Washashore Festival returns to Provincetown with a rising tide of queer musical talent

The Washashore Festival is returning with its most ambitious effort yet for Year 3 of the annual queer music event in Provincetown this Oct. 7 and 8th.

A musical experience unlike any other, the Washshore Festival in Year 3 is expanding on its mission to foster community around a spectacle of queer artistry and self-expression with a line-up of its biggest talent yet. This year’s two-day event will be hosted by the Tony Award-winning writer, actor and musician John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig & The Angry Inch, Shortbus) and headlined by rising star singer-songwriter Jake Wesley Rogers.

For the first time ever, the festival will culminate with a host of programming at Provincetown’s historic Town Hall. With Provincetown’s largest event space as backdrop, the festival’s Sunday night extravaganza will open with performances from trans Korean-American synthpop guitarist Superknova – who was a runaway fan favorite at Washashore Festival 2022 – as well as an original immersive musical piece commissioned specifically for the Town Hall space by composer and DJ Andrew Haigh and singer Joao Santos. The evening will culminate with Rogers’ headlining set – his first ever appearance in Provincetown – in addition to performances form host Mitchell throughout.

“Washashore Festival is a festival for everyone! Every single human wants to celebrate by living their most authentic life, and there’s no better place to do that than in Provincetown with live music from the most amazing queer artists in the world,” said Washashore Festival Executive Director Aaron Clayton.

Saturday’s opening night festivities at the Crown & Anchor will feature headliner Boyfriend – a critically acclaimed New Orleans-based “rap-cabaret” star – and a performance by local rapper and fan favorite Drizzy Bravo. The festival will kick-off Saturday with the second-annual “Net Gala” leading into the night’s performances, and will end with a Provincetown edition of Mitchell’s legendary New York party “The Mattachine.”

Often described as the musical love child of Elton John and David Bowie, headliner Jake Wesley Rogers has been on a steady rise over the past several years, amassing a fervent fanbase with his hit major label debut “Pluto.” He has garnered praise from the likes of Elton John himself for his tightly-written pop melodies, who referred to Rogers as reminiscent of a young Elton himself when he was first starting out.

Boyfriend has amazed audiences around the country with her bombastic live stage performances and unique brand of “rap cabaret.” She has been named one of the Bonnaroo Festival favorite performers as voted on by festival-goers, and has collaborated with fellow New Orleans-based icon Big Freedia.

John Cameron Mitchell is one of alt-culture’s boldest creators and of the biggest queer arts pioneers in modern history. .John directed, starred in and wrote, with Stephen Trask, the film Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001), for which he won Best Director at the Sundance Festival and was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actor. His recent Broadway production of Hedwig garnered him Tony Awards for his performance and for Best Revival. He won an Obie Award for Hedwig Off-Broadway as well as for as for starring in Larry Kramer’s The Destiny of Me. He directed Tennessee Williams’ Kingdom of Earth Off-Broadway with Cynthia Nixon and Peter Sarsgaard. He directed the films Shortbus (2006), Rabbit Hole (2010) and How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2018) both starring Nicole Kidman who was nominated for Best Actress Oscar for the former.

The Washashore Festival is presented by The Provincetown Brewing Co., Crown & Anchor, and Tangle-Made Productions. In its short history, the Washashore Festival has established itself as an unforgettable, multi-venue, genre-bending, queer music festival that reflects Provincetown’s unique soul with performers that embody individuality, diversity, love, acceptance, and joy. It has played host to national and rising acts alongside the Provincetown’s own incredible local talents on equal footing.

This is a 21+ event with tickets ranging from $65 to $200. Tickets are available here. View the full lineup at WashashoreFestival.com and follow @washashorfest on Instagram for updates.