Big Bear PaddleFest is BACK for 2024! "Paddle Lakefest" is now part of Big Bear's Lakefest!
Join us for a weekend of Paddle Races, the World Tour Paddling Film Festival, and more including an open water swim race, arm wrestling contest, live music, and an action sports show.
This year we will hold 3 different Paddle Lakefest races: Lakefest Classic 10K, the Dooley Cup 20K race circumnavigating the entire lake, and new for this year is the Paddle, Paddle, Pass 1 Mile sit on top kayak relay race!
Lakefest Classic 10K and The Dooley Cup are ALL COMERS races. Bring your fastest paddling rig! We will hold divisions for every style of boat that shows up. All paddlers will need a PFD and to register their boat on Big Bear Lake. We will provide on site discounted boat registrations.
Paddle, Paddle, Pass - Our NEW 1 MILE Sit on Top Kayak Relay Race for everyone! Come on down and enjoy the party. No experience or equipment needed. We'll provide the boat, paddle, and pfd you just need to bring some friends! Teams will compete in a fun relay race challenging everyone to steer and paddle around our course before handing off to a teammate. There will be heats ran through both days. Family friendly and lots of fun!
Lakefest Classic 10k - How fast can you go? Bring your fastest paddling rig and take on the competition.
*Race starts Saturday 8/31 at 7am. Boat drop available Friday night 8/30 at 6pm. We will have security onsite throughout the event.
The Dooley Cup - Test your endurance in this 20k paddle, and conquer an epic lap of the entire Big Bear Lake! Honoring The Dooley’s, Big Bear Lake Paddlefest’s original creators and biggest paddle enthusiasts in town, The Dooley Cup is Paddle Lakefest’s most coveted prize. Oh and, they’ll be watching so make Jim and Janet proud.
*Race starts Sunday 9/1 at 6:30am. Boat drop available Friday night 8/30 at 6pm. We will have security onsite throughout the event.
Paddle, Paddle, Pass Relay - Grab your friends and family and enter the beginner friendly, but action packed relay race. The best part? You don’t even need to bring a boat! We will have everything you need on site to get out on the water, get your strokes in, and have a blast with your besties.
*Heats will be run throughout the day on Saturday 8/31 & Sunday 9/1.
Athlete Check-in: Friday night 8/30 is Athlete Welcome Night! Lakefest HQ at Ski Beach will open at 4pm. Come by to get the lay of the land and the details out of the way so race morning is a breeze!
Boat Drop with overnight security
Boat Inspection & Registration with Big Bear Municipal Water District (lake authority) REQUIRED FOR ALL BOATS
Race Briefings and Q&A with Race Director (5pm)
Live Music
Paddling Film Festival World Tour
Course Map - direct specific questions to: info@elevatedsocal.com.
Paddling Film Fest World Tour: Enjoy a curated selection of this year’s best paddling films!
Parking: There is no on-site parking for Paddle Lakefest. There will be a boat drop-off area with security. We will be offering shuttle service from our satellite parking lot. This event is part of Lakefest which is a “park and ride” event encouraging everyone to ride bikes or take public transportation to and from the event. There should be available parking on Friday Night only for Athlete Welcome Night.
Big Bear’s Lakefest: Check out all the exciting happenings of the weekend here.