Provincetown, Massachusetts, is gay, gay, gay. Its population is approximately 3,000, but the LGBTQ+ getaway sanctuary has more than 80 bed and breakfasts, inns, and guesthouses; more than 10 gay bars and clubs, two gay beaches, and hosts a dozen or more queer events throughout the year. This year, more than 24 LGBTQ+ events are on the schedule. Photos: Provincetown Tourism
Provincetown, Massachusetts, is a tiny seaside town 60 miles out to sea at the sandy tip of Cape Cod that’s filled with U.S history. Provincetown was the first place the Pilgrims landed before settling in Plymouth Rock in 1620.
Apart from history, Provincetown is gay, gay, gay.
Its population is approximately 3,000, but the LGBTQ+ getaway sanctuary has more than 80 bed and breakfasts, inns, and guesthouses; more than 10 gay bars and clubs, two gay beaches, and hosts a dozen or more queer events throughout the year.
This year, Provincetown will host more than 35 LGBTQ+ events.
Here’s a look at what 2024 has to offer.
APRIL
- Lesbian Visibility Week
April 22-28
The theme of Lesbian Visibility Week is “United, Not Uniform,” to celebrate lesbians and show solidarity with all LGBTQ+ women and non-binary people in our community. Provincetown and San Francisco are slated to be two central hubs for this year’s official Lesbian Visibility Week USA celebrations. Provincetown events will include a Babes & Bois Pink Full Moon Par’Tea’, Crone’s Trivia Night, live music, play readings, film screenings, a Herstory Storytelling Panel, meditation classes, Feminist Stoop Readings, an art gallery stroll, book events, dance parties, an astrology dating game, A League of Our Own softball tournament, karaoke, and “Sir! A Drag King Brunch.”
MAY
- Twenty Summers
May 1 – June 30
Twenty Summers is an incubator for art and ideas. It imagines a more equitable and sustainable future 20 summers from today. The organization was founded in Provincetown’s historic Hawthorne Barn and honors its legacy of artistic freedom by providing resources, residencies, and a platform for original projects and innovative ideas.
- Fast Ferry Service
May 16
Bay State Cruise Company and Boston Harbor City Cruises begin Fast Ferry Service for 2024
- Outer Cape Chorale and Chamber Singers Spring Concert
May 17-18
The Outer Cape Chorale, 120 members, returns to enchant Provincetown with a spring concert, “The British Invasion.” The concerts are free and will take place at Provincetown Town Hall.
- Single Women’s Weekend
May 17-19
Single Women’s Weekend is the first women-centered summer event featuring speed dating, dance parties, mixers, and singles Cape Cod National Seashore Dune Tour.
- MEMDAY Weekend Women’s Festival
May 23-27
The MEMDAY Weekend Women’s Festival brings thousands of LGBTQ+ women, non-binary and trans friends to Provincetown on Memorial Day weekend.
JUNE
- Womxn of Color Weekend
May 30- June 2
Womxn of Color Weekend in Provincetown is a four-day Pride event designed for queer women of color as well as trans, nonbinary, and gender fluid people. It raises awareness about social justice, empowerment, sharing experiences, and healing through workshops and shows.
- Provincetown Pride
May 31-June 2
Provincetown Pride will be celebrated for the sixth time, a festive town-wide event spotlighting LGBTQ+ awareness, empowerment, and diversity. Activities include the Pride festival and rally at Town Hall and the queer comedy showcase.
- Cabaret Fest
June 3-9
“The Golden Era of Nightclubs” is the theme of this year’s Cabaret Fest.
- Provincetown International Film Festival
June 12-16
The Provincetown Film Festival, in its 26th year, is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to showcasing new achievements in independent film and honoring the work of emerging and acclaimed directors, producers, and actors. It’s Provincetown’s premier cultural event, attracting more than 10,000 filmgoers, movie buffs, and arts patrons throughout the five-day festival. The festival will showcase more than 80 American and international independent narratives, documentaries, animated features and shorts, panel discussions, and special events.
- Frolic: Men of Color Weekend
June 13-17
Frolic Weekend (also known as Men of Color Weekend) is an annual event held Juneteenth weekend. The goal is to connect and find queer joy in the community through events ranging from pool parties, social mixers, beach takeovers, special club nights, and other fun activities.
- Juneteenth
June 14-21
Join a coalition of Black/African Americans, indigenous persons, people of color, young leaders from the Provincetown IB School, allied community members, organizers, and leaders to mark Juneteenth in Provincetown with a community celebration and cookout, among other events.
- Great Music on Sundays @5
June 23- September 15
Provincetown’s longest-running concert series, Great Music on Sundays @5 has been running since 1999. More than 350 concerts presented by more than 150 performers have provided music without borders for thousands of concertgoers and lovers of great music. Concerts include classical, Broadway, international, piano, choral, and organ music.
- Provincetown Portuguese Festival
June 28-30
The Provincetown Portuguese Festival celebrates Portuguese culture and heritage. Apart from music, dancing, and food, events include the Blessing of the Fleet, fostering a connection between Provincetown’s history and the present-day fishermen.
JULY
- Revolution: Independence Week
June 29 – July 6
REVOLUTION: Independence Week is Provincetown’s renowned July 4 circuit party week, with international DJs, dance parties, and pool parties.
- Independence Day Parade & Fireworks
July 4
Catch the July 4 Parade at 11 a.m. on Commercial Street and watch the fireworks at dusk from MacMillan Pier.
- Bear Week
July 13- 20
The annual Bear Week brings together bears, wolves, cubs, otters, and their admirers for a week of parties, events, and shows.
- Girl Splash
July 24-27
A summer week for women, Girl Splash promises parties, solo meet-ups, “Lesbo Bingo,” a schooner sail, beach bonfires, and “lesbian beach.”
- Family Week
July 27- August 3
Family Week is the largest annual gathering of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer-identified families in the world.
AUGUST
- Provincetown Jazz Festival
August 5- 13
The 20th annual Provincetown Jazz Festival, held throughout the Cape, will feature performers such as Cassandre McKinley, Tish Adams, Mike Flanagan, the Cape Cod Jazz Quartet, and Atla and Matt DeChamplain.
- 46th Annual Provincetown Carnival: Renaissance X Revolution
August 17-24
Carnival – created by the Provincetown Business Guild in 1978 – is Ptown’s original summer celebration of community, expression, and creativity. The week-long festival attracts thousands of worldwide guests who enjoy parties, performances, costume contests, and the celebrated Carnival parade. This year’s Carnival Parade will roll down Commercial Street Aug. 22. The theme is Renaissance + Revolution.
SEPTEMBER
- Swim for Life and Paddler Flotilla Weekend
Sept. 6-8
The 37th Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla is held in one of the largest natural harbors in the world. In the past three decades, thousands of swimmers have braved its unpredictable waters and raised more than $7 million for AIDS, women’s health, and local community nonprofits. The Provincetown Harbor event is a 1.2-mile swim along the shallow East End shoreline, and the Wellfleet’s Great Pond swim is a one-mile swim.
- Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival
Sept. 26-29
The 19th season of The Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival offers “Memory Plays,” fables, yarns, and revelations by Tennessee Williams. The festival celebrates the playwright’s connection to the Cape by celebrating his avant-garde spirit and cultural contributions to the artistic community through a series of inspiring performances each year.
- Provincetown Book Festival
Sept. 27-29
The 2024 Provincetown Book Festival is a weekend of literary events for readers, writers, and book lovers at the historic Provincetown Library.
OCTOBER
- Mates Leather Weekend XXVII
Oct. 3-7
Mates Leather Weekend brings together people looking to socialize and party with like-minded, leather-wearing peers.
- Washashore Festival
Oct. 11-13
Provincetown Brewing Co.’s Washashore Music & Arts Festival is an annual party celebrating the union of live music, good beer, and Provincetown. The Washashore Festival is committed to uplifting and reflecting Provincetown’s unique soul with performers that embody free expression, individuality, beauty, acceptance, and joy.
- O’Neill Festival of New Works
Oct. 11-14
The O’Neill Festival of New Works will present readings and workshops of original plays by Provincetown and nationally known playwrights anchored by one O’Neill workshop. Six new scripts will be presented.
- Women’s Week
Oct. 14- 20
Women’s Week, celebrating its 40th year, has grown into a festival with more than 300 events that attract some of the most talented performers in the LGBTQ+ scene from across the world and the local community.
- Trans Week – The Original Fantasia Fair
Oct. 20 – 27
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Trans Week, which blends a learning experience with a social gathering and reunion. Trans Week is a complete immersion experience. Attendees can, and usually do spend, an entire week presenting their gender as they identify.
- Spooky Bear Halloween Weekend
Oct. 31- Nov. 3
It will be a frightfully furry weekend in Ptown with Spooky Bear Halloween Weekend, with a monstrous medley of parties, dances, a haunted house, and a costume ball.
NOVEMBER
- Provincetown Food & Wine Festival
Nov. 7- 10
The fourth annual Provincetown Wine & Food Festival is on the calendar. Details to be announced soon.
- Lighting of the Pilgrim Monument
Nov. 11
The annual Lighting of the Pilgrim Monument commemorates the time the Pilgrims spent in Provincetown and the Outer Cape before sailing onto what is now Plymouth. The Mayflower Compact, one of the first written forms of our modern-day representative form of government, was signed in Provincetown Harbor.
- Mr. New England Leather
Nov. 22-24
The annual pageant to crown Mr. New England Leather 2024 with a Victory Celebration and a weekend to socialize.
- Lighting of the Lobster Pot Tree
Nov. 30
The Lighting of the Lobster Pot Tree in Lopes Square is a Provincetown tradition that rings in the holiday season. Honoring local lobstermen, the tree is built from real lobster traps and is decorated with lights and bows.
- The Canteen Holiday Market
Nov. 30, 2024 – Jan. 1, 2025
The Canteen Holiday Market offers holiday food and drinks, goods from local artisans, and a cozy gathering place for friends and family.
DECEMBER
- Holly Folly
Dec. 6- 8
The nation’s original LGBTQ+ holiday celebration, Holly Folly, began in 1997. It brings together the queer community and features performance art, fine dining, and holiday shopping experiences from the unique shops, boutiques, and galleries that line Commercial Street.
- First Light Provincetown
Dec. 27 – Jan. 2, 2025
First Light Provincetown is the final big festival of the holiday season. It’s a four-day event with holiday parties, events, and performances. The biggest event of the celebration is the fireworks celebration from MacMillan Pier. The event includes the Lite Bright Bike Ride on New Year’s Eve and the annual Polar Bear Plunge on New Year’s Day.
