La BotanicaThis queer, feminist vegan eatery and community gathering space was also the venue for some forward-thinking events during the 2010s, including drag shows and Chicana punk festivals. Pictured here: The Canción Cannibal Cabaret performing at Black and Brown Punk Fest TX 2018 Credit: Instagram / @pray.4rain

People of color, LGBTQs and women are enjoying a higher profile in San Antonio’s punk scene thanks to the local collective Xingonas in the Pit.

As part of that effort, the group — self-described as a de-colonial, feminist punk collective focused on creating a network of safe radical music spaces — is throwing its second annual Black and Brown Punk Texas Festival.

The event will take place Saturday, August 31, at La Botanica and feature a dozen bands whose members are primarily people of color.

“Last time we had the event, we had threats with people saying they were going to come and beat us up,” Xingonas in the Pit co-founder Daisy Salinas said. “Now that Xingonas in the Pit has transitioned into a collective since the first BBPFTX, there’s a lot less on my plate, [and that’s allowed us to] start a safer-space crew in the collective.”

While no one ultimately acted on the threats last time around, the new safer-space crew will provide security and emotional support for attendees in addition to helping ensure that the event runs smoothly, she added.

“I feel like cultural movements and revolutions bring about real change, and that includes music and art, which is why we want to celebrate and honor alternative and punk people of color that are feeling marginalized,” Salinas said. “We want to channel that rage into action and [remember that] our collective power is a real threat to our oppressors in power.”

In addition to musical performances, the fest will include clothing and craft vendors and two film screenings. “Deflated” is directed by Jonathan K. Horstmann, one of the musicians playing the fest, while Ryan Darbonne’s “I AM TX,” depicts a black punk band navigating a mostly white music scene.

Here’s the musical lineup:

Dregs (Austin)
Fantástico (McAllen)
The Canción Cannibal Cabaret (San Antonio)
Majority Bones (DFW)
Ojos htx (Houston)
V3CO (Austin)
DIRT PILE (Austin)
Mercutio & The Constantines (Houston)
Anywhere Welcomes You (DFW)
Kerry Melonson (Houston)
Sacred Games (San Antonio)
Black Mercy (Austin)

Xingonas in the Pit is still recruiting members and volunteers for the event. If interested, message the collective’s Facebook page. More information is also available on the festival’s event page.

$5-$10 (sliding scale), 5 p.m.-2 a.m., La Botanica, 2911 N. St Mary’s St., (210) 716-0702, vivalabotanica.com.

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This article appears in Best Of San Antonio 2019.