Fat Bear Week is here: Meet Backpack, Bucky and other chunky contenders
Sixteen bears are facing off in Fat Bear Week 2026, the highly anticipated tournament among the chunkiest bears at the Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska.
Fat Bear Week 2026 is set to commence in Alaska, with 16 bears competing for the title of the fattest. This year's competition features the defending champion, Chunk, along with 15 other contenders. From September 22nd to 29th, bear enthusiasts can participate in the single-elimination tournament by voting for their favorite bears online.
The event, which began in 2014, drew over 1.7 million votes in 2025 and is now available to watch on live streams from Explore.org. These cameras capture the bears in their natural habitat, particularly around Brooks Falls, where they catch fish. Park rangers are on hand to answer questions about the bears via online talks and Q&A sessions.
The bears have reached peak fat after feasting on salmon, berries, and other foods throughout the summer. This provides them with enough fuel to survive the long winter hibernation, during which they cannot eat. Many of the bears have cubs, and some, like 132 the mother bear, have raised multiple generations of offspring while also vying for the Fat Bear Week title.
Written by urgent.news from CBS News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
