58 celebratory images from Provincetown Bear Week 2024 by photographer Ron Amato

Bear Week in Provincetown is a time to celebrate the queer community. For years now, photographer Ron Amato has photographed this infamous week on the East Coast that brings out thousands of bears, wolves, otters, chasers, and more.

"I am always swept up in the strong current of community and camaraderie it brings. I’ve been trying to capture that feeling in photographs the entire time," Amato said in a reflection on his work.

"In 2023 entrepreneur Steven Azar purchased Gifford House, Provincetown’s oldest, still operational hotel. Since he took over, the complex has been transformed into a multi-venue safe space for the queer community. I felt compelled to document the people occupying those spaces for one night during Bear Week. Events and Marketing Manager, Mike Akerman, picked up on the idea immediately," he said of his new series featured in this gallery.

Amato said he set up what he called the Wilde Play House — "yes, named after Oscar Wilde," he said. He was in the middle of all the action, he added.

"Beneath me I could feel the pulsing beat coming from Club Purgatory, that night hosting the legendary dance party Fagbash. Just outside the doors Peter Toto was performing in the Love Lounge. To my left patrons of the Porch Bar were playing pool. Below Porch Bar was a sea of bodies in the newly renovated outdoor space, The Yard," he recalled. "I sent my assistants out into the crowds to find subjects willing to be photographed. Soon I had a line waiting for me to capture them. The resulting images reveal the sheer joy and love shared by all that evening."

Below, see some of the images Amato took.

Find out more about Amato's work by going to his website: https://www.ronamato.com/

Follow him on Instagram @ron_amato.