November 12, 2011
Rediscover Provincetown This Holiday Season
Robert Doyle READ TIME: 3 MIN.
PROVINCETOWN, MA - Cape Cod locals know: the holidays are the best time to visit Provincetown. Between the annual lighting of the 100-year old Pilgrim Monument, Holly Folly Weekend (the world's only GLBT holiday celebration), children's musical performances, holiday shopping and more, Provincetown has something for everyone.
And don't forget that the festivities are even more accessible thanks to free parking all around town and low, off-season rates at inns, B&Bs, hotels and cottages.
SEASONAL ATTRACTIONS:
Local artist Julian Popko and his family have honored Provincetown's rich fishing heritage by building a lobster pot tree in Lopes Square for the past seven years. Using more than 100 lobster pots, the tree is over two stories tall and lit with thousands of lights.
November 26, 5:30 PM (FREE)
Commemorate the Pilgrims' first landing in the New World at this annual holiday tradition that officially kicks off the holiday season in Provincetown. Enjoy entertainment and refreshments at one of Cape Cod's most beautiful light displays.
www.pilgrim-monument.org/lighting.html
November 23, 5 - 7 PM (FREE)
Dedicated to promoting Provincetown as the gayest place in the US (according to the most recent US Census), the Provincetown Business Guild hosts their annual Vegas-themed fundraiser complete with blackjack and roulette at the legendary Crown and Anchor.
www.ptown.org/Home.asp
November 25, 8 PM - 12 AM (FREE ADMISSION)
The world's only GLBT holiday festival, Holly Folly is now in its 15th year. A weekend of unique and affordable holiday shopping all along Commercial Street, Holly Folly also features holiday light competitions, toy drives, tree trimmings, cookie parties, sing-alongs, performances, parties and seasonal food and drink.
www.ptown.org/HollyFolly.asp
December 2 - 4, 2011 (Cost varies)
A yearly tradition of friends, music, cocktails and snacks marks the opening of the Holly Folly Weekend. A silent auction benefits Tanzania's Baobab Home, an organization that provides services and support to those affected by HIV and poverty. Hosted by the venerable Land's End, a historic seaside inn, the celebration is open to the public.
www.landsendinn.com
December 2, 6 - 9 PM (FREE)
The Crown and Anchor hosts this annual holiday event that unites Provincetown's greatest drag queens to perform and raise money for the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod.
www.onlyatthecrown.com/events/
December 2, 9 PM - 12 AM ($10/ticket)
A Holly Folly tradition, this choral performance is yet another Provincetown festivity ringing in the holiday season.
www.ptown.org/HollyFolly.asp
December 3, 8:30 PM ($27.00/ticket)
Celebrate Provincetown's rich theatrical history with weekly performances of this classic children's musical.
www.provincetowntheater.org
December 3 and weekends through December 17 (Check website for times and cost)
Enjoy holiday classics and jazz from local musician Bart Weisman as he performs with the Klezmer Swing Group at the historic Provincetown Art Association and Museum.
www.paam.org
December 17, 2 PM (FREE with museum admission)
Provincetown buzzes all weekend long with comedy performances, drag shows, concerts and more. Clubs, bars, restaurants and inns open their doors for several days of revelry, entertainment and nightlife to give any big city a run for its New Year's money.
www.ptown.org
Emblematic of Provincetown's quirky identity, this annual event began in 1983 with local artist Jay Critchley. Revelers gather on the East End flats at sunset, chant nonsensical poems and burn a Christmas tree in the harbor to "shed the excesses of the holiday season and start the New Year."
January 7, Sunset (FREE)
For more information, including seasonal lodging and dining specials,
please visit: www.provincetowntourismoffice.org
Friend Provincetown on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Provincetown/32032364021?ref=ts&v=wall#!/pages/Provincetown/32032364021?v=wall&ref=ts
Long-term New Yorkers, Mark and Robert have also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center, Mark is a PhD in American history and literature, as well as the author of the novels Wolfchild and My Hawaiian Penthouse. Robert is the producer of the documentary We Are All Children of God. Their work has appeared in numerous publications, as well as at : www.mrny.com.
