December in Provincetown is perfect for those who prefer both the quiet and the spectacular. Adorned for the holidays, the town feels both cheerful and intimate, with its lights and sounds of the season, and the obvious peacefulness that you can’t experience during the busy seasons. The streets are more peaceful now, and there is free parking throughout the town.
Holiday shopping can be a breeze here. With the unique gifts that can be found throughout the town, there is literally something for everyone on your list. If your shopping is done, take a day to indulge in a little pampering – for yourself, or even for your pet! Take in a show, enjoy the seasonal delights of local restaurants, soak your stress away in a hot tub, or relax by the fire of a cozy inn.
Not sure where to begin? Here are just a few suggestions!
If live entertainment is what you crave this season, the Outer Cape Chorale and Chamber Singers present Fauré Requiem, featuring John Rutter’s When Icicles Hang, on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 7 and 8, at 7 p.m., at Provincetown Town Hall. Fauré Requiem is a perennial favorite of the choral repertoire, known and loved the world over. Fauré’s lush beautiful melodies are at once haunting and soothing and not easily forgotten. John Rutter’s When Icicles Hang is a delightful set of heart-warming secular songs that will lead you right into the winter season. For more information, visit outercapechorale.org/events/.
The Canteen Holiday Market and Winter Lodge is a month-long, pop-up celebration offering a place to gather, warm up, enjoy holiday foods and drinks, buy handcrafted goods from local artisans and experience live music, performances and other events to fill you with warmth and holiday cheer. This year, the Canteen is hosting the fourth-annual version of its holiday market and will debut a new tradition: the Canteen Winter Lodge. To check it out for yourself, visit canteenholidaymarket.com.
The Holiday Market runs on Saturdays and Sundays and features over 20 local vendors each day. This year’s vendors include favorites from years past and many new sellers too, including local woodworkers, jewelers, artists, leatherworkers, and clothes makers. You will also be able to buy wreaths, trees, and other holiday decorations for your homes and cottages. The vendors will open at 11 a.m. and stay open until at least 5 p.m.
The Winter Lodge is a chalet-style pop-up restaurant featuring three heated, holiday-themed dining rooms serving classic European winter dishes like homemade pretzels, schnitzel, potato pancakes and grilled sausages. The bar features hot drinks like mulled wine and cider, hot chocolate, ski-lodge cocktails and a list of winter ales and ciders. The Winter Lodge is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights from 5 to 10 p.m. The Canteen Holiday Market and Winter Lodge opened the weekend after Thanksgiving and will remain open until New Year’s Day.
Feel like ending 2018 with a bang? Try spending New Year’s Eve at the tip of the Cape and experience the First Light Celebration. Provincetown comes alive one last time this year with New Year’s revelers before settling into the winter season. Restaurants, shops, bars, and clubs will all be open. Events will include First Light Drag Bingo, a Leather District dance party, special social events, and live performances. Thirsty Burlington, Well-Strung, Dina Martina, and Suede are all scheduled to perform this year, and there will be more to come.
The town’s incredible fireworks display will light up Provincetown Harbor on Sunday, Dec. 30 at dusk (approximately 5:30 p.m.). For more information on this fabulous end-of-year celebration, visit ptownevents.com.
Provincetown may be known for its summer crowds, but there really is something to do, see and experience all year long. For more information on Provincetown events, visit ptowntourism.com because, at any time of year, Provincetown brings the magic.
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