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No one knows exactly when the first gay kiss was planted in America, but if one had to guess, Provincetown might be the best answer to come across your lips. Known for years as the epicenter of America’s gay scene, Provincetown holds the past and the future in a two-mile stretch of sand and sea. The Mayflower Compact was signed out in the Provincetown harbor as any historian might tell you, and before the little boat sailed onto its second landing in Plymouth, there’s no one who can deny or confirm what exactly happened in the dunes as the Pilgrims went ashore for a little exploring.

Fast forward nearly 400 years and there is no doubt what is happening in America’s gayest hotspot and 2018 is going to be better than ever. This year, Provincetown announces its first ever PRIDE event. That’s right, a stroll down Commercial Street anytime of the year might feel like PRIDE, but it’s never been official until now.  The Provincetown Business Guild, an organization founded in 1978, will establish the annual event to take place in the unofficial national Pride month of June. Commemorating and celebrating Provincetown’s queer legacy. The PBG along with the town invites all Provincetown loving men and women to get their Pride on and bring along a newbie with them. If you know someone who hasn’t had a chance to visit, now is the time to bring them along and brush up on your LGBTQ history.

First stop is a contender for America’s oldest gay bar, The A-House. Beginning in 1871, the Atlantic House rented rooms and at the turn of the century was a hangout for artists and poets and queers. Today, The A-House is a unique combination of party central and neighborhood bar. Take a cruise on over to the Little Bar, dance the night away in the Big Room or join the leather men in the Macho Room. You’ll be proud you did.

Pride is officially happening in June, but you’ve got all year to celebrate. Starting in March, the Ursamen bring the bears and their admirers Out of Hibernation for an early start on the party scene. April brings national attention for the Miss Gay Massachusetts competition and the annual Spring Stomp brought to you by Gays for Patsy.

Start May with a little science project: the new Broto conference is bound to get you mixing it up with scientists and artists finding their way to address climate change. Nauticon is not your Daddy’s comic-con, it’s a no holds barred party scene and all that’s required is an ID saying you are over 21. Leave time to come back in May for Memorial Day Weekend, the blast-off for a  summer of fun and sun.

If you still haven’t made it home by June 1, stick around because that’s the day we enter Pride-land. There’s so much planning going on for events and fun, there’s not enough room in this article to list the possibilities. If you can imagine it, it will be happening Pride weekend in Provincetown.

July and August bring the sun bathers and body worshippers to the shores of Provincetown. From the clubs to a down-home parade, nobody does Gayberry better than Provincetown. Go-go boys meet firefighters (and sometimes, they are one in the same) at the annual 4th of July parade and fireworks.

It’s standing room only during Bear Week when the loveable, sexy, muscular, and burly men gather for the largest Bear Event in the world.

Carnival 2018 is themed Mardi Gras by the Sea and is sure to be the most extravagant summer festival ever held in Provincetown. Decadence is the theme of the party and the parade is open to everyone with an idea for OUTrageous.

What? Only half way through the year! That’s right. The action doesn’t stop as September

October, November and December keep the party going. Labor Day is just an excuse to dance yourself into oblivion before heading back to work. Throughout the month there’s Afterglow, Gay Pilots Cape Cod Classic, and the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival. By the last weekend of September, it’s time to strap it on for the Mates Leather Weekend.

October starts with an early Columbus Day three-day weekend and continues with the longest running transgender conference, Fantasia Fair. The last weekend of October brings together all the rituals and extravagance of what some may call Gay Christmas: HALLOWEEN! Masked or unmasked, there’s no better place to get spooked than here.

November gives us all an excuse for a cozy lumberjack look and some comfy flannel, as Provincetown celebrates the coolest of the seasons. Mr. New England Leather heats up the winter and there’s no doubt the competition is hot. Thanksgiving Weekend brings the best of Pilgrim Culture and Provincetown Pride as the town lights up the Pilgrim Monument and the Lobster Pots in Lopes Square.

You had better eat your Wheaties, if you want to keep up with all that Provincetown has to be proud of in 2018. The year ends with our hottest month, December. Join friends and make friends at the annual Holly Folly extravaganza and then shop till you drop throughout the month at our holiday market and Commercial Street retail spots. There’s nothing more festive than winter inspired food, drink, clubbing, and parties throughout the month, leading up to the final climax: First Light Provincetown. End the year with a bang, with Fireworks, a Polar Plunge, Drag Shows, the best clubs in the country all celebrating the end of the old and beginning of the New Year!