Bidding for the 2024 Bearfootin’ Art Walk bears begins Thursday, September 26 at 10:00 am.
Our virtual auction has been a proven success for raising funds for 20 local nonprofits every year, with the 2023 auction exceeding $114,000. The 2024 Auction will be completely virtual again this year, beginning September 26 and ending with a countdown celebration at the Historic Courthouse Plaza on Saturday, October 26.
How to bid:
All bidding will occur virtually via accelevents.com/e/bearauction24 . There will be no in-person bidding. Bidding ends at 6:00 pm EST on October 26, 2024.
NEW THIS YEAR: All bidders can outbid AFTER the auction ends at 6:00 pm. Bidders will all have 60 seconds to continue to outbid each other. Each individual bear auction will CLOSE after there are no new bids within 60 seconds.
Starting bids for all bears will be $1,500 and minimum bid increments are $100.
Any bear can be purchased ahead of the bidding deadline at our "Buy Now" price of $10,000.
The "Buy Now" option ends Thursday, October 24 at 5 pm.
Visit hendersonvillenc.gov/bearfootin or the auction site directly at accelevents.com/e/bearauction24 for complete details on bidding and acquiring your bear.
To celebrate this exciting downtown tradition, the public is invited to a countdown event on October 26 at the Historic Courthouse Square on Main Street from 4:30 pm until 6:00 pm. Attendees and bidders will meet the bears and their artists while enjoying live music and refreshments available for purchase from Mini Batch Bakery. While there won’t be voice call bidding at the event, attendees will be able to bid live via cell phone and can ask for setup assistance at a designated registration table. Bidders do not have to attend the in-person event to be a winning bidder, but winning bidders are encouraged to pick up their bear on the evening of October 26.
Interested in Sponsoring a 2025 Bear? ONLINE Applications for a bear for 2025 will open on Tuesday, October 29th at 10am. It will be “first come first served” for all interested parties – current bear sponsors, wait-listed sponsors and sponsors from past years that would like to participate in 2025. To be added to the notification list, see details at hendersonvillenc.gov/bearfootin.
ABOUT THE BEARFOOTIN’ ART WALK PROGRAM
Since 2003, the Bearfootin’ Art Walk has helped raise funding for Friends of Downtown Hendersonville (a 501c3 nonprofit) and a variety of local nonprofits. In addition to raising funds, the bears offer a window into good work being done by community organizations.
The Bearfootin’ bears arrive as blank slates before local artists transform each into a spectacular fashion, with creative themes ranging from Mona Lisa to Blue Ridge Mountain scenery. After the “Reveal” event in early May, the bears then take up residence in downtown Hendersonville for the duration of the summer and fall, up until the auction. Winning bids up to $3,000 are split evenly between the Friends of Downtown Hendersonville and the nonprofit chosen by the sponsor, while bid amounts exceeding $3,000 are directed entirely to the nonprofit. The 2023 auction raised $116,600 in proceeds to support local nonprofits.
