LGBTQ Pride Takes Over P-Town

The Provincetown Business Guild (PBG) presents the 7th annual Provincetown Pride Festival on May 31-June 2, 2024. This celebration of America’s premier LGBTQ+ destination and the full spectrum of Provincetown’s queer community will feature the Queer Comedy Showcase, Pride Cruise with Bay State Cruise Company, Feet Over Front Street 5K Pride Run & Walk, Official Pride parties, and much more.

A new addition to Provincetown Pride this year is Reimagining Queer Africa, a partnership between the PBG and Obodo, a youth-led nonprofit organization based in Lagos, Nigeria, that advocates for the rights of queer Nigerians through art, technology, outreach, and financial support. Obodo’s programs range from film screenings, book clubs, and queer meet-ups to professional workshops, and the Queer Artist Fund that provides support, resources, and a platform for queer artists to explore and express their narratives. 

Two representatives from Obodo will be in town for Pride, Matthew Blaise, the organization’s founder and director, and Rachel Victory, a visual artist working in photography and film and part of the Obodo Queer Artist Fund 2024 cohort. As the cultural center of Provincetown Pride, Obodo’s mission is woven into the weekend’s programming via art, photography, film, music, and discussion.

“Global Queer Solidarity is imperative during these times as the hate against LGBTQ+ people rises worldwide, especially in the Global South,” said Matthew Blaise, founder and director of Obodo. “Currently, countries with historically queer culture are being white-washed and criminalized through the joint efforts of the Global North anti-right movement and African politicians. Hence, a collaboration like this is essential in fostering a stronger global family, advocacy system, joy, and support. Through information sharing, education, and reflection, we step further towards achieving the goal of Queerness without Borders.”

The PBG is honored to celebrate queer African artists with Reimagining Queer Africa, an exhibition at the Provincetown Pride Center. Five artists’ work from the Obodo Queer Artist Fund 2024 cohort will be represented, showcasing creative expression that explores and amplifies queer experiences in Nigeria. An opening reception for this show will take place Friday, May 31 at 5:00 PM. The exhibit will be up throughout  June, and the art will be available for sale.

“One of our goals with Provincetown Pride is to connect the truly beautiful and unique experience of celebrating Pride in a space where as a queer person, you are in the majority, to the harder reality that many members of our LGBTQ+ family face daily,” said Trevor Pittinger, executive director of the Provincetown Business Guild. “Not only do we feel extended gratitude for the imperative of safe havens like Provincetown, but we are reminded through the art & queer storytelling of groups like Obodo of our responsibility to stay engaged in creating space and amplifying support for those fighting for safety and for their voices to be heard, locally, nationally, and internationally.”

For those heading to Ptown from Boston on May 31, journey with your LGBTQ+ family on Bay State Cruise Co.’s Official Pride Crossing. Get a preview of Pride weekend events, see your community flags flying high from the boat, and relax with a beverage as you sail to Provincetown.

Also, on Friday, May 31, try your luck at Pride Bingo at the Governor Bradford, hosted by legendary drag hostesses Roxy Pops and Lakia Mondale. Later that night, the Red Room hosts the Full Spectrum Pride Kickoff Dance Party presented with Obodo. Music from DJs Mister Zero and Sam Sewell will power the night with Pride dance tracks and Afrobeats curated by Obodo.

On Saturday, June 1, it’s time for the Pride Festival, Market, Rally, and the always fierce Sashay to Tea. Starting at Noon, the free Pride Festival and Market inside Town Hall will feature LGBTQ+ artisans, vendors, a cash bar, and a live DJ. Purchase with Pride from small queer businesses and artists and enjoy a beverage before the Pride Rally. At 4:00 PM on the steps of Town Hall, the Pride Rally will channel Provincetown’s rich legacy of queer activism and community engagement with inspiring words and a song or two from a diverse lineup of voices, including representatives from Womxn of Color Weekend, innovation and inclusion expert and activist Muhammad Burhan, local performers Brittany Rolfs and Delta Miles, Rally hosts Mackenzie Miller and Austin Fiszel, and special guest speaker Matthew Blaise, founder and director of Obodo Nigeria. 

Another Pride Rally speaker is Hayden McDermott, a first-time Ptown Pride attendee and Summer One Program recipient. The Provincetown Pride Center partnered with PBG lodging members on the new Summer One program to offer an affordable opportunity for first-time visitors to Provincetown between the ages of 21-29. This program signals to younger LGBTQ+ generations that Provincetown is a space for them, too. It supports one of the PBG’s goals to attract new generations of queer visitors to Provincetown to experience the unparalleled magic of Ptown’s welcoming, inclusive community. Hayden will share with the crowd about his first time visiting Provincetown. Immediately following the Rally, sashay to the legendary Boatslip Pride Tea Dance.

On Saturday night, the Provincetown Business Guild will present the third annual Queer Comedy Showcase at Town Hall. Hosted by Provincetown’s resident stand-up comic, performer, and producer, Kristen Becker,  the night of laughter stars trans, queer, Asian American stand-up comedian and writer Jes Tom who was recently featured on the Netflix comedy special Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda, Akeem Woods, a regular at New York City’s Comedy Cellar, Kia Barnes who has been featured on Netflix, BET, NBC, and producer of the Lez Laugh Comedy Show, and comedian and writer Zach Zimmerman who was recently named a 2023 Vulture “Comedian You Should and Will Know.” Accessibility is a focus for this Town Hall event, with tickets starting at $25 for anyone under 30.

The PBG is partnering with the Provincetown Runners again this year for a 5K Run/Walk. Branded ‘Feet Over Front Street,’ the event honors Commercial Street’s original name, Front Street, which dates to 1880. The 5K Run/Walk starts at the Harbor Hotel in Provincetown’s East End and runs the length of Commercial Street to the Provincetown Inn in the West End, including the length of Macmillan Pier. Pets and kids are also welcome to participate, with special rates available for youth and seniors. After the 5K, the PBG will host a cool-down party celebrating LGBTQ+ health and wellness at Provincetown Brewing Co. at 10:00 AM. Participants will receive a complimentary beverage, and placement prizes will be given out.

It would not be Pride Weekend without multiple parties that offer something for everyone, including the Full Spectrum Pride Kickoff Party at Red Room, the Official Pride Dance Party at A-House, the Pride Underwear Party at Gifford House, and the Babes & Bois Passionfruits Playhouse Par’Tea’ for the queer & sapphically inclined at Porch Bar.

Provincetown Pride is made possible with support from Visit Lauderdale, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, RethinkYourPrEP.com, Fishers Island Lemonade, Meads Bay Hotel Group, Gilead, The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod, Cape Cod 5, The Brass Key, and media partners: EqualPride and iHeart Media.

Visit ptown.org for an up-to-date schedule of events.

Photo Credit Provincetown Business Guild