Bear Necessity

Bear Necessity is one of the largest and longest-running bear parties in Europe, founded in 2008 by Sjag Kozak and still a mainstay of Amsterdam's queer calendar. Held several times a year at the spacious, stylish Panama Amsterdam in the Eastern Docklands, it draws an international, diverse crowd of bears, cubs, otters and their admirers for a night that's as much social as it is sexual, catching up with old friends and making new ones on a massive dance floor. Resident and international DJs spin house, techno and uplifting dance classics until 5am, with sexy go-go dancers keeping the energy high. Themed editions (a Pride edition each August, a Fetish Edition in leather, rubber and uniform) draw even bigger crowds. Proudly diverse and attitude-free, "thick, thin, old, young, hairy, smooth, muscled, chub or beefy," everyone's welcome to dance. A must for plugging straight into Amsterdam's bear scene.