^{Tina Burner}

by Steve Desroches

Ask any local and they’ll tell you the “ber” months are the best in Provincetown. Any month ending in B-E-R brings with it a distinct experience be it the sigh of September and the shift to a gentler pace in what has become known as “Townie Summer” or the dramatic skies and pagan revelry of October punctuated by Halloween. And the holiday season, sweeping through Thanksgiving to the New Year has grown in popularity for tourists coming to experience that uniquely Provincetown blend of cozy and campy providing some sparkle, light, and camaraderie in what is the darkest time of year. 

Thanksgiving

It’s officially the holiday season when the Pilgrim Monument is illuminated, acting as a beacon of good cheer visible all around town and for miles out to sea. Thankfully, the tradition has been moved back to the night before Thanksgiving, which this year is Wednesday, November 27. The Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum will welcome revelers to High Pole Hill for a celebration with a DJ, cash bar, and food and drink for all ages. The lighting also commemorates the five and half weeks the Mayflower and the Pilgrims spent in what is now Provincetown and remains lit until the Epiphany, sometimes called Little Christmas, on January 6. Thanksgiving itself is a quintessentially seaside New England affair with many restaurants offering prix fixe menus with a variety of options beyond the traditional turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and the like. And an early evening stroll along the harbor beach is the perfect way to walk off any of the effects of overeating.

While nationwide the day after Thanksgiving is referred to as Black Friday, where mobs of people stampede department stores hoodwinked by what they think are great deals (spoiler alert, prices are often lower in the summer), here in Provincetown it’s called Pink Friday. Here you’ll actually find great deals and be able to spend your money in locally owned businesses rather than big-box behemoths or bland corporate chains. And on Pink Friday the beloved holiday tradition of Canteen’s Holiday Market begins running weekends until December 29 with their backyard bar, bakeshop, and food hut open until New Year’s Day. 

The day after Thanksgiving also sees the town fill up with visitors coming to town for the weekend, and as such, the bars and nightclubs in town are hopping and live music, drag, and comedy shows abound, including RuPaul’s Drag Race star Tina Burner who opens her holiday show A Bitchmas Carol at the Crown & Anchor November 29 and 30 with performances also scheduled for Holly Folly the next weekend.

Also straddling Thanksgiving and Holly Folly is the Provincetown Theater’s production of Almost Maine, running from November 21 to December 8, an American romantic comedy set in a mythical New England town.

Holly Folly

Holly Folly is the perfect blend of small-town charm, the fun and frivolity of the holidays, and the magic of Provincetown. Founded in 1997 by the Provincetown Business Guild, Holly Folly is scheduled each year for the first weekend in December, this year running through December 6 to the 8. Holly Folly really showed what it’s all about last year when the right-wing Catholic organization the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property threatened to bring their America Needs Fatima campaign to town to protest Christmas drag shows at the Post Office Cabaret. The Pennsylvania-based group instructed those interested to call someone named Bessy for more information. The Provincetown community responded by organizing a counter event based in joy, love, and queer celebration, and all the shows at the Post Office quickly sold out. Rumor has it that Bessy and crew didn’t realize how far away Provincetown was and were no-shows. But the locally organized event continued as planned and was a beautiful expression of the best of Provincetown.

This year Holly Folly looks to be bigger and brighter than ever starting with the Holly Folly Follies at Provincetown Town Hall on Friday, December 7 featuring a wide array of performers in a holiday variety show and then on Saturday, December 8 the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus takes to the same stage with B.Y.O.B.: Bring Your Own Balls, their holiday concert this year. And on Sunday revelers don their gay apparel with the annual Holly Folly Jingle Bell Run when scantily clad elves run down Commercial Street from Fanizzi’s to the Lobster Pot Christmas Tree in Lopes Square followed by a brunch at the Provincetown Brewing Company. The stages around town also offer an abundance of holiday themed entertainment with Paige Turner presenting Merry & Bright on Friday night and Mike Flanagan presenting A Soulful Christmas with Sheree Marcelle and Lauren Scales on Saturday night at the Post Office Cabaret while over at the Crown & Anchor Thirsty Burlington presents Cher-Ing, a Cher Christmas extravaganza on Saturday night. At the Art House RuPaul’s Drag Race star Ginger Minj illuminates the stage with her Christmas show all weekend long, while over at Red Room the cozy, hip hot spot hosts Santa Con Tea Dance Saturday afternoon. And over Holly Folly the Gifford House turns into the Hollygay Market with over 50 queer artisans and creators showcasing their goods and services and the Addison Art Gallery will be presenting The Artful Holly Folly at the Mary Heaton Vorse House on Saturday, featuring cozy fires, hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, and works by master artists.

First Light

There’s really no place like Provincetown to celebrate the New Year. It can be cozy, crazy, or both; it just depends on what you’re looking for. Called First Light, Provincetown’s New Year celebration this year runs from December 27 to January 2. Guest houses, hotels, and restaurants are full of revelers from all over as even if it’s cold and snowy, Provincetown is still easier to traverse without a car ensuring a safe and fun holiday. While Provincetown knows how to throw a party, when it comes to First Light it’s often the visitors that make this time of year such a good time, with an easygoing vibe mixed with the electricity of welcoming the New Year way out in the North Atlantic. 

And the festivities are punctuated with fireworks over Provincetown Harbor at dusk on New Year’s Eve (since a town meeting vote in 2023 the display utilizes quieter fireworks to go easy on pets and wildlife). On New Year’s Day, join or watch as hundreds jump into chilly Provincetown Harbor for the annual Polar Bear Plunge, which traditionally raises funds for the Center for Coastal Studies. Throughout First Light the town’s bars and nightclubs are hopping—and don’t forget that on New Year’s Eve they stay open until 2 a.m. for an extra hour of celebration. 

Off Season

The absolute, no doubt about it, most frequent question people who live in Provincetown get asked is “What’s it like in the winter?” or “What do you do in the off-season?” The so-called off-season is a time of great beauty, a rest from the hectic pace of the “season”, and a time when Provincetown really returns to its normal state of tight community, a time for unbridled creativity, and the peace of life on the Outer Cape. While some visitors may only prefer Provincetown in the crazy, hazy days of summer, the off-season provides a host of events, weekly happenings, and more. The Fine Arts Work Center on Pearl Street offers weekly readings and art exhibitions by the fellows while the Provincetown Art Association and Museum hosts shows yearround and also hosts a variety of classes in numerous artistic mediums. The Waters Edge Cinema is also open yearround showing latest releases as well special screenings often times featuring the filmmakers, stars, and more. The Atlantic House hosts bingo every Wednesday night with Tiki Bronstein (otherwise known as Thirsty Burlington) in what has become a beloved and popular staple of the off-season.

Leather events abound in the offseason starting with New England Leather Weekend which this year runs from November 22 to 24, featuring the Mr. New England Leather contest. Come February 21 to 23 Provincetown hosts Snowbound Leather Weekend and the Bears hit town in late February/early March for Out of Hibernation. And Valentine’s Day, which this year falls on a Friday, has taken the town by surprise with how many people come to town for a cozy and sweet getaway mixing with locals who as well hit the town for a romantic evening or two. 

There are two things that are perhaps favorites when it comes to Provincetown in the off-season, the natural beauty and the feeling of community. Hiking in the woods or taking strolls in the Cape Cod National Seashore are almost always daily option to clear the mind and rejuvenate the spirit. But as for community events, the Outer Cape Chorale, a community chorus, presents their end of year show at Provincetown Town Hall, December 13 and 14. Over at the Gifford House, the talented and hilarious Cody Sullivan presents Cody Plays, a theatrical event that takes place the last Monday of each month where a rotating cast of guest stars write and presents a play in one day. The Provincetown Theater gets into the rapid fire action with the 24 Hour Plays, usually held between mid-February and early March, in which playwrights write a ten minute play and its presented by a group of actors with a randomly chosen director all in 24 hours. Every Thursday night over at WOMR at the Schoolhouse they host a screening of a different silent film accompanied by pianist for a unique chance to see how these movies were originally meant to be seen. The Tin Pan Alley ,Gifford House and the Crown & Anchor have become winter hotspots with the first open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner  With live music 7 nights a week all year, the Gifford House hosting dance and drawing classes, as well as being open yearround as a bar, and the latter with RuPaul’s Drag Race viewing parties and special game night, as does the Provincetown Brewing Company and the A House, being open on weekends all winter long. 

ART HOUSE (liveatthearthouse.com) 214 Commercial St.
ATLANTIC HOUSE (ahouse.com) 6 Masonic Place
THE CANTEEN (canteenholidaymarket.com) 225 Commercial St.
CROWN AND ANCHOR (onlyatthecrown.com) 247 Commercial St.
GIFFORD HOUSE (giffordsprovincetown.com) 9 Carver St.
THE POST OFFICE CABARET (postofficecafe.net) 303 Commercial St.
PROVINCETOWN BUSINESS GUILD (ptown.org) 115 Bradford St.
THE PROVINCETOWN THEATER (provincetowntheater.org) 238 Bradford St.
RED ROOM  (redroom.club) 258 Commercial St.
TIN PAN ALLEY  (https://www.tinpanalleyptown.com) 269 Commercial St.

WOMR (womr.org) 494 Commercial St.

Peace

This issue marks the last of the 2024 season for Provincetown Magazine. As always, it’s been a thrill and a pleasure to cover arts, culture, and entertainment on the Outer Cape. We look forward to doing it all again in 2025. See you in the spring!