Carnival Provincetown 2026

Carnival Week is Provincetown's most spectacular annual celebration, drawing tens of thousands to the tip of Cape Cod for a week of themed parties, beach gatherings, and the famous Carnival Parade. Each year's theme determines elaborate costumes, float designs and party decorations — recent themes have included Hollywood, Mardi Gras, Ancient Greece, and Circus.

The Thursday Parade down Commercial Street is Provincetown's biggest single event: thousands in full costume march through the narrow village streets while thousands more watch from sidewalks, second-floor balconies and rooftops. The evening's post-parade parties at venues like the Crown & Anchor continue until dawn.

Carnival Provincetown has been running since the 1970s and is deeply embedded in LGBTQ+ culture as a summer tradition. The week draws a diverse crowd of drag queens, lesbians, bears, circuit queens and families — united by the love of Provincetown's unique, irreplaceable community character.