Food, music, and culture swirl together at this annual celebration of Black excellence.
The beauty and creativity of the African diaspora deserve to be celebrated. Each November, AFROPUNK does just that through music, dancing, and food, and this year, the festival landed in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil.
Through a combination of Portuguese and English-speaking musical guests, AFROPUNK celebrates Black culture in all its power and glory. Their goal is to create a collective experience of transformation as the stage and the crowd become one—dancing, chanting, and celebrating together.
The AFROPUNK Festival started in New York City back in 2005, founded by James Spooner and Matthew Morgan, building on Spooner’s 2003 documentary Afro-Punk, which explored Black participation in the U.S. punk scene. The festival began as a grassroots gathering for Black alternative culture, punk-influenced music, and identity, but over time, it broadened in scope, embracing wider expressions of Black music, style, art, and activism. AFROPUNK has taken place in cities around the world, with the most recent edition taking place in Brazil in early November 2025.
Attending AFROPUNK, I could feel the energy radiating amongst the crowd between the DJ sets and musical guests. Meanwhile, local vendors sell delectable treats like acaraje, a traditional Bahian street food made from black-eyed pea fritters deep-fried in palm oil, stuffed with an okra paste called “caruru” and a shrimp paste called “vatapa,” topped with shrimp and served alongside a spicy pepper sauce. It’s a delicious treat to try as you enjoy the sounds of Afro-Brazilians’ West African ancestry mixed with modern-day musical guests such as BaianaSystem, Coco Jones, Liniker, and Tems.
If you’re looking for a cultural event that celebrates the beauty, vibrancy, diversity, and artistry of Black culture, add AFROPUNK to your list of festivals to visit.
