year we have all of your favourites, including Saturday night at The Caves; our Fun Brunch with the furry boys at Nom de Plume; Welcome Night at CC Blooms; Sunday afternoon at Electric Circus; Mr BearScotFest Contest;  Fundraising Prize draw;  and of course the ever-popular Pool Party. Our sightseeing option this year is a visit to the Place of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official Scottish residence (with great tearoom and gift-shop, of course!) and we are delighted to welcome a veritable cornucopia of DJ talent to the weekend including Hamburg’s DJ Kai, London’s HOT FUZZ DJ Cactushead, Glasgow’s DJ Jamie, Edinburgh’s DJ Blondie and of course, no BearScotFest would be complete without our very own DJs Mischka and Corkie!

Earlybird Full Weekend Passes cost £26 and are available until the end of August. Full Weekend Passes thereafter will be £30.  Saturday Night Only Passes cost £10.  Any “on the door” tickets are subject to availability  but remember: We SOLD OUT last year, so in order to guarantee your place we recommend you register online early!  

Our Welcome and Registration Desk will be found in CC Blooms and you can pick up your dog tags,  teacakes and all your needs from us there from 12.30 on Friday. The guys from Moodybear will also will be on-site there offering a full range of beary goodies and you can pick up your pre-ordered limited-edition BSF15 T-shirts there too!

For those of you arriving early, we will also have a casual get-together for food, drinks and music on Thursday evening – more details to follow!!

As always, if you have any questions or need more info, get in touch!

See you in October!

Register for BearScotFest 2015

2-5th October, Edinburgh


We are looking forward to seeing many familiar faces return this and meeting lots of new guys for our 13th annual fest in the beautiful historic city of Edinburgh. 

Booking Up
Tickets for the weekend have nearly sold out but we still have some places left and tickets for Saturday night. 

Early Bears
If you are arriving early come and join us on Thursday from 9 onwards at the Street on Picardy Place where we will be gathering for drinks and banter. thestreetbaredinburgh.co.uk 

Getting the Info 
Registration opens up from 12.00 pm at the LGBT centre underneath Nom de Plume on Broughton St. The guys in Nom de Plume serve up a great selection of food and drinks where you relax.  Our base bar for the weekend is just across the road. The Barony Bar has a fine selection of real ales for you to taste. 

Our website gives you a map of the main venues and by following the link bearscots.org.uk/agenda you can find full details of our weekend programme and add the event to your smartphone. Save the link to your phone's home screen and it will behave just like a handy app!

Bear Merchandise 
We are delighted that Andrew Clarke from Moody Bear will be joining us to sell his range of quirky and humorous clothing including exclusive BearScots merchandise. Andrew will be setting up camp at CC Blooms. themoodybear.com 

Bear Support
Our chosen charity this year is Gay Men’s Health. They support gay and bisexual men throughout Scotland and we will be raising money for them through our big charity raffle. For more details about GMH check out: gmh.org.uk

Big hugs and see you at BearScotFest! 

We have experienced some technical difficulties which have taken longer than expected to resolve! But not to worry in the next few days our online booking system will be up and running. The early bird special will be extended offering you discount for the weekend package! We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused. 

Big hugs from all at BearScots 


UPDATE: Problem solved, you can book now!