Provincetown: A Tossed Salad
by Steve Desroches

Diversity is one of the most important elements of what makes Provincetown so unique. It’s often said that Provincetown is not a gay town, but a town where being gay doesn’t matter. LGBT equality is a given here!  In Provincetown you’ll see a fantastic parade of humanity. Park yourself on a bench on Commercial St. and you’ll see gay couples walking hand in hand, families of all variations taking in the sights, young lesbians hanging out on the main strip while a group of buff men dressed only in tightie-whities pass by them on their way to a party at a club. It’s not so much a melting pot, but a tossed salad like you’ve never seen before.

With an environment that focuses on the importance of self-expression, as well as having a great time, folks from far and wide come to Provincetown to celebrate who they are, as they are. Over the years various organizations have chosen Provincetown as the place to hold their annual gathering, conference or party taking full advantage of the “come as you are, or as you want to be” invitation the town extends to all. Those themed events reflect the diversity of the LGBT community and are testament to how so many different people feel at home in Provincetown.  Other LGBT vacation spots appeal to just gay men or are geared towards lesbians, some are known for attracting older couples while others are for the single  “twenty something” looking to hook-up. Some spots attract muscled circuit boys while others  attract gay couples with children. Provincetown has room for everyone, and everyone comes to find and enjoy their own “P’town.”

The gay community is well-represented in all its forms throughout the summer season kicking off with Memorial Day Weekend, which coincides with “Baby Dyke Weekend”, a self-named phenomenon of young lesbians that come to party and play in Provincetown.  The heat rises in July with Circuit Week  (buff gay men dancing to disco music) followed by Bear Week (big, hairy guys “woof” it up at tea dance) and then Girl Splash (young lesbians dance the night away at one of the famed bra parties), and August kicks off with Family Week (gay and lesbian families finger paint and enjoy puppet shows). At the same time the town’s visitor population is rounded out by families, Europeans, couples, and fellow Cape Codders - straight and gay  - now, that’s diversity!

Provincetown loves nothing more than a good party! Cabaret Fest in April features the best regional acts, while June brings the Portuguese Festival and the Blessing of the Fleet and the highly respected Provincetown International Film Festival. The town presents an old style Americana Fourth of July parade followed by fireworks over Provincetown Harbor.  But perhaps the crown jewel of summer events in Provincetown is Carnival, a weeklong celebration of all the fabulousness that is P’town with parties, drag bingo, concerts that have included Cyndi Lauper and Bea Arthur, all culminating in the parade that attracts more than 70,000 revelers to town each summer. Carnival in Provincetown is a must for anyone’s “bucket list”!

For the outdoor enthusiast, the Province Lands Bike Trail weaves through the Province Lands, a specially designated portion of the Cape Cod National Seashore (nps.gov/caco) a mass of 43,604 square acres that form the Outer Cape, and the Bike Trail is probably the finest way to experience the natural beauty of the Provincetown portion of the Seashore firsthand: a 5-1/4 mile loop that travels through dunes and forest. The trail starts at The Province Lands Visitor Center on Race Point Road, P-Town’s outermost tip. Though the center is open from May 1 to October 31, the Trail and outdoor observation deck are accessible year round. You can also bird-watch on The Beech Forest Trail, a 1-1/2 mile self-guided loop that is ideal for bird watching (Spring and Fall are warbler season). The Outer Cape is home to over 250 species of birds and waterfowl, and one of the few places left where you may be able to glimpse the piping plover, a threatened species.

Provincetown by no means shuts down come Labor Day. Ask any “townie” and they will tell you that the best time to be in Provincetown is September and October. The Swim for Life, an annual fundraiser for local health organizations where 300 plus swimmers and kayakers cross Provincetown Harbor, has become one of the most attended events of the year. The Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival brings productions from all around the globe for a four day event featuring the work of one of the most important American playwrights. (Williams spent his formative years as a writer in Provincetown.) October starts with a crack of the whip when Mate’s Leather Weekend brings leather, rubber and other fetishists to town. Columbus Day Weekend coincides with Women’s Week, an event packed week of concerts, parties, lectures, poetry readings and more for lesbians from all over. And the fall ends with one of the biggest parties of the year – Halloween! Once a sleepy little weekend for the most die-hard Provincetown ghosts, goblins, and drag queens, now Halloween weekend in Provincetown is the gay answer to Salem attracting thousands. Fun and friendly, the town is full of costume parties, themed dinners, haunted houses and special spooky shows. But perhaps the most anticipated event is the impromptu parade of costumes on Saturday night. No chintzy store bought costumes here! It’s a constant stream of imagination and creativity.

The holiday season in Provincetown is truly like no other. While the cold winds blow in off the ocean, the town becomes a cozy place to celebrate with friends. Provincetown has been discovered as a hot place to celebrate Thanksgiving, not just because of the town’s historic connection to the Pilgrims, but by the wide array of restaurants offering delicious holiday dinners, but also the growing roster of performers and concerts in town.  Holly Folly, the world’s only gay and lesbian Holiday festival, falls the first weekend in December welcoming hundreds for shopping and merriment. And it may surprise the annual summer visitor to know that one of the busiest times of the year is New Year’s Eve, when the town is packed with partiers.

Visit our events calendar which highlights many of the celebratory weeks and weekends mentioned above along with day to day activities, openings and special events.  While you peruse all these great events, the most important thing to remember is that no matter who you are Provincetown is always there for you.  While there may be specific events to celebrate bears, circuit boys, young party girls, older couples, those with children or without, no group of people is ever meant to be excluded as indeed all are needed to keep Provincetown special. It takes a million moving parts to keep the town running. No matter who you are, regardless of when you come to town, there is a place for you!