'The macabre, the curious and the odd': Lakeland's 7th Punk Rock Flea Market is Sunday

LAKELAND — Lukas Diaz-Ames said he hopes his band will help usher in a proclivity for punk.

Diaz-Ames is the bass player for the Tampa-based, five-piece, punk band the Abortion Twins, who will be part of an unaffiliated Saturday night “pre-party show” in Lakeland’s Union Hall for the seventh Lakeland Punk Flea Market.

From noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, at Lakeland’s Swan Brewing and a section of Pine Street, a mosh pit of merchants will gather to sell a variety of “punk” goods – jewelry, classic vinyl records, goth and punk club wear, clothing, stickers, custom-designed vintage dinnerware and other items, such as what Mims-based vendor Jeepers Creepers describes as “the macabre, the curious and the odd.”

Diaz-Ames said it’s the spirit of nonconformity surrounded by the relative conformity of downtown Lakeland that makes the Punk Rock Flea market a dichotomous diversion.

“Some smaller towns can be a lot of fun. It seems like all too often the bigger (punk rock) acts skip over them. Or perhaps there just aren't always a lot of bands playing a lot like there are in bigger cities," said Diaz-Ames, who’s played with the Abortion Twins since 2014. "The flea market is a great way to focus on the genre and bring exposure to it."

For those who aren’t punk enough, very briefly, in the mid-1970s, punk was a rock movement that consisted of short, fast songs, minimal instrumentation and screeching vocals often consisting of political, anti-establishment lyrics. That anti-establishment aura continues to this day all over the world, manifesting in various socially subtle or profound stages.

The first two Punk Rock Flea Markets were held in 2019, (the event was canceled in 2020 because of COVID-19), the third Sept. 26, 2021, and the fourth March 27, 2021. The fifth edition was held Sept. 25, 2022, and March 26, 2023, the sixth flea market-punk band concert took place.

In 2019, only 19 vendors participated. This year, there are more than 80 product vendors and nine food trucks coming from across Polk County and as a far as Fort Lauderdale, Port St. Lucie, Ocala and Savannah, Georgia.

Dan Thumberg, Swan Brewing owner who co-founded the local brewery in 2018, said this year’s edition of the annual punk rock spectacular will be “epic.” He said vendor and visitor participation continues to grow each year and it has become one of the most-attended outdoor events in Lakeland. Thumberg called the Punk Rock Flea Markets a “PG-13” event with something for everyone, punk or not.

“We’ve worked hard over the past six events to make sure we’ve got the proper footprint. We have different areas and plenty of things for people to do. I feel like we’ve really dialed-in the perfect event,” he said.

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In addition to merchandise booths, among the food vendors for the 2023 Punk Rock Flea Market will be: Connor’s Goody Bag from Safety Harbor; SB&B Seafood Market from Lakeland; Buddha's Blissful Bites from Ruskin; This Little Pig from Tampa; Nah Dogs Vegan Hot Dog Cart from St Pete; and Brazilian Fun Foods from Tampa.

It’s not all sales at the flea market, it’s also about driving punk music being performed by five bands: These Times (Lakeland), Bully for You (Lakeland), Victims of Circumstance (St. Petersburg), Flagman (Orlando), Bargain Bin Heroes (Fort Myers) and Swearwolf (Titusville). And joining the Abortion Twins for the Saturday night show (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) will be Wolf Face (St. Petersburg), Low Season (St. Petersburg), Feed the Geese (Riverview) and Torchmouth (Lakeland).

All T-shirt and food sales at the flea market go to Pet Skunk Advocates and Rescue in Tampa and the Rose Dynasty Foundation Inc., a Lakeland non-profit group that works with LGBTQ youth to raise money for local charities.

The Lakeland Punk Rock Flea Market is supported by Ink Screen Printing, Art Crawl, LKLD Magazine, Rose Dynasty Foundation, Black T-Shirt Productions and Boards for Bros.

If you go

WHAT: Lakeland Punk Rock Flea Market Vol. 7

WHEN: Noon to 6 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 24

WHERE: Swan Brewing, 115 W. Pine St., Lakeland

COST: Free INFO: 863-703-0472; www.swanbrewing.com/prfm; Facebook: Lakeland Punk Rock Flea Market: Vol. 7

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: 7th rendition of Lakeland's Punk Rock Flea Market is Sunday