Transweek

Fantasia Fair is a week-long transgender event held every October in the fishing and LGBT resort village of Provincetown, Massachusetts, on the very tip of Cape Cod. The first Fair was held in 1975; this makes Fantasia Fair the longest-running transgender event in the world. It has been and continues to be a model for other transgender conferences. Part learning experience, part social gathering, and part reunion, the Fair is a full immersion experience, meaning that attendees can and usually do spend an entire week 24/7 presenting their gender as they wish. Making friends and appearing in the Fantasia Fair Fashion Show and the Follies talent show builds confidence. This has been transformational for many of our attendees. Many who have presented their authentic selves in public for the first time at the Fair have gone on to become leaders in the transgender community. Unlike most transgender conferences, Fantasia Fair is not confined to a single hotel. Events and meals are in multiple locations, and attendees choose lodging at any of hundreds of inns and bed and breakfasts. Many develop friendly relationships with their innkeepers. Some attendees join together to rent houses and condos, which not only saves them money but allow them to host parties and late-night get-togethers and for friends and fellow Fairgoers.

Every day is filled with activities and events to inspire, educate, and entertain you. There are workshops mornings and afternoons, with topics ranging from gender theory and transgender history and politics to personal grooming and voice training. Keynote speakers following every lunch, and there are special events every evening, like the Fashion Show, Follies, and Transgender Pioneer and Fantasia Fair Awards Banquets. You’ll learn from community leaders, helping professionals, and your peers in formal and informal situations. We offer the best  program for partners anywhere. Couples find support, friendship and caring, and participate in workshops that explore and recognize the ups and downs of their relationships. Over the decades, hundreds of marriages have been saved at Fantasia Fair.  

Fairgoers are well-fed. They choose their lunches from some of the best restaurants in town. We provide two brunches, five lunches, and three evening meals, and any number of receptions with fine food. Most inns provide breakfast, and there are dozens of fine restaurants to choose from for snacks or late-night meals. There are the better part of one hundred restaurants in town, all excellent. Seafood is a common theme, but there are great burgers and steaks as well. You’ll never be hungry at Fantasia Fair! Provincetown is a safe and friendly location with a strong LGBT community, and the town treasures and protects Fairgoers. Our attendees are on the streets at all times of day and night, without incident. Our venues are within walking distance of one another, and most attendees park their cars and walk from event to event. That gives them a chance to shop at the hundreds of boutiques and browse the dozens of galleries along Commercial Street. Many Fairgoers climb the soaring Pilgrim Monument for an aerial view of the town.  

Although Fair week is chock-full of activities and events, you’ll find the pace less frenetic than other events. Because we limit the number of attendees, it’s easy to make friends at the Fair. You’re welcome to take an afternoon or a day off to explore the many attractions on the Cape. There are beautiful beaches, forests with bike and hiking trails, lighthouses, wineries, whale watching and dune tours, museums, and much more. Provincetown is a pleasure to explore, with hidden alleyways, unusual architecture, and historic buildings. Like the weather, it’s ever-changing. We offer full week and half-week registrations and provide as many scholarships as we can afford. Please consider attending the fabulous Fantasia Fair.