Independece Day Festival & Craft Show: The 26th Annual Independence Day Festival and Craft Show, kicks-off the summer, so join us for some fresh mountain air, great food, 30+ vendors, kids games, pony rides, petting zoo, and live entertainment.  This family friendly event located at the Big Bear Lake Convention Center. This event takes place on Wednesday July 4th, 5th, & 6th 2012 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm daily at 42900 Big Bear Boulevard, Big Bear Lake, Ca 92315. Please visit our specials page for lodging information and for more details about this event call us at 1-877-676-1827.

Music in the Mountains         

Provided by:
National Forest Association


Music lovers looking for classic rock tribute music do not have to travel to LA to the House of Blues or some crowded indoor casino to revive their classic rock musical souls in search of some of the best tribute music performing on the West Coast. It’s as close as one of the most intimate, magical and outdoor concert venues located in the heart of Southern California’s favorite mountain playground, the Big Bear Discovery Center Amphitheater in . . . featuring a backdrop of cool mountain breezes, heavenly mountain aromas and starlit nights.

Upcoming Shows:

June 30: Classic Rock Double hitter, The Long Run, Experience the Eagles.

With special guest, Fortunate Son Tribute to John Fogert, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. The Long Run, has earned its place among the top-drawing tribute acts in North America and is regarded as one of the finest Eagles tributes in the world. 5:30pm gates open; 7:00pm concert starts

July 7: Sticky Fingers, the Leading International Rolling Stones Tribute Show

“The greatest rock and roll tribute band in the world” boasting a talent pool of multi-platinum musicians who have performed and recorded with the Rolling Stones themselves, the #1 band in rock history. 5:30pm gates open; 7:00pm concert starts

July 21: DSB presents, Don’t Stop Believin’ America’s Favorite Tribute to Journey.

DSB returns for a second command performance in 2012; they rocked the mountain in 2011 to new heights and their presence is still felt. Highly revered by fans as “the next best thing”, DSB has captured the lush signature sound of renowned vocalist Steve Perry, brilliantly delivered by Juan Del Castillo, and Journey in their prime. 5:30pm gates open; 7:00pm concert starts

September 1: Surreal Neil and Super Diamond

After assembling a band of truly kindred spirits, Surreal Neil and Super Diamond began to perform regularly in San Francisco and then all over the U.S, and something quite wonderful happened: people turned out in large numbers to see them, and returned again and again and again. 5:30pm gates open; 7:00pm concert starts
General Admission Adults: $25

Big Bear Vacations Office Renovations Begin!

We are very happy to announce that the renovations at Big Bear Vacation's check in office have begun. For the next few months we will be installing new floors and a new concierge and front desk. We ask that all guests be patient and understanding of the construction that may be taking place upon check-in. We are very excited for the completion of this office makeover and are confident it will make every guests check in experience, that much better! We plan to host a chamber of commerce mixer at the end of August to reveal the completion of the renovations. More details on the Chamber mixer to come as the event approaches. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.

                        Sincerely,

                                       The Big Bear Vacations Team        

Big Bear Paddlefest

Are you ready to test your stamina at 6700 feet elevation? High altitude brings a different set of challenges to SUP, kayak and canoe paddlers. The fifth annual Big Bear PaddleFest is held on the South Shore of Big Bear Lake at Swim Beach, hosted byNorth Shore Trading Company. This yearHobie SUP challenges you to 5K, 10K, 20K, Downwind, Sprints and Relay Races. Big Bear PaddleFest is a member of Open Air Big Bear and second in the Conquer the Bear series of cross training races held throughout the year in Big Bear Valley.

Paddlefest is taking place at Meadow Park at 41220 Park Avenue on July 7 & 8th, 2012. We encourage you to participate in the race or just come to the event to take a clinic. Pre-registration is available online or at the event.

Paddlefest Package: Book your 2 night full price rental and Big Bear Vacations will pay for registration for the event for up to 2 people in your reservation and offer a free 8 pm checkout.  This offer must be mentioned at the time of booking, and cannot be combined with any other discounts or promotions.  Call 1-888-306-9486 to book now. For more information about this event you can also visit the PaddleFest Big Bear website. 

Jazz Trax Big Bear Lake Music Festival

The 7th Annual Jazz Trax Summer Musical Festival is coming to Big Bear Lake June 23rd through the 24th and is taking place at the Marina Resort. This festival takes place right on the lake and the stage where the artist perform is a floating dock on the water. This event is featuring some amazing musicians and the line-up includes Mindy Abair who recently played the saxaphone on American Idol with this years winner of Idol, Phillip Phillips. The doors open at 1pm on Saturday and Sunday and the show starts at 2pm. There are many different types of seating available so reserve your tickets now for preferred seating. Also for information on the artist featured at the festival please check out the event schedule. For more informations and details please contact The Big Bear Lake Resort Association.

The Memorial Day Procession in Big Bear Lake begins at 9:30am this morning at the intersection of Village Drive & Pine Knot Avenue, followed by the Ceremony at Veterans Park. Everyone is invited.

Amgen Results
Frenchman Sylvain Georges of AG2R La Mondiale won the climb to Big Bear of the2012 Amgen Tour of California. Exhausted and completely rung out he crossed the finish line with the main field of riders closing in.  Thousands of spectators watched cheered and rang their cow bells as Sylvian dug deep up Summit Boulevard to the finish arena. The Frenchman Sylvain nearly collapsed then sat on the pavement as his team matesand fellow riders came to congratulate him on his emotional and grueling stage win.

StageWinner Sylvain Georges went on to say that this was the biggest win in hiscareer.  He felt strong early on in the stage and knew he had the legs tofinish.  Near the end he knew it was all or nothing so he gave it his alland came out victorious.

Memorial Day!!

Kick off your summer right and spend it in Big Bear Lake. May is one of the most beautiful months to visit Big Bear because the weather is amazing and the lake activities are in full swing! It is the best time of year for kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding at Captain John's Marina and much more! Don't forget that Big Bear also has a variety of hiking and biking trails for anyone looking for an adventure! The Scenic Sky Chair will also be open Memorial Day Weeked so you can take a relaxing ride on the chair lift to the top of Snow Summit, have lunch at the View Haus and take a leisurely ride or hike back down to the base. Big Bear Vacations has over 300 vacation rentals including lakefront rentals with game rooms, boat docks and much more! Most companies require you to stay three or more nights on Memorial Day but not us! We are only requiring a ONE night minimum stay for all new reservations, but we are confident that you will want to stay longer! To make a reservation with us. please book online or call us at 1-855-829-0937.

America's Greatest Race Coming to Big Bear Lake!

Big Bear Lake is proud to be hosting the finish of Stage 6 of the Amgen Tour of California, on May 18th, 2012. If you plan to be traveling to Big Bear Lake on race day, please view the spectators guide to help avoid traffic and find the best place to view the race. If you are joining us at Snow Summit to watch the racers come across the finish, don't forget to visit the Big Bear Vacations booths located in the Lifestyle and Cyclist Expos. The expos will be open between 11am and 5pm and the racers are expected to start to cross the finish line around 3:30pm. If you plan to stay in Big Bear for this event check out our specials page or call us at 1-855-829-0937 for the best lodging deals in town. We hope to see you there!



The Jim Hall Memorial, May Trout Classic will take place on May 19-20th, 2012 at Big Bear Marina. Big Bear Municipal Water District is hosting this event. The top nine largest trout caught at the 30th Annual Jim Hall Memorial May Trout Classic share or split $8,000 in prize money (based on 500 entrants), and new this year is an opportunity to catch a tagged trout worth $10,000. The May Trout Classic is Saturday, May 19 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, May 20 from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. The two day event is open to all ages and skill levels. Entry fee is $65 for adults and free entry for juniors (16 years and younger) with a paid adult. Entry forms are available at The Big Bear Visitor Center, 630 Bartlett Road (in the Village); Holloways Marina, 398 Edgemoor Rd.; Big Bear Marina, 500 Paine Court or The Big Bear Municipal Water District, 40524 Lakeview Drive. To have an entry form mailed or to register for the event call 909-585-4007 or emailJacque@maytroutclassic.com.  Or for more information visit the events website.