It's Carnival Week in Provincetown!

By: iO Staff, August 13, 2012

Matt Soltesz - Public drinking? Lewdness in the streets? All's fair in love and Carnival in Provincetown!

Ok, we all know P-town. The buff boys wearing nary a thread on top and only a few more on the bottom... The ice cream-licking tourists standing outside of sex shops... The drag queens, buskers, and restaurant hawkers enticing you to spend money on them, no matter what it takes... The hordes of pedestrians that simply force the cars and bikes off the road with their numbers...

And the sneaking suspicion that you aren't actually as open-minded as you thought you were... and you are definitely overdressed.

Every year, P-town comes out in full technicolor regalia for Carnival-in-August, a celebration of living life to its over-the-top fullest. Whether gay or straight, gendered or questioning, young or old, black, blue, or blushing red, everyone has an absolute ball on Parade Day.

This year's parade theme is P-Town: A Space Odyssey, so prepare for some far-out costumes, larger-than-life space creatures and skimpily clad moonwalkers appearing on Commercial Street on Thursday, August 16. The parade kicks off at 3 PM and the party goes as long as you want it to.

If you live out of town, be sure to get to P-town early for your best chance at a parking spot, or be prepared to shell out $20+ in one of the many lots residents open up in their backyards for the occasion.

Take a look at our pictures from last year, and don't forget to check out the Provincetown Business Guild's calendar for a variety of events prior to the parade! From sunset cruises, a Big Dipper pool party, drag bingo and spaced-out dance parties, it's a whole week of fun in the sun (and other celestial bodies)!