QLD Camping Bears sexy 2027 calendar has dropped

Could someone pass a towel? The LGBTQ+ social group QLD Camping Bears 2027 calendar is now on sale, and it has us working up a sweat.

The QLD Camping Bears calendar is one of the group’s biggest fundraisers for the year. The calendar is so much fun to look at, with a diverse mix of furry community members and beautiful photography by Dylan Hodgon.

“We’ve sold almost 50% of our calendars just on pre-orders,” President & Co-founder Todd Hammond told QNews. “So now we’re actually on sale; we’re shipping out as the orders come through. We could not have done that once again without our grant from Brisbane Pride.”

Every year the location provides inspiration and guidance for the calendar shoot. But for 2027, Hammond wove a theme in.

“We’ve done a light nod to the zodiac,” he said. “I say light because it’s not literal, but you can tell where we’re going with it. The shoot is 100% a collaboration between Dylan and me. I’m definitely the producer. He’s definitely the director, and I basically produce the concepts with him.”

“This was the first calendar edition where I’d locked myself into a little bit of a theme. So at some points, it felt a bit like it felt a bit boxed in, so I most certainly went to Dylan for help when I felt a bit lacking in inspiration, and he helped create what we’ve done.”

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The whole shoot took place at a member’s cattle farm

A QLD Camping Bear member offered their farm for the calendar shoot, and Oakey Ridge Farmstay turned out to be the perfect location.

“We’ve gone bush before, but we’ve never gone for a working farm property. Shooting at a cattle farm and the fact that a member owns it gave us the creative freedom to achieve more than what we have before with the shoot.”

Photographer Dylan Hodgon said everyone had a fantastic time shooting the calendar.

“It was a beautiful, chaotic time filled with last-minute ideas for the shoot, and everyone had a great time. The brilliant connection Todd and I have, and one of the reasons we work so brilliantly together, is that he has an idea but will let me run with it.”

“That beautiful symbiotic nature gives me enough direction, and I love his ideas so much that he lets me run with it.”

This is QLD Camping Bears’ sixth year as a group and fifth calendar.

“Each year, we aim for the calendar to get better and better,” Hammond said. “And I do genuinely feel that this year once again, we’ve done that. I remember Dylan saying that last year was his favourite, and now he’s saying this year is his favourite.”

“But it’s not just about all the photos; there’s something to be said for having something physically printed. That’s really important. We are starting to see so much AI imagery around, especially in queer spaces. I find it’s making the queer community feel a little bit disconnected from what is real.

“Having something created by real members of the community, and presented in something physical and tangible, that’s really important. Because it helps connect the community.”

Who’s your favourite month?

“We’ve been getting orders, of course, from Brisbane and other major cities. But Melbourne’s been our biggest supporter.” Hammond said. “I would say 15% of orders are coming from Melbourne, but also Perth, Central Coast, Cairns, Mount Isa, Shepparton.”

“I can guarantee these are not people who’ve attended events, but are not only aware of us; they’re interested in what we were providing to the community. The calendar we’re producing also provides outreach to queer members in especially rural areas; I think that’s really important.”

When asked if he had a favourite month, Hammond said, “It’s like wanting me to pick my kids, but I’m not gonna pick a favourite; you’ll have to buy one and find out.”

For Hodgon, when you look at so many images, they can become a blur, so putting together a collage with the shots pulled them together for him.

“That’s when I saw the cohesive nature of the work,” he said, “Seeing it all come together is amazing, but I am away, so I haven’t seen a final copy yet. But the reception from everyone else has been so good that I feel like this is probably our best work yet.”

Grab your copy of the 2027 QLD Camping Bear calendar here.

Who are the QLD Camping Bears?

Formed in 2020, the QLD Camping Bears welcome all in the LGBTQIA+ community to enjoy the stunning outdoors together.

Through hiking, beach trips, BBQs, picnics, 4X4 driving, pool parties and more, they create a unique and social way for our community to connect.

“We run multiple events throughout the year,” Hammond told QNews. “Unlike other community groups, we don’t run on membership fees,  dance parties or anything like that.”

“So, how we generate funding is limited compared to others, so we decided to get creative. Every year, the calendar raises a lot of funds for us to keep things going, from administrative costs, as well as providing food at events and things like that

“Any money we make always goes back directly into the group itself.”

Find out more about QLD Camping Bears here.

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, and community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.