Gifford House (Porch Bar & Purgatory)

Gay bar & hotel · Provincetown

A historic inn, a relaxed porch bar and a dark basement club downstairs: the Gifford House with its Porch Bar and Purgatory is the place to start your evening in Provincetown quietly and end it late.

• ★ 4.7 on Google (80)
• Porch Bar
• Purgatory basement club
• Gay-run

Address

9–11 Carver Street
Provincetown, MA 02657

Opening hours

seasonal from Memorial Day
Purgatory daily 9 pm–1 am in season

Crowd

mostly men, mixed ages, mostly 30+ in Purgatory with a leather touch, many locals and regulars

Flirt factor

Porch Bar medium, Purgatory high

Getting there

on foot, a few steps above Commercial Street

What makes the Gifford House special

The Gifford House is a historic, gay-run inn on Carver Street, a few steps above Commercial Street. It is both a hotel and a place to go out. On the Porch Bar, formerly called Porchside, people meet for a relaxed drink, often before dinner. There is a pool table and small snacks, and live entertainment in the Wilde Playhouse in summer.

Downstairs in the basement is Purgatory, a dark club for the later hours that was long counted among America’s earliest leather bars. There are DJ nights and theme parties, and it gets especially busy during Bear Week and Carnival. The hotel and Porch Bar are among the places that open at the start of the season on Memorial Day at the end of May.

Atmosphere and crowd

The crowd is mostly male and mixed: hotel guests, summer residents, locals and regulars. With 4.7 stars, the Porch Bar is one of the best-rated bars in town; guests praise the relaxed atmosphere and the staff.

Contact

Editorially researched, as of October 2026. Sources: Out x Out, GayOut, Provincetown Chamber of Commerce, Google reviews (4.7 stars, 80 reviews). Opening hours, prices and programme may change, please check before visiting.