The key addresses in Provincetown — verified and regularly updated. Clicking takes you straight to the location page.
Housed in one of Provincetown's oldest buildings is the A-House, the city's only year-round dance club. Three areas are available: the Little Bar with jukebox, the Macho Bar as a leather and Levi's meeting place, and the Big Room with a dance floor. Wooden beams, ship parts and historical photos characterize the ambience.
Located on Provincetown Harbor, Aqua Bar features a spacious terrace overlooking the water. Creative cocktails, draught and bottled beer as well as wines will be served; Food can be obtained from the seven food vendors in the neighboring Aquarium Marketplace. Dog-friendly and barrier-free, the bar is weather-independent thanks to its roofing and heating. Reservations are not necessary.
Located on Provincetown Harbor, the Boatslip Resort & Beach Club is an adults-only property. The complex includes a heated pool, a large sun terrace with harbour views, the Deckside Grill and the Buoy Bar. The afternoon Tea Dance is particularly well-known, where DJ sets and cocktails draw a mixed queer crowd to the terrace.
Part of the Crown & Anchor Complex on Commercial Street is the Paramount Nightclub, which features a large dance floor, modern sound system and a patio with water views. The programme includes DJ sets by international stars, live performances, cabaret shows and themed parties. In addition, there are creative cocktails and a wide selection of drinks.
The Shipwreck Lounge is part of the Brass Key Guesthouse in downtown Provincetown and connects indoor and outdoor areas. In front of a large fireplace are comfortable barrel chairs, plus a classically cool, historically inspired ambience. The mixologists work with their own syrups, infusions, freshly squeezed juices and exotic ingredients and serve handcrafted cocktails for relaxed and lively evenings.
On Commercial Street, The Crown & Anchor is an entertainment complex with six bars, three stages, a restaurant and a hotel, including a private beach area and pool. The Paramount Room hosts big dance parties, the Crown Cabaret offers intimate performances, and The Vault is designed as a leather bar. It gets particularly crowded during theme weeks such as Pride, Bear Week or Carnival with drag queens, Broadway stars and DJs.
The WAVE Video Bar is part of the Crown & Anchor in Provincetown and shows music videos and clips on dozens of screens. In addition to cocktails and beer, there is also a spacious pool terrace with a view of the harbour. House DJs provide dance music, plus formats such as the Stage & Screen Musical Nights. A lively meeting place for all those who want to dance and party through the summer nights.
Gay bars in Provincetown are almost all crowded on Commercial Street, the long main street that runs parallel to the water through the whole town. There are no long distances here: you walk from one end of the scene to the other in a good twenty minutes, and on the way there is one bar next to the next. In the middle of Commercial Street, the Crown & Anchor is more of an entire complex than a single bar, with multiple rooms, stages, and a pool under one roof. One of the oldest gay bars in the USA is the A-House, short for Atlantic House, which stands in a historic building in a side street. An institution in itself is the waterfront Boatslip Resort & Beach Club, whose tea dance draws hundreds straight from the beach to the dance floor on summer afternoons.
The nightlife here is compact and ticks differently than in a big city. In a place where queer people make up the majority, basically every bar is a trendy bar, and the mood changes with the time of day. In the afternoon, the stage belongs to the Tea Dance, in the evening drag, cabaret and DJ sets take over. In the high season and during theme weeks such as Bear Week, it gets particularly crowded when the whole town becomes noticeably denser. If you're there for the first time, it's best to start on Commercial Street and let yourself drift. The following addresses will show you which bar suits which evening.