Fat Bear Week 2023
October 4th - 10th
Which brown bear transcends the ordinarily large and enters the realm of extraordinarily fat? Your vote decides during Fat Bear Week!
Fat Bear Week is an annual, single-elimination tournament focused on bear education. October 4th - 10th, the public votes online for the bear they think best exemplifies fatness in Brooks Falls brown bears. The bear with the most votes advances, but only one is crowned Fat Bear Week champion.
There’s no fat shaming in Fat Bear Week. Fat bears exemplify the richness of Katmai National Park and Bristol Bay, Alaska – a wild region that is home to more brown bears than people and the largest, healthiest runs of sockeye salmon left on the planet. Learn more at fatbearweek.org and watch live, streaming footage of the bears at Brooks River every day on explore.org.
Be sure to join us October 4th - 10th for Fat Bear Week, and stick around for Katmai Conservancy’s annual online Fat Bear Week Celebration Fundraiser! We’ll celebrate the 11th year of the bear cams and the 2023 bear cam season, highlight the Fat Bear Week champion, and discuss Katmai Conservancy’s important work in support of Katmai National Park and Preserve.
September 28th - 29th
Join us this September for Fat Bear Junior. Select the cub you believe embodies the essence of robustness and cast your vote at fatbearweek.org.
September 28th - 29th
Join us this September for Fat Bear Junior. Select the cub you believe embodies the essence of robustness and cast your vote at fatbearweek.org.
Fat Bear Celebration and Fundraiser
Every year as Fat Bear Week draws to a close, we celebrate the season with the Fat Bear Celebration and Fundraiser!
This online event features the Otis Fund fundraising drive, a live review of the bear cam season, highlights of the Fat Bear Week championship, and updates on Katmai Conservancy’s important work in support of Katmai National Park and Preserve.
Info on this year's celebration date and more coming soon!
Fat Bear Celebration and Fundraiser
Every year as Fat Bear Week draws to a close, we celebrate the season with the Fat Bear Celebration and Fundraiser!
This online event features the Otis Fund fundraising drive, a live review of the bear cam season, highlights of the Fat Bear Week championship, and updates on Katmai Conservancy’s important work in support of Katmai National Park and Preserve.
Info on this year's celebration date and more coming soon!
The Otis Fund
Each year during Fat Bear Week, and culminating with the Fat Bear Celebration, Katmai Conservancy and explore.org hold a fundraising drive to support the Otis Fund.
The Otis Fund allows Katmai Conservancy to support education and interpretation, both within and outside of Katmai National Park, and provide funding for important research on Katmai’s wildlife as well as the extensive human history of the area. Other initiatives include promoting youth engagement in the local and online communities, working to ensure the environmental sustainability of the fragile ecosystems of Katmai, and the necessary improvement of Park infrastructure.
Thank you to all who donated to the Otis Fund during the 2022 celebration! Thanks to your efforts, and the generous 2x match from explore.org, we were able to raise $373,576.00!
The Otis Fund
Each year during Fat Bear Week, and culminating with the Fat Bear Celebration, Katmai Conservancy and explore.org hold a fundraising drive to support the Otis Fund.
The Otis Fund allows Katmai Conservancy to support education and interpretation, both within and outside of Katmai National Park, and provide funding for important research on Katmai’s wildlife as well as the extensive human history of the area. Other initiatives include promoting youth engagement in the local and online communities, working to ensure the environmental sustainability of the fragile ecosystems of Katmai, and the necessary improvement of Park infrastructure.
Thank you to all who donated to the Otis Fund during the 2022 celebration! Thanks to your efforts, and the generous 2x match from explore.org, we were able to raise $373,576.00!
Missed the 2022 Fat Bear Celebration broadcast? Click here to watch the video of the celebration!