Punk Rock Flea Market attracts counter-culture crowd

The Tulsa Punk rock flea market was a melting pot of different counter-cultures all coexisting at once. People of all walks of life gathered to buy, sell, trade or just enjoy the atmosphere. There were people in the late 70s to 5 year olds in adorable leather jackets and everyone in between. I’m pretty sure I saw at least 5 different colours of mohawks.

The booths had everything one could want, as longs as what one wants is related to the counterculture. There were of course the staple band t-shirt and old vinyl booths, artists booths and satanic cult booths, but there were also booths dedicated to beard care, art-deco kitchenware, larping, rocks and minerals, and just about anything else an aspiring punk rocker could possibly want. Most booths didn’t even have a particular theme but were rather just a hodgepodge of knick-knacks, art and artifacts that people might find interesting.

The booths were surrounded by several food trucks and alcohol vendors that thankfully weren’t too expensive. The centerpiece, of course, was the stage which had both a DJ and a punk band, both of which provided an appropriate backdrop to the event.

I saw all sorts of weird art: painting of zombified celebrities, mannequin with nails all over them, sculptures made entirely out of dismembered doll body parts. There’s also plenty of art thats quite as unusual as the doll sculpture if that’s your thing. I very nearly bought a piece of Pokémon art done in the style of Edo-era japanese painting.

All of the vendors were super friendly and eager to talk about their art, merchandise or just about anything. I had a 30 minute conversation about the woes of wedding photography with a woman wearing an elephant-covered vest.The man running the beard care booth commiserated with me about the struggle that is eating ice cream without getting any in your facial hair.

I had an awesome time browsing booths, chatting with people, and spending more of my money than I originally planned. The Tulsa Punk Rock Flea Market is definitely not for everyone, but if you like punk rock, food trucks and local art you need to check it.

Post Author: tucollegian

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