Provincetown’s Secret Season is the Second Summer that Brings LGBTQ+ Events, Food & Literary Festivals, & Gorgeous Cape Cod Weather
Those who love Provincetown, with its incredible beaches, alfresco restaurants, art galleries, and boutiques, know that summer doesn’t end on Labor Day. Ptown has a secret season, a second summer that extends through October. Insiders consider it the very best time of the year to visit. They come for the warm sands and glorious Cape Cod weather, vibrant queer life celebrations, and a bevy of art, literary, and food festivals. Provincetown’s legendary Fall season is the ideal time for visitors from all walks of life.
35th Provincetown Swim for Life & Paddler Flotilla, September 10, 2022
The Swim is about community and renewal and reuniting with family and friends, an annual tradition that anchors Provincetown’s year. The Swim has raised $6 million since it debuted in 1988, and its beneficiaries include The AIDS Support Group, OuterCape Health Services, and Helping Our Woman. Join swimmers, volunteers, kayakers, and cheerleaders from around the country for this high-spirited weekend.
Tennessee Williams Weekend, September 22-25, 2022
The 17th season of this festival features a lineup of plays written by Tennessee Williams. Entitled “Tutti Frutti Tennessee Williams,” which translated to all the flavors of Williams, it’s the first all-Williams festival since 2006, ranging from the 1930s to the 1980s. They range from his Broadway hits like “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” to more radical works such as “One Arm.” As Williams would have put it, the selection includes “the strange, the crazed, the queer.”
Mates Leather Weekend XXV, September 29 – October 3, 2022
The 25th edition of Mates Leather Weekend promises a kick-back, have a good time, and meet some new friends kind of weekend. It’s aimed at those who want to hang out, socialize, relax, or party with other like-minded people in leather and rubber gear, and uniforms.
ArtProvincetown Festival, October 7-9, 2022
The second annual ArtProvincetown Festival will include museums, galleries, studios, and a marketplace for artists and artisans. The festival welcomes artists, collectors, designers, and art fans of all forms, and it will feature exhibitions, receptions, and parties. The mission of the ArtProvincetown Festival is to highlight the diverse and beautiful art that Ptown has to offer.
Washashore Music & Arts Festival, October 7-9, 2022
The Washashore Music & Arts Festival takes place the same weekend as ArtsProvincetown and is an annual gathering celebrating live music, queer artists, beer, and the singularity of Provincetown. Calling itself “A 3 Day, Town-Wide, Genre-Bending Queer Music Festival,” the event is presented by Provincetown Brewing Co., Crown & Anchor, and Tangle-Made Productions.
Women’s Week October 10-16, 2022
Women’s Week is the ultimate festival in the US to celebrate women. There are more than 150 events scheduled for the week. The highlights include shows, film screenings, dance parties, music, comedy, dune tours, sailing excursions, food events, and sports events. Women’s Week brings thousands of women together—singles and couples alike. As an added attraction, Fox Fest will run October 14-16.
Single Women’s Weekend October 12-15, 2022
The annual Single Women’s Weekend has emerged as a fast, fun way for single lesbians to meet other single lesbians – live and in person, and it’s now a vital part of Woman’s Week.
Fantasia Fair, October 16-23, 2022
Launched in 1975, Fantasia Fair (a.k.a. Fan Fair) is the original transgender event. It offers anyone who identifies as trans (as well as those who don’t) a place to gather. Daily keynote speakers and workshops are features of the busy week-long schedule, filled with fashion shows, formal banquets, lunches, and a cabaret/talent show. It’s an immersive event, considered the longest-running transgender event in the world.
Spooky Bear Halloween Weekend, October 28-30, 2022
Spooky Bear Weekend features parties, dances, a haunted house, a costume ball, and shows. It ushers in the town-wide celebration of Halloween, which may well rank as the most festive and colorful night of the year on Commercial Street.
Provincetown Food & Wine Festival, November 2-6, 2022
The second annual Provincetown Food & Wine Festival has “Celebrate Portugal” as its theme, acknowledging the origins of the town’s Portuguese fishermen and their families. Yet it also salutes the varied tastes and wines found on the entire Iberian Peninsula. Many restaurants will be offering specials and prix fixe menus. Events include an Uncorked Opening Reception, a Gallery Sip & Stroll, Across the Pyrenees Fine Wine Tasting, Spanish Wine Dinner at Tin Pan Alley, Iberian Fine Wine Dinner at Strangers & Saints, The Grand Tasting, and the Cava & Sangria Drag Brunch. The festival also includes a daily Tea Dance at The Boatslip and the welcome news that the ferries from Boston will be running that weekend. Details at Provincetown Food & Wine Festival.
For more on fall in Provincetown, visit Provincetown Tourism.
