Renaissance X Revolution: 46th Annual Provincetown Carnival

The Provincetown Business Guild (PBG) has announced the schedule of the 46th annual Carnival, August 18-23, 2024. This year’s theme, Renaissance X Revolution, will be celebrated with a record number of official PBG Carnival events, including live entertainment, a 5K run and walk, dance parties, pool parties, costume contests, the Carnival cruise, the Carnival parade, and much more.

Started in 1978 by a group of gay innkeepers who wanted to revitalize the Provincetown community, Carnival, now one of the largest LGBTQ+ celebrations in the US and the largest event on Cape Cod, celebrates the town’s creative legacy and history as a welcoming destination and haven for the LGBTQ+ community.

“From Da Vinci to Divine, queer artists, tastemakers, and thinkers have always been at the center of driving cultural revolution,” said Trevor Pittinger, executive director of the Provincetown Business Guild. “We have never been afraid to challenge the status quo and reshape the world through our imaginations. In this country’s current inflection point, it’s important to celebrate this power and remember: We are our own renaissance. This speaks to Provincetown’s history as the oldest continuous artist colony, a home for revolutionary thinkers, and an oasis for LGBTQ+ folks. We couldn’t be more excited to showcase the fusion of these ideas with parade floats, events, and entertainment. Our parade Grand Marshals also exemplify this theme through their decades of impactful work on and off the artistic, advocacy, and political stages.”

Carnival kicks off on Sunday, August 18, with the Feet Over Front Street 5K Carnival Run/Walk that honors Commercial Street’s original name, Front Street, which dates to 1880. Later that day, set sail on the annual Carnival Cruise. This year’s cruise brings one of the most original and creative queer dance nights into the daylight and onto the water with F@g Bash at Sea Carnival Cruise. This unabashed exploration of self-expression through costume, music, and dance will take place on a Bay State Cruise Co. boat and includes DJs, a full cash bar with specialty cocktails, and concessions for purchase. This “come as you are” party is for ALL Carnival-goers.

Carnival opening day continues into the night with Dance, Dance Revolution: The Official Opening Party & Costume Contest at the Crown & Anchor with DJ Bright Light, Bright Light, where the best Renaissance X Revolution look will win prizes and a spot aboard one of the PBG’s Carnival Parade floats.

On Monday, August 19, the Brass Key Guesthouse hosts “Let Them Eat Cake,” the legendary Carnival pool party that sells out every year. This massive, one-of-a-kind Carnival experience features speedos, kaftans, surprise performances, a full cash-only bar, tunes from DJ Edil Hernandez, and host Tadonna. Ticket sales benefit the mission and work of the Provincetown Business Guild.

Monday night, head to Gifford House for the first of two inclusive, sapphic-focused events during Carnival week: Power Snatch, a dyke-centered queer party for EVERYONE featuring DJ Jen DM, and a kink-centric pop-up night market. This dyke, trans, and non-binary-identified event has been produced in Los Angeles and San Francisco and now comes to Provincetown, one of the queerest destinations in the country. On August 21, the Seaglass Inn hosts the Making Waves: A Babes & Bois Queer + Sapphic Carnival Pool Party with tunes from Clam Jam DJs J-Boom and C-Weed, unlimited BBQ, and an open bar. 

“There is an exciting ‘Femme’aissance’ happening this summer in Provincetown that has been missing since the closing of Lesbian-centric spaces like The Pied Bar and Vixen,” said Carmen da Silva, associate director of the Provincetown Business Guild. “Babes & Bois, among several new production companies, recently helped bring three times the number of events into town for Memorial Day (MEMDay) Weekend this year. This is an exciting time for the sapphic community. The ascension of a new generation of queer femme pop stars like Chappell Roan, Towa Bird, and Billie Eilish has expanded this ‘Femme’aissance’ on a global scale. It has also opened doors for greater inclusivity within our queer community. The 2024 Carnival lineup exemplifies this with more sapphic-focused and openly queer-inclusive events.”

Try your luck at Carnival Bingo with Paige Turner on Tuesday, August 20, at the Gifford House before heading to the Watership Inn’s Carnival Party. This backyard bash, a classic Carnival event since 1979, returns with host Miss Richfield 1981, hors d’oeuvres, games, an open bar, and a performance from Miss Richfield herself.

On August 21, the PBG is thrilled to welcome “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 16 runner-up and Miss Congeniality Sapphira Cristál back to Ptown for the 46th Annual Carnival Celebration headlining event of powerhouse vocals and stunning drag artistry at Provincetown Town Hall. This one-night-only performance, Sapphira Cristál at Town Hall, will reunite Sapphira with her drag daughter and local legend Qya Cristál.

On Thursday, August 22, visitors and locals will stream into Ptown for the 46th Annual Carnival Parade to see and be seen, showing off their creative and often elaborate costumes inspired by the Renaissance X Revolution theme. Kicking off at 3:00 pm from the Harbor Hotel, the procession of floats and walkers will showcase the creativity and spirit that Provincetown is known for as the parade travels westward down Commercial Street.

Leading the community down Commercial Street are the Carnival Parade Grand Marshals. Fashion designer, singer, notable drag superstar of the 80s and 90s NYC club scene, and vogueing icon Kevin Aviance, classically trained opera singer, composer, and Drag Race star Sapphira Cristál, and democratic MA State Representative since 2007 Sarah Peake. The PBG honor’s each of these Grand Marshals who exemplify the Carnival theme of Renaissance X Revolution through their commitment to advancing LGBTQ+ rights and queer visibility via their diverse identities and boundary-breaking achievements in art, performance, and politics.

All participants in the Carnival parade are eligible for prizes in ten different categories, including Best Overall Entry, Best Musical Entry, Most Queer Entry, Most Environmentally Sustainable Entry, and more.

To reduce plastic waste during Carnival, the PBG has partnered with Care for the Cape & Islands and the Provincetown Recycling Committee. Plastic throwables such as “Mardi Gras” beads will not be allowed in the Carnival Parade, additional recycling bins will be available along the parade route, and the use of metallic or plastic confetti is also prohibited. All confetti must be certified biodegradable and approved in advance. All parade participants and attendees are encouraged to use refillable water bottles. There will be two water filling stations on Commercial Street.   

Carnival week concludes on Friday, August 23, as Kevin Aviance, an iconic member of one of the most well-known vogue-ball houses in the U.S., hosts VOGUE: The Renaissance Ball at the Crown & Anchor, bringing the perfect blend of Renaissance glamour and Revolutionary attitude to close out Carnival.

Additional parties during Carnival include the Official Carnival A-House Dance Party, Cinched: A Carnival Dance Party and Opulence: A Diamond & Pearls Dance Party at Red Room, and an extended Tea Dance at the Boatslip after the Carnival Parade.

Individual Carnival event tickets range from $15 to $65. The VIP Package is $250 and includes six Official PBG Carnival events, VIP priority “front of the line” entry, and commemorative Carnival merchandise, including this year’s Carnival poster designed by Melissa Wilkinson. For the full Carnival Week schedule and to purchase tickets, visit ptown.org/carnival.

New this year are later ferries on Boston Harbor City Cruises. Carnival Parade-goers can come to Ptown for the Parade and Tea Dance, stay for dinner, and return to Boston on the last ferry departing at 9:00 PM.  

The 2024 Carnival Week and Feet Over Front Street 5K are sponsored by Visit Lauderdale, ViiV Healthcare, Tito’s Vodka, Gilead Sciences, Seamen’s Bank, iHeart Media, Del/Mar Vacation Rentals, Cape Cod 5, Mead’s Bay Hotel Group, Salt Hotels, Crown & Anchor, The Boatslip, Bay State Cruise Co., SmartWater & Vitamin Water, and Provincetown Tourism. Additional sponsors for the Feet Over Front Street 5K series include Xfinity, Stop & Shop, The Harbor Hotel, The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod, Provincetown Inn, The Godfrey Hotel, Joe Coffee, The Provincetown Brewing Co., and Cape Cod Test N’ Treat.