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Bearfootin’ Bear Auction Virtual Bidding Starts on September 25 Our virtual auction has been a proven success in raising funds for 20 local nonprofits every year, raising over $500,000 in the last 5 years. The 2025 Auction will be completely virtual again this year, beginning September 25 and ending with a countdown celebration at the Historic Courthouse Plaza on Saturday, October 25.
How to bid:
All bidding will occur virtually via accelevents.com/e/bearauction25. There will be no in-person bidding. Bidding ends at 6pm EST on October 25, 2025. All bidders can outbid AFTER the auction ends at 6pm. Bidders will all have three minutes to continue to outbid each other. Each individual bear auction will CLOSE after there are no new bids within the three minutes period.
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 23 at 5 pm. BUY NOW must be purchased with credit card (processing fees apply) and cannot be guaranteed unless it is purchased online.
Visit hendersonvillenc.gov/bearfootin or the auction site directly at accelevents.com/e/bearauction25 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 25 at the Historic Courthouse Square on Main Street from 4:30pm until 6pm. Attendees and bidders will meet the bears and their artists. 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 the evening of October 25.
2026 Bear Sponsorship Application Updates: Applications for a 2026 bear will open on Monday, October 27 through Sunday, November 2. Bear sponsorship applications will be accepted for one week in order to allow for complete applications to be submitted. If there are more than 20 applicants, sponsors will be accepted by random lottery.
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 many creative artistic themes. 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.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Historic Courthouse Sq, Hendersonville, NC 28792, United States
