Women's Week Provincetown (formerly Women's Weekend) is an annual LGBT festival founded in 1984 that primarily serves lesbians.[1] Held in mid-October in Provincetown, Massachusetts on Cape Cod, it is attended by almost 2,000 women and is "the longest running lesbian cultural event in the Northeast."[2][3][4][5]
The Women Innkeepers of Provincetown organized Women's Week to attract lesbian tourists to Provincetown during the slower fall season.[6] The founding organizers, many of whom were queer women who had bought and restored guest houses in the seaside vacation destination, wrote to past guests inviting them to attend a clambake on the beach during Columbus Day weekend.[5] The weekend event grew into an annual week-long festival featuring over 300 events, including film screenings, author readings, dune tours, concerts, dance parties, stand-up comedy, ceremonies, and a community clambake.[3][4][7][8]
Notable Women's Week performers have included comedian Kate Clinton, Lea DeLaria and Holly Near. [9][5]
In October 2020, organizers responded to COVID-19 constraints by offering Women's Week in a virtual format using Zoom videoconferencing to host two "stages," one for performances and one for talks over three days.[9] Provincetown's LGBTQ+ theme weeks, including women's week, resumed in-person in 2021.[10]
See also
References
- ^ Krahulik, Karen Christel (2005). Provincetown: From Pilgrim Landing to Gay Resort (1st ed.). New York University Press. pp. 179–181. ISBN 0-8147-4761-2.
- ^ Desroches, Steve (October 8, 2014). "Women's Week Celebrates a 30-year Herstory". Provincetown Magazine. Archived from the original on February 28, 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ a b Chauvin, Kelsy (April 11, 2014). "30 Years of Provincetown Women's Week". GO. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ a b "Provincetown Blows the Candles Out on 30 Years of Celebrating Women in 2014". Provincetown Office of Tourism. October 7, 2014. Archived from the original on February 28, 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ a b c Costa, Daniela (December 28, 2015). ""Clambake" pays homage to 30 years of Women's Week in Provincetown". AfterEllen. Archived from the original on December 31, 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ Faiman-Silva, Sandra L. (2004). The Courage to Connect: Sexuality, Citizenship, and Community in Provincetown. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-02897-7.
- ^ Hammond, Candace (October 9, 2019). "Women's Week kicks off in Provincetown, celebrates 35 years". Wicked Local Provincetown. Gannett. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ "Women's Week". Provincetown Office of Tourism. 2020. Archived from the original on 23 April 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ a b Driscoll, Kathi Scrizzi (October 7, 2020). "Virtual festival expands on Women's Week". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
- ^ "Provincetown Summer 2021: We're Back!". OutClique. June 24, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
External links
- Official website
- Provincetown Women's Week at PTown Events
- Provincetown for Women
- Clambake 2015 film by Andrea Meyerson (history of Women's Week in Provincetown)
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