From there, the ferry will take you to The Pines. Hop in a taxi at Sayville and head to the Sayville Ferry Service terminal. To get here, take the Long Island Railroad from Penn Station to Sayville. The island is mostly desolate during winter, with a tiny year-round population of just over 290. Popular events that happen in summer include the drag-queen-led Invasion of the Pines on July 4th, the circuit queen-filled Pines Party, and the theater-queen beloved Fire Island Dance Festival that benefits Broadway Cares and Equity Fights AIDS. Regardless of where you stay, you can party hard until sunrise, keep it mellow on miles of sandy beach, or find a favorable balance between the two.įood on the island is pricey, and you shouldn’t be surprised to see people lugging their own food-filled coolers on the ferry. You can travel between The Pines and Cherry Grove by walking through the infamous wooded Meat Rack or by water taxi, as there are no cars on this part of the island. Cherry Grove is the more lesbian-centric and artsy of the two communities. The majority of the midday and late-night revelry happens in the Pavilion, located next to the ferry dock. The Pines caters to a rowdier, mostly male crowd. What to do on Fire IslandĬherry Grove and The Pines make up the island’s two LGBTQ+ enclaves. It’s seemingly impossible, and yet, here is a community built on the backs of gay and lesbian crusaders since the 1940s that’s been able to weather any storm. It’s a strange place for a safe haven, but that’s what makes this exposed sandbar so enticing. Where to stay in Provincetownįire Island’s meandering sand dunes, maritime forests, and modernist homes are at the mercy of the mighty Atlantic. You can take the Bay State Cruise Company ferry from Boston (1.5 hours), arrive via bus, or rent a car and drive along the Cape’s scenic thoroughfare. Be sure to check the dates of each week, as the type of people you’ll encounter around town will vary drastically. The town hosts several themed weeks throughout the summer, including July 4th, Carnival, Girl Splash, and Bear Week. Herring Cove Beach is the most popular outdoor hang, with a lesbian section about a quarter-mile south of the main entrance and the gay section another quarter-mile down from there. The town’s walkable main drag, Commercial Street, is chockablock with art galleries, clothing stores, restaurants, and live performance venues. Less than 3,000 people call P-town their year-round home, but in summer, the population can swell to over 60,000. Protected on the Cape’s bayside by miles of bikeable dunes and scrubby forests, Provincetown (or P-town, as it’s commonly known) has long been a safe harbor for queer US travelers seeking refuge.
This is Provincetown - the US’s gay summer capital on the tip of Cape Cod. It’s quaint, like Leave it to Beaver on vacation but edgier, because Theodore’s daddy is probably twirling in leather at the Boatslip Resort’s 5:00 PM Tea Dance, and here, “beaver” carries a much different meaning.