Every year, Katmai National Park and Preserve hosts Fat Bear Week.
Fat bear Week was celebrated for the first time in the fall of 2014. It was originally created as Fat Bear Tuesday but due to the popularity of the event, Katmai decided to make the event a week-long tournament.
The event exists as a way to celebrate the strength of bears and is celebrated by people all over the world. In 2022, Fat Bear Week received votes from every single continent.
The Fat Bear Week website allows anyone to vote on their favorite or fattest bear. This year, there were a total of eight bears to choose from. The bears were set up in a bracket style tournament and polls would be released to determine the winners.
Katmai also hosts its annual Fat Bear Junior tournament. The bears that compete in this tournament are young bear cubs. There is a one day voting period and the winner goes on to compete in the final Fat Bear Week vote.
This year, Fat Bear Week took place from October 4 to October 10, with the winner being announced on October 11.
This year’s winner is an 800 pound mother bear named Grazer.
Next fall, visit Katmai National Park’s website and cast your vote for your favorite bear for Fat Bear Week 2024.
