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There’s something I’d forgotten, swept up as I’ve been in the shock and fear of the last couple of weeks, when I’ve looked askance at my fellow Americans and felt I have nothing in common with many of them… and what I’d forgotten is the strength,...
Provincetown Carnival 2023 Guide to Must Do Events!
Provincetown’s Carnival is one of the largest outdoor celebrations in Massachusetts with a week of revelry, costumes, and a parade. There is a never ending schedule of fun events. ptownie wants to make sure you know about all our favorites!
Truck Stop Carnival Opening Party
Saturday AUG 12
9:00 PM – 1:00 AM
Kick of Carnival 2023 with Urban Bears’ TRUCK STOP! Featuring music by DJ DAWSON, we urge you to take a pit stop with us for a few hours. 100% sleaze guaranteed.
Feet Over Front Street 5K – Carnival Run & Walk
SUNDAY AUG 13
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
The Feet Over Front Street 5K Run/Walk starts at the Harbor Hotel in Provincetown’s East End and runs the full length of Commercial Street to the Provincetown Inn on the West End of Town. The route includes the entire length of MacMillan Pier. It offers participants a start-to-finish, rainbow-railroad takeover of the main drag of the world’s premier queer travel destination.
Babes & Bois Carnival Pool Party
SUNDAY AUG 13
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
The historic first ever Carnival Pool Party for the “queer and sapphically-inclined” hosted by Babes & Bois in partnership with Provincetown For Women and the Seaglass Inn & Spa! Sunday, August 13th (12-4pm) Don’t sleep on this event y’all. We will sell out. Entry includes a BBQ sponsored by Farland Provisions (vegetarian options available), as well as Gay Beer and Parch (NA cocktails), pool access, lawn games and vibes by DJ Sam Sewell. Come join us in your babliest swimwear!
Boatslip Tea Dance 2023 Carnival
SUNDAY AUG 13 FRIDAY thru Aug 19
4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
It’s Boatslip Tea Dance 2023 Carnival! As usual, our schedule shifts because of the parade. Electric Dreams moves to Tuesday. Solid Gold Moves to Wednesday and we have extended hours on Parade Day from 4p – 8p.
It’s 4 pm and time for Tea. Portable bars replace lounge chairs, a line queues up out front and Resident DJ Maryalice, a Provincetown favorite for over 25 years drops the needle on the first song of a supercharged 3 hour set. Come as you are and expect the unexpected at Provincetown’s biggest outdoor dance party. Brimming with spontaneous excitement, you never know who or what you’ll see. An historically important and revered institution for almost 50 years, the legendary Tea Dance at The Boatslip is a “must do” event for first timers and seasoned visitors alike. Join us and discover why.
Toy Chest: Carnival Opening Party & Costume Contest
SUNDAY AUG 13
10:00 PM – 1:00 AM
Toy Chest: Carnival Opening Party & Costume Contest in Provincetown at Crown & Anchor will be The Party!
Malibu: The Brass Key’s Annual Carnival Pool Party
MONDAY AUG 14
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Ken’s Malibu Pool Party Featuring DJ Edil Hernandez and Hosted by Paige Turner! Get those speedos, thongs and kaftans ready as Provincetown’s SEXIEST POOL PARTY is back! Join over 1,000 of the sexiest folks at Carnival for a truly massive, one-of-a-kind Carnival experience. Dance the day away under the sun on the gorgeous grounds of the Brass Key Guesthouse – plenty of surprise performances jaw-dropping feats throughout the afternoon await.
Dollz World with Amanda Lepore
MONDAY AUG 14
10:00 PM – 1:00 AM
Carnival Dance Party – Dollz World with Amanda Lepore! NYC club promoter and Red Room bring you a Carnival Monday party you won’t forget with performances by your hostess, world famous model, performer., and original club kid- AMANDA LEPORE. Tickets are limited and will be sold in tiers with optional meet and greet add on prior to the party.
Barbie Girl Bingo with Paige Turner
TUESDAY AUG 15
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Join Barbie Girl Bingo with Paige Turner as your personal Barbie Drag Doll and hostess for fight rounds of Bingo for $40. Great local prizes for each round! This is an age 21+ event.
Come have fun with us at The Wilde, Gifford House’s new signature theater space, & win some awesome prizes and gift cards to local businesses plus your chance to see and meet drag celebrity Alyssa Edwards at Town Hall!
Barbies & Butches
TUESDAY AUG 15
10:00 PM – 1:00 AM
Join Babes & Bois for a Carnival Dance party at the Crown & Anchor with Barbies & Butches: Let’s Dance the Night Away! Queer Barbie art installations an performances, music by DJ Sam Sewell and a costume contest for the most creative lewks!
Tugboat: Official Carnival A-House Dance Party
TUESDAY AUG 15
10:00 PM – 1:00 AM
Hey there, sailors! All aboard for a night out at Tugboat: Official Carnival A-House Dance Party in Provincetown.
Legend of the Pied Piper – Cat & Mouse
WEDNESDAY AUG 16
4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Provincetown’s famed (and last!) lesbian bar returns to Provincetown for a one-afternoon-only girl-party over Carnival week co-hosted with Babes & Bois at The Provincetown Brewing Co. With music curated by Sam Sewell, this Legend of the Pied Piper – Cat & Mouse pop-up is gonna bring all the girls to the yard…
This women’s event will also serve as a fundraiser for Camp Lightbulb, a magical, queer camp for youth located right here in Truro & Provincetown. Tickets will be donation-based. 80% of event profits will go directly to Camp Lightbulb, and the other 20% will go to supporting Babes & Bois!
Alyssa Edwards at Town Hall: Carnival 2023
WEDNESDAY AUG 16
8:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Provincetown is excited to welcome Drag Race fan favorite, Alyssa Edwards to Town Hall for the 45th Annual Carnival Celebration! She’s here to frolic with all of you – her favorites – in the Land of Toys. Join us for a night of comedy, stories and tongue pops like only Alyssa Edwards can offer!
Rainbow Lite-Brite Dance Party
WEDNESDAY AUG 16
10:00 PM – 1:00 AM
Carnival week Rainbow Lite Brite is a dance party to benefit the Provincetown Business Guild on Wednesday 8/16/23 at 10P. Get yourself a glow up and come twirl on the Red Room dance floor with hostess Miss Conception & DJ Justin Dawson.
Strangers & Saints 2023 Carnival Parade Viewing Party
THURSDAY AUG 17
1:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Join us at Strangers & Saints for the 44th annual Provincetown Carnival Parade. Starting at 1:30, come watch, drink and have fun as Commercial Street comes alive. It’s your front row pass to costumes, queens, and the Land of Toys.
The front patio is standing room only. All the chairs and tables will be pulled away to make room for a festive Carnival Party. Our back porch will have seating available if you want to find some shade, sit down and cool off.
Theys-R-Us Courtyard Party
THURSDAY AUG 17
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Come watch Carnival Parade from the best view in town! Theys-R-Us Courtyard Party at Crown & Anchor in Provincetown. Featuring music by KT and live performances as well as a VIP area sponsored by ABSOLUT. Wear your costumes and compete for a $500 gift certificate to the Crown!
The Toy Box Carnival Parade Viewing Party
THURSDAY AUG 17
2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Join us at the Post Office Cafe for our second annual Carnival Day Bash! The Toy Box Carnival Parade Viewing Party from our patio on Commercial Street, while DJ Philip James turns the music UP! Hostesses Raquel Blake & Abby Cummings will bring the fun. Admissions include entry to the party, as well as hors d`oeuvres, games, and swag giveaways.
45th Annual Carnival Parade: Land of Toys
THURSDAY AUG 17
3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
The fun starts early in the day as more than 150,000 visitors and locals pour into the street to celebrate the 2023 theme 45th Annual Carnival Parade: Land of Toys– showing off their incredible costumes as they wait for the Parade to begin at 3pm.
Winding its way down Commercial Street from the Harbor Hotel in the East End to the Coast Guard Station in the West End, this year’s 45th Annual Carnival Parade will again serve as a symbol of Provincetown’s inclusiveness, creativity and diversity.
Since the Provincetown Business Guild’s founding in 1978, the PBG has produced the Carnival Parade and Celebration as way to introduce new LGBTQ+ visitors to Provincetown, while welcoming by our queer community and our allies – making their summer vacations to Ptown a part of all our annual traditions.
My Little BRO-NY! – Beer Fest & Dance Party
FRIDAY AUG 18
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Join us at our annual carnival throw-down in the taproom with My Little Bro-Ny Beer Fest & Dance Party. Alex Dropo will be spinning at the DJ booth, the beer will be flowing, and rainbows will be shooting out of all our bro-nytails on the glitter dance-floor. $10 cover at the door only! This event will fill up – first come, first serve.
Exit Through the Doll Haus: The Official Carnival Closing Party
FRIDAY AUG 18
10:00 PM – 1:00 AM
Exit Through the Doll Haus: The Official Carnival Closing Party Carnival 2023: Land of Toys on the dance floor at the Crown & Anchor in Provincetown
Your stop for a full schedule of Provincetown events, programs, shows, parties, and more!: Provincetown Event Calendar
Everything you need to know about drag shows in Provincetown this summer: 2023 Provincetown Drag Shows
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