For many people Provincetown only exists between Memorial Day and Labor Day. I can understand this. High season has the best beach weather. There are more theme weeks, parties, concerts, comedians, drag shows and other forms of entertainment than you could possibly attend in a single visit. It doesn’t matter what day of the week you head out on Commercial Street. It will be packed and the people watching doesn’t get any better. If you want to show off a body you’ve dedicated yourself to the gym for, or have a cute outfit to debut, this is the time to do it. But for a slightly different experience consider Provincetown, and the rest of the Cape, in the fall, also known as the shoulder season.

We recently spent several days there in late September and were impressed by the number of things to do, without the crowds and traffic of summer. The days are still warm, but the nights are starting to get crisp. The perfect time to head to a less crowded beach during the day and enjoy a cup of clam chowder, or a warm drink, at night.

What Are Weekdays Like?

During the work week the crowds are thin. This gives you the opportunity to visit the museums, shops, beaches, and other attractions and experience the small-town charm of the off-season. The lighter traffic on Route 6 allows you to drive and visit the many Lower and Mid Cape attractions that bumper-to-bumper traffic can dissuade visitors from venturing out to in the summer. Parking is also easier than in the high season but note that paid parking is still in effect until October 31.

What Are Weekends Like?

Although the weekdays are slow, the weekends are not. Visitors start to crowd the streets on Friday afternoon and stay through Sunday. You’ll still get to experience some of the buzz and vibrancy that P-town is famous for. It will just be slightly lower key. The most notable entertainment difference is that many of the drag queens who have summer residencies will no longer be performing. The Broadway series shows won’t be as often, but they will still be there. We saw Hugh Panero, who starred in Phantom of the Opera, at the Post Office Café while we were there. Upcoming Post Office shows include Eden Espinosa, Anita Cocktail, Judy Gold, and Suzanne Westenhoeffer among others. Women’s Week is the most famous of the fall theme weeks. But other events include Mates Leather Weekend, the Washashore Music Festival, the Provincetown Food & Wine Festival, Spooky Bear for Halloween, and Mister New England Leather in November.

What Is Open and Happening?

Years ago, many restaurants and bars closed shortly after Labor Day. This is no longer the case. Most places now stay open until Halloween. Many even add an extra week into November as the shoulder season gets just a little bit longer each year. The only difference is that events that occur daily in the summer, such as tea dance, may only occur on weekends as you get later into the shoulder season.

If you would like more information on Provincetown in the shoulder season, or help planning your next getaway to this or any other fabulous destination, give Purple Light Vacations a ring. (Or email of course). We would love to be your inside source for all your travel needs.

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