Whether it’s your first time at Lazy Bear Week or your 28th, it’s good to have a checklist to review what you need to know about your upcoming adventure in Guerneville.

Check out the schedule of events here to see how the week unfolds.

Hot Days/Cool Nights

The daytime temperature in Guerneville can range from 85°–95°F (29°–35°C). That’s why we have so many pool parties! Bring sunscreen, sexy swimwear, kaftans, sandals, hats, lightweight t-shirts & bug spray. Consider bringing a water float/tube/lounge for relaxing on the Russian River.

The night time temperature in Guerneville can range from 50°–60°F (10°–15°C). That’s why we invite you to warm up at the campfire or cozy up to your new friends and old acquaintances at our trivia, bingo and movie nights, at mini golf and at the local bars.
Bring jeans, sweatshirts, and, yes, maybe a knit cap.

There’ll be Lazy Bear branded tshirts, swimwear, sweatshirts, hats and more for sale at HQ and most venues.

Pace yourself

Put the lazy back in Lazy Bear Weekend! There’s a lot to do during Lazy Bear Week. Slow down, enjoy yourself, take a nap or sleep in, plan your itinerary and don’t burn out too soon.

Consider some morning coffee at the Coffee Bazaar (take advantage of their offer of free coffee for Lazy Bear Week 2023 tag holders - check the event schedule for dates and times). And take a morning walk through town for a look through some of the shops.

In the afternoon, check out the pool parties. Wander between them. Or create your own advancer and go on the Seth Adams-led Armstrong Woods hike on Friday or Jenner Beach hike on Saturday. Take a nap and snuggle with the cute cub you met by the pool.

In the early evening, try out a restaurant like Timberline, Barrio, or Main Street Station. Some places are offering fixed price meals with options. A solid meal might be the base you need for the evening activities, which include dance parties, group gatherings (bingo, trivia, mini golf, cigar smoking), and campfires.

Remember all of the activities are optional. You’re free to do whatever you like. Rest and relax or party until dawn. Just be sure to pace yourself.

During Lazy Bear, Guerneville will be teeming with over 1,000 revelers. Here's some more advice about the town, the event, and the weekend. Despite appearances that may seem contrary...

You’re coming to the woods

Guerneville has recently improved their cell phone reception/connectivity, but with thousands of participants gathering in a small town, don’t expect super-fast Wi-Fi.

We live in a fast paced world and have to connect. Hook-up apps, Tweets, Snapchats, and even reading the news. This is going to frustrate some. Hopefully, your hotel/motel/home/campsite will have WiFi for you.

For those who arrive earlier in the week, you'll be pleased with speeds. Later in the week, as more Lazy Bears arrive, the more difficulty you may have.

What to do?

Plan accordingly: since you now know this, make arrangements for that work call to be at a better time of day when you'll have a good connection.
Turn it off. Cruising on Scruff, and Growlr is fun, and so is meeting a guy in person and talking to him!
Head to the Coffee Bazaar, Barrio, Starbucks (in the Safeway), Timberline, Equality Vines or other locales with free Wifi. Best bet is for any of these places that are open in the early morning when other bears are snoring — connections may be better.

One new thing…
We’re gonna try to roll out new credit card payments at Lazy Bear venue bars this year! Hooray! But having cash on hand is always a good idea.

There are four 24-hour ATMs in Guerneville:

Wells Fargo at Safeway
Bank of America on River Road
West America Bank on River Road
Community First Credit Union on Armstrong Woods Road

There's also an ATM inside the R3 Hotel and maybe inside the local liquor stores and other businesses.

So, this tip piggy-backs on the advice (above) to relax. Unplug if you can and bring some cash with you to the pool parties, dances and bonfires. Hopefully knowing this in advance will make your experience in the woods lots more fun.

Share the space

This is a broad message to all with a nudge toward those who head out early and put their towels down on lounge chairs and then disappear for hours. We’re all there to have fun, so we hope that you're willing to slide on over and let someone share your space with you. Yes, some may have to put their towels down on the pavement/deck and there's plenty of space for that.

Recently we’ve added tents and sun coverage poolside at the West Sonoma Inn. Be polite and ask if you can share spaces. Most will be friendly! It's a weekend of camaraderie and fun. Say hello to the solo traveler - we've all been there before. Invite someone you've just met to share your dinner table, or more.

A word of advice on sharing too much (publicly) - some have been known to sneak off into the woods for some extracurricular fun. Please note: there's Poison Oak in the woods. Know what it looks like and take precautions. At night, just don't risk it; no one wants to wake up with an itchy rash?

Here are a few identifiable aspects of poison oak. Look for the 3 leaves. This time of year, the leaves may be green or reddish green or red. Don't touch it!

Poison oak is transmissible through the oils from the plant- you can't get it from touching someone with it — you have to touch the plant/oil itself. If you do think you might have a poison oak rash, some quick remedies will be available in the Safeway Pharmacy or you may plan on taking some of the following with you: cold compresses, calamine lotion, hydrocortisone cream or tea tree oil.

And, if any illness befalls you at Lazy Bear, please consult a physician or a health care provider at the West County Health Center in Guerneville on First Street next to Safeway.

Prepare for FUN

Exhale. Relax. Be comfortable in your own skin. Say hello to strangers. Take photos. Tag #LazyBearWeek and #LBW so we can amass a great group of photos so future generations might see our revelry.

The purpose of all of Lazy Bear Week events is to raise money for the Lazy Bear Fund. Over the years, we’ve given away more than $2.5 million to charities that you know and love. Hopefully, we’ve made some impact on the lives of LGBTQ people in need. We like to say that we put the FUN in FUNdraising.

Advice for all vacationers (all the time): try not to let small hiccups bother you. Know in advance that there may be lines/waits for entry to restaurants, events and bars. We promise that will do our best to ensure that the events under our control will run smoothly. Every group and gathering has them…we're mindful of Chicken Littles in the crowd. :-)

Behind the scenes we've been scheduling DJs, negotiating with venues and contracting with suppliers and sponsors and shoring up our volunteer force.

Lazy Bear Checklist