The options for a night out in Provincetown are endless - there’s entertainment, dining, and partying for old, young, singles, couples and groups.  A classic Provincetown evening begins at 4pm with the legendary tea dance where you can sip cocktails with new friends on a deck over-looking gorgeous Provincetown Harbor, as the steady bassline of dance music fills the air and thousands of people move to the beat.  Looking for something more laid back?  Spend an afternoon away from the crowds at several of our harbor side bars and restaurants where Provincetown Harbor can still be enjoyed but in a more subdued conversational atmosphere.

After you've freshened up from tea dance or if you need to soak up your afternoon cocktails, it's time to grab a bite to eat.  Dinner out in Provincetown is a smorgasbord of options.  From formal to casual, fun to romantic, seated to take-out, whatever you're in the mood for can be found here.  Stroll up and down Commercial St.  and peruse the wide range of menus.  In addition to the restaurants on Commercial Street, great dining experiences can also be found tucked up alleys and away from the heart of town.  Our dining chart on pages 34-36 will help get you started or at least get your mouth watering.

In the mood for a really different dining location?  Try a summer night is on the water.  A sunset cruise on a schooner is a wonderful experience to share with friends, one special friend, or even alone.  Bring food and a bottle of wine and prepare to be amazed by what you’ll see and feel.  Prefer both feet on the ground?  Enjoy a similar experience at Herring Cove or Race Point beach.

Feeling like you maybe over indulged at dinner?  Then do what locals and visitors have been doing for years and enjoy an after dinner stroll through the gallery district.  Any night is a great night to enjoy the abundance of artwork in town, but Friday is the traditional night for artists openings and exhibits.  Artwork can be the perfect souvenir of a trip to Provincetown.  Continue your stroll down Commercial Street to do some evening shopping.  Feeling a little chilly, pick up a jacket or sweatshirt.  Need the perfect swimsuit for your trip to the beach tomorrow? You'll find that and many more unique gift ideas, even something for your pet or pet sitter.

So you've dropped your shopping and artwork off at your home away from home – now what?  Well, like everything else in Provincetown, there are plenty of choices depending on your mood and who you are with (or who you want to get with).  For those wanting to catch up with close friends or have a more relaxed evening, you can enjoy one of the town's many lounge bars.  Delicious cocktails and great ambience create a more intimate setting.  If you want something more lively, you can hop from piano bar to piano bar as you sing along with some of Provincetown’s legendary cabaret singers and piano players.  Few things are more rejuvenating than having a drink and listening to (or joining in with!) some nostalgic old tunes. 

In the mood to be entertained?  Provincetown offers an incredible variety of shows and entertainers – drag performers, comedians, chanteuses, pop vocalists, jazz ensembles, magicians — all are more than worth the price of admission.  More classically oriented?  Provincetown has several theater companies that offer an ever changing array of plays to see, even if you’re here in the winter.  And of course there is our year round movie theater showing the best in independent and commercial film.

What does Provincetown have that rivals the “big city“?  Pick from multiple nightclubs where top DJ's spin music from techno to oldies, hardcore to classic disco.  If you want to dance in a room packed with hot shirtless guys, we got it.  You want to spend the evening with beautiful sexy women, it's here.  If you like to muscle in on a leather stud, yep you can.  Or if you just want to hang out with a happy mix of gay, straight, male and female, well Provincetown has plenty of that too.

Many people will tell you that in the summer the real nighttime show is on the street.  During evenings in Provincetown the best entertainment is simply to walk down Commercial Street or people watch from the benches in front of Town Hall.  There's plenty to see and hear, plus people to meet.  The street scene continues well after the bars and nightclubs close, as everyone pours onto Commercial to get a late night slice of pizza or a burger and hangout.   If you are single and still need a “date” for the night this where the final hook ups happen.

Don’t forget, if your evening involves alcohol in any way, that taxicabs, pedicabs, and buses are available to transport you back to your inn or guesthouse. We love our visitors … and we love to keep them (and us) safe.