GATHERINGS

You can receive updates on Gatherings and Build Days by joining the Polar Bear Fest What'sApp group (It's a group for only being informed, not for communicating with other participants.)

It would be amazing if you could help with suggestions below so we can have the most successful Fest!

  • Find one friend who is willing to commit to go with you to the Great Lawn in Central Park when it snows.

  • Talk to one environmental institution, grassroot group, or whatever group you belong to (no matter if it's your book club, a group focusing on parenting, or gardening...,) and ask them to spread the word or come to the Great Lawn when it snows.

  • Ask your most connected friend (or friends) if they would be willing to post something on social media, the day when it snows (and if possible remind them again on those days.)

  • Think of your friends who have the means to promote Polar Bear Fest on the radio, in their podcast, TV, newspaper, or magazine, etc. and discuss with them if they might want to do that.

  • If you want to be more involved, come to our meetings before it snows. Collect material for noses and eyes, especially hollowed citrus fruit halves, toilet paper rolls, and avocado pits (which are the best materials we've discovered,) and help us to prepare them for everybody who will come to build bears. (Join the WhatsApp group above to be informed about the meetings).

  • And please follow Polar Bear Fest on Instagram, or spread the word by other means.

Snowbears Take on the Great Lawn

Polar Bear Fest aims to connect people of all ages and walks of life with environmental groups, activists, and artists to build a community in which ideas, art, daily practices, sources of information, and plans for action are shared to raise awareness of the state of Planet Earth on which we have a definitive impact. We hope to cultivate mindfulness through collaborative art making. We invite you to join our first global climate action Gathering in Central Park.

Who: Anyone and Everyone! All ages, all walks of life, all abilities can participate!

What: Come build snowbears, invite friends and people passing by to help. Artists, musicians, actors, dancers, and photographers can make their contributions, by entertaining, documenting, and sharing. Climate scientists and members of environmental groups: please come, share your knowledge, and suggest ways in which we can stop the climate crisis.

When: As soon as there is enough appropriate-quality snow on the ground (approx. six inches). Subscribe so you can be informed of days on which snowbear building might take place. But you don’t have to wait. If you think there’s enough snow, start building on your own.

Where: The Great Lawn in Central Park, NYC (We start at the West Side Entrance, see map below)

Why: To mold the beginnings of a community in which climate issues are discussed with practical concern and solutions. Building snowbears together fosters genuine connections: that’s what art is meant to do, and what life is all about. Creating a large scale symbol to demonstrate that our current policies need to be changed.

How to Build a Bear

Poses for Snowbears

Turn a Snowman Into a Snowbear

What to Bring

  • what you will need to be comfortable in the snow for a few hours

  • dark colored buttons, caps, rocks, pebbles, for the eyes and noses of the polar bears

  • snow and gardening shovels to most effectively gather snow and shape it

  • props and accessories for your bear, such as sunglasses, clothing, instruments, books, or whatever you’d like

  • used cardboard (from old boxes, for example) for signs

  • pens, pencils, markers to write on signs

  • used hats, gloves, aprons, scarves, or shirts that you would like to stamp and wear at the Gathering

  • ink pads for our PBF stamps (only if you have spare ones)

  • warm beverages, snacks, etc.

    Tips: If you don’t have waterproof shoes, take a solid plastic bag and slip into them and then into your shoes.

    If the snow is too dry, you can bring containers of water to make it pack more effectively. If you bring extra materials, you can also share them with others.

    When departing, please don’t leave anything behind (beside the decorations for your bears. And please gather those as well when the bear melts, or ask your neighbor-builder to pick it up for you. We should all try to contribute to each other’s happy experience.) 

Let’s All Gather

Give Your Bear a Voice

After you build your snowbear, you may write a message for your bear to share, which can be an invocation, poem, or something else that sparks conversation about the impact of fossil fuels on polar bear habitat.

Some examples to write on the sign:

  • Stop Supporting Fossil Fuels

  • The Arctic is Melting

  • Mommy, What’s a Carbon Footprint?

  • I Bear-y Much Need Your Help

  • Obviously, YOU can do better!

  Feel free to write your Instagram handle on the sign.

Make Your Own Gear