Bears Amsterdam

Bears Amsterdam is the city's first dedicated bear bar, reborn in May 2025 from the ashes of The Web, a beloved fixture of Amsterdam's cruising and fetish scene for nearly forty years. Rather than let the space disappear, its owners reimagined it, since it had gradually become a bear hangout anyway and Amsterdam, unlike other major cities, had never had a bar of its own for the community. Renovated but keeping its warm, unpretentious, reassuringly sleazy character, it now serves as a true home for bears and their friends, with an upstairs men-only darkroom (cabins and a sling) for those who want to play, while the bar itself welcomes anyone who celebrates bear culture, trans, women, and nonbinary friends included. It hosts the monthly Bereborrel social and BLUF leather-club meetings, plus stand-up comedy nights, and each June it becomes the epicenter of Amsterdam Bear Pride, including the Mr. Bear Netherlands contest.