It might come as a surprise that one of the world’s leading LGBTQIA+ vacation getaways didn’t hold its first Pride celebration until 2018. It’s now one of the town’s many popular queer-focused events, taking place every year in early June; Provincetown Pride will next take place in late May or early June 2025. Provincetown, of course, has long cultivated a strong sense of inclusiveness and queerness year-round, and especially from late spring through early autumn. Scroll down below, and you’ll find details about and links to some of the most famous of these gatherings—Girl Splash, Bear Week, Family Week, Provincetown Carnival, the Tennessee Williams Theater Festival, Women’s Week, Provincetown Trans Week, Holly Folly, and many others. Plus this article contains tips on what it’s like in Provincetown during each season, and what to expect in terms of crowds and lodging rates.

For details on other Pride festivals taking place in the region, check out the New England and Mid-Atlantic LGBTQIA+ Pride calendar.

2024 Provincetown Pride Weekend Preview

For information about Provincetown Pride, check the official event calendar at the website of the LGBTQIA+ Provincetown Business Guild, which is also a highly useful site for learning more about what to see and do in the area (and where to stay).

Expect special “Pride Ferry” sailings from Boston on Friday (one early in the afternoon and another in the early evening), offered through Bay State Ferries—this 90-minute high-speed ride is one of the easiest and most relaxing ways to reach Provincetown, which on weekends entails an often long and traffic-choked 120-mile drive from Boston (it takes two hours with no traffic, but much longer when it’s busy).

During the weekend itself, some events and activities to look forward to include comedy shows, a Pride Run and Walk, parties at the renowned Crown & Anchor, Boatslip, and other local LGBTQIA+ bars, and more. Events are expected to be added closer to the date of the event, so check the event calendar regularly.

Provincetown 2024-2025 Events Calendar

If ever a destination were geared around special events, it would be Provincetown, and this is especially true for gatherings, themed weeks and weekends, and other goings-on and gatherings geared to the LGBTQIA+ community. The town’s indispensable LGBTQIA+ website, PTown.org, has a thorough calendar with dates for key events throughout 2024 and the following year. Check this page for a complete month-by-month list of happenings.

What to expect in Provincetown during peak summer season

Provincetown is wildly popular from late spring through early fall, and especially during the prime (if perhaps a bit intense) summer months of July and August, when hotel and vacation rental rates are at their peak and bars, restaurants, and even just streets and beaches can become a quite crowded. During this period, some key events do ratchet up the crowd factor, and it’s not uncommon for accommodations in town to require 7-night minimum stays. Book as far in advance as possible during this time. Although, if you’re wanting to make a last-minute trip (whether in summer or any time of year), it’s well-worth checking out the Provincetown Business Guild “Last Minute Availability” page, which lists dozens of LGBTQIA-popular properties that still have rooms available on short notice.

The town hosts a spirited 4th of July Parade, and then in mid-July, Provincetown Bear Week runs for an entire week and includes nightly block parties after the bars close at beloved Spiritus Pizza, daily pool parties and tea dances at a slew of fun places (the Boatslip, Crown & Anchor, and more), Herring Cove Beach outings, a Bear Market Vendor Fair, and a variety of other gatherings.

Later in July, the five-day Girl Splash Provincetown is one of the several premier events organized by Provincetown For Women. Comedy and cabaret shows, speakeasy socials, all-women’s whale watch cruises, sunset dune tours, live music concerts, pool parties, a clambake on the beach, a sunset champagne schooner sail, and a bunch of fun dance parties are among the gatherings to look forward to.

Also in late July is Family Week, an increasingly popular event that’s billed as “largest annual gathering of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer-identified families in the world.” Co-produced by the Family Equality Council and COLAGE, the week comprises some 30 events geared toward a range of kids’ ages. The week culminates with a Family Pride Parade and includes a number of gatherings geared toward moms, dads, single parents, and transgender parents, and there are also art walks, teen and tween dances, whale-watching, and more.

July also features a number of less specifically LGBTQIA+ events, such as Whale Week and the Annual Secret Garden Tour. There’s the ever-popular Provincetown Jazz Festival, which has concerts throughout July and August, and then the town lights up with energy, creativity, and more than a little camp during Provincetown Carnival, a key highlight of which is the Carnival Parade (on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024). This year’s theme is “Land of Toys.” Carnival has been a huge part of summer in Provincetown since 1978, and the festivities include art exhibits, harbor cruises, pool parties, concerts, and all sorts of other colorful (to put it mildly) fetes.

The charms of Provincetown during the spring and fall shoulder seasons

For many visitors, there’s no better time to visit this seaside paradise than during the less crowded, more relaxed, and still generally quite mild spring and fall seasons. In early spring, some businesses may still be closed (especially on weekdays), but as you approach May and June, the town comes vibrantly to life. Similarly, although Provincetown quiets down a bit after Labor Day in early September, it remains fairly popular on weekend—although less so on weekdays—throughout September and well into October. Of course, the earlier in the spring and later in the fall you visit, the less likely you are to encounter ideal pool and beach weather. But cooler days also translate to ideal temperatures for strolling and bicycling around town and throughout Lower Cape Cod.

Sensibily, many of Provincetown’s top events take place during these shoulder seasons, when it’s far easier (and less expensive) to book rooms, and the weather is often still quite lovely, if a bit nippier in April and November. Spring gatherings of note include the very bearish Out of Hibernation Ursamen weekend in mid-March at the Crown & Anchor, and the Gays for Patsy Spring Stomp: A Hoedown in P-Town at the end of April. May draws include several events geared to women, including MEMDAY Ptown, Provincetown Single Women’s Weekend, and Wxmen of Color Weekend (which is in early June, and coincides with both Provincetown Pride). And then later in June, you can look forward to the prestigious Provincetown International Film Festival, which spans five days toward the middle of the month and the popular Provincetown Frolic: Men of Color Weekend, and Cabaret Fest. Plus—at the end of the month—the long-running Provincetown Portuguese Festival & Blessing of the Fleet, which has been going strong since the 1940s.

Fall festivities include the Annual Provincetown Book Festival, and—toward the end of the month—the highly regarded Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival, held September 26-29, 2024. With generally crisp and dry weather, October is a beautiful month to visit, and it’s the season for some wonderful festivals, including Mates Leather Weekend, and the craft beer- and music-filled Washashore Music and Arts Festival (Oct. 11-13, 2024). Capping off the season is one of the premier lesbian gatherings in the world since 1985, the Annual Provincetown Women’s Week Oct. 14-20, 2024). And that’s followed by the Provincetown Trans Week–The Original Transgender Week, which is considered the world’s longest-running event for the transgender community—it will be celebrating its Golden Jubilee 50th anniversary this year on Oct. 20-27, 2024.

There’s also plenty of good fun in Provincetown during Halloween weekend, and plenty of amazing food and drink to enjoy during the Provincetown Food & Wine Festival in early November.

Provincetown’s unexpected joys during the winter quiet season

And this leads us to what might be Provincetown’s best-kept secret, winter. While it is true that many of the town’s bars, restaurants, galleries, and shops are closed during all or part of this season, a number of notable spots stay open, and hotels and Airbnbs from November through early March generally offer their least expensive rates. Thanksgiving has become an increasingly popular time for visitors, many of whom rent houses with kitchens to celebrate the holiday in proper fashion. Also taking place around this time is Mr. New England Leather weekend, and there are the annual lightings of the Lobster Pot Tree and Pilgrim Monument. Throughout the season you can shop for friends and family at the Canteen Holiday Market. And then in early December, the Provincetown Business Guild hosts the annual LGBTQIA+ Holiday Festival Holly Folly, and at the end of the month, First Light Provincetown offers visitors the chance to usher in the new year in style.

All photography at AndrewsTraveling.com is by Andrew Collins, unless otherwise noted.