Looking Back at Bear Week 2022

Steve thank you for talking to us about Beef Dip 2022. How was this year’s event?

It was a great year! The attendance was record-breaking,  our parties went smoothly, and the crowd always left happy. We still have very much in our minds the fact that the world is recovering from a global pandemic, and there are always concerns about the safety of our Beefdippers but we followed all government guidelines and COVID protocols. All of our tag holders presented proof of COVID vaccine and booster shots. Everyone in our staff was tested every other day, always with negative results. We even had random protocol checks by the city of Puerto Vallarta with no reported issues. It’s fair to say that this has been our biggest BeefDip Bear Week yet.

How did your fundraising do this year? You have a new sponsor?

Our Beefdippers have always been very generous in our charity events. We managed to raise $15,790 CAD this year which will be of great help to SETAC and Vallarta Food Bank. For our Tidal Wave Fundraiser this year we welcomed two new sponsors: JOSELO, QBO Bear Wear along with Almar and Mantamar who have been an enormous help as usual, and we are very thankful for their continued support. They helped us do a refresh on our annual auction and were pivotal on raising these much-needed funds for our charities.

What do you think brings people down to PV for this event?

BeefDip Bear week has been here for 2 decades, and our attendees have made this a very diverse, friendly and open event where everyone is welcome. It’s true that many of the attendees come from the US, Canada and of course Mexico, but we now have visitors from Brazil, Japan, Spain, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates.

What made this year different from last year’s event in your opinion?

After two years of being locked-down due to the pandemic, it was noticeable that people are ready to go out and have fun. The vibe during our events was unique and festive. Our venues also stepped up; a renovated rooftop at Blue Chairs Resort, improved sound systems at C.C. Slaughters and Mantamar Beach Club, our sunset dinner party was our biggest yet. We introduced new events, including a 3 day “art flair” featuring both local and International artists curated by Danyol Leon. We also launched our very first merchandising line designed by QBO Bear Wear and JOSELO.

As a promoter, your mind never stops in terms of thinking about ways to make the event more special for the attendees, what is your process for making these ideas a reality?

Well I’m always thinking of new ways of improving BeefDip and ideas can hit me in the most unexpected situations LOL. I keep a record of those ideas, and then the special magic added by the BeefDip Team help me put everything together into reality. It is really a team effort.

While people come in from all over to this event, how do you feel the local community has responded to the event?

The community of Puerto Vallarta has always been amazing to the bears, and we can only say that they always make us feel at home and welcome us with open arms, as they have done for the last 20 years. Puerto Vallarta is such a beautiful beach town, and I’m sure the bears will be happy to keep coming for BeefDip Bear Week for years to come.

Do you think it is important to try and bring some of the local flair into the event?

Yes, and we believe the local flair is always present in our events. Along with our international talent, we always have local entertainment mixed in our parties. This year we had 3 events at our hot cowboy bar Los Amigos, a favorite among both foreign and national visitors. John from C.C. Slaughters always has great decor made by national artists. We always look for ways to show Mexico to our visitors, and Puerto Vallarta knows that we are grateful and that we appreciate this beautiful culture, and its people.

Lastly, I know it’s very early, but if there is one thing you could tell us as a tease for next year, what would it be?

We are very excited to announce that 2023 will mark our first BeefDip Bear Week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We have had an increasing number of visitors from Brazil in the past few years, and we think it’s time to bring the full experience to another beautiful country!. And for our Puerto Vallarta event, we can only say: expect incredible things coming up for our next editions!

Stay tuned and sign up for our email list at Beefdip.com, and follow us in social media @beefdipbearweek.

Share:

Categories

  • GayPV Magazine 37th Edition – Feb 2024

  • Categories

  • Recent Posts

  • On Key

    Related Posts