Provincetown, MA which has a rich historical LGBT past has released its summer schedule of highlights and events, and it’s spectacular!
There are unforgettable nights of music and drag shows ahead at The Art House, with performers like Audra McDonald, Jessie Muller, Seth Rudetsky, Monét X Change, Max von Essen, Jeremy Jordan, and Samara Joy. Summertime brings days at the beach, nights at the clubs, and the Friday Night Gallery Stroll, and let’s not forget the Provincetown Theatre Company run by the fabulous David Drake. All in America’s oldest continuous art colony. Here’s a look at what’s coming up:
JUNE: Provincetown Pride kicks off the summer season June 2-4, 2023. This year, it’s a packed schedule with the sixth annual Provincetown Pride Festival, the Pride Rally, and the Sashay to Tea on the Saturday afternoon of Pride weekend. The festivities include the Pride Cruise from Boston, the Full Spectrum Pride Kickoff Party at Red Room, and the 2nd Annual Queer Comedy Showcase at Town Hall. The Feet Over Front Street 5K Run / Walk will be held on Sunday, June 4, a rainbow run on Ptown’s main drag.
June also welcomes Womxn of Color Weekend (June 1-4), a four-day Pride event designed to elevate, strengthen, educate, and celebrate LGBTQ+ women of color, trans-, nonbinary and genderfluid people of color, and their accomplices while Frolic (June 15-19) is for Queer People of Color. This year is the 25th anniversary of the Provincetown Film Festival (June 14-18), Provincetown’s premier cultural event, attracting 10,000 plus film-goers, movie buffs, and arts patrons over the five-day festival. This year’s theme of Cabaret Fest (June 5-11) is “Sondheim By the Sea,” celebrating the genius of Stephen Sondheim and other great Broadway composers with 13 shows, with Broadway veteran Karen Mason. Juneteenth (June 19) brings together Black/African Americans, Indigenous Persons, People of Color, young leaders from the Provincetown IB School, allied community members, organizers, and leaders to honor the day.
JULY: REVOLUTION: Independence Week (July 1-8) is Provincetown’s renowned 4th of July Circuit Party week, with international DJs, dance parties, and pool parties. That leads into Bear Week (8-15), a yearly gathering of bears, wolves, cubs, and otters, for a week of parties, events, and shows. The standout summer event for women, Girl Splash (July 19-22), is about parties, solo meet-ups, schooner sail, beach bonfires, and Lesbian Beach. Then there’s Family Week (July 22-29) is the largest annual gathering of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer-identified families in the world.
AUGUST: Carnival (August 12-19) is the summertime peak, Provincetown’s original summer celebration of community, expression, and creativity, a fantastic event created by the Provincetown Business Guild in 1978. Grand Marshal this year is Jason Carter (aka Monica Moore), and the theme is Land of Toys. This festive week brings tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ participants to town, a jam-packed seven days of parties, events, costume contests, and the famous Carnival parade down Commercial Street.
P’TOWN TRIVIA: Did you know.? There had been a gay presence in Provincetown as early as the start of the 20th century as the artists’ colony developed, along with experimental theatre. Drag queens could be seen in performances as early as the 1940s in Provincetown.
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What do I think? I wish my financial profile had increased in proportion to the cost of everything in Provincetown. Unfortunately my finances are about the same as they were in 2005, maybe a bit less. The “campground” is charging $115 per night. (you can get a hotel room in Truro for $99). We had a paper CUP of luke warm clam chowder at a walk-up last September for like $8 with not a single clam to be found. Meals were outrageous last year…can’t imagine what they will be charging this year. Now I vetch just thinking about what a meal might cost. What do I think? Ptown used to be such fun when one did not have to worry about $$$. We went last September, stayed in Truro, and spent most of our time at the National Seashore and Province Lands, which was our main reason for being there (we don’t do bars or drag shows so much anymore). The seashore is always spectacular! We moved to New Mexico about 8 years ago (long story), so just getting to PTown is a huge hassle. I do miss the ocean.