Bring the whole family to Provincetown’s annual Family Week

The largest annual gathering of LGBTQ+ families in the world returns to P-town.

Parents and children at Provincetown's Family Week's ice cream social. Courtesy of Family Week

Family Week returns to Provincetown July 27-Aug. 3 for the 30th year, bringing the largest annual gathering of LGBTQ+ families in the world to the little Cape Cod town. Hundreds of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer-identified families will travel to P-town for a week of family-friendly programming for children of all ages and their parents.

The week is put on by Family Equality, a nonprofit for LGBTQ+ families, and COLAGE, supporting youths and adults with LGBTQ+ parents. Some event highlights at this year’s Family Week include a parade, a variety show, and a beach bash.

Registration for Family Week is currently open, and folks have the option to register with either Family Equality or COLAGE. Like last year, registration is pay-what-you-can. Registering with Family Equality signs you up for the week’s events for the whole family, while registering with COLAGE gives kids access to age-specific activities. When registering with COLAGE, you’ll choose a ticket for children ages 8 to 10, 11 to 13, or 14 to 18.

Family Week began in the mid-’90s when New Jersey couple Tim Fisher and Scott Davenport were visiting Provincetown with their children. At the end of the week, they invited about 15 other families with gay and lesbian parents to their cottage for dinner, sparking what Davenport called on their website “a magical event.” He said that these newly introduced “children of gay parents — many of whom didn’t know other families like theirs — suddenly felt less alone.”

Head to ptownfamilyweek.com to learn more about accommodations, travel tips, and other Family Week details, and check out the event’s Facebook page to connect with other families heading to P-town.