A tattoo convention is a meeting and exhibition for tattoo practitioners and enthusiasts from different shops and areas, as well as anyone who wishes to see the world of tattooing up close.

History

The first world tattoo convention was held by Lyle Tuttle and Dave Yurkew on January 24–25, 1976 in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Texas. Dave Yurkew, who was also President of the North American Tattoo Club went on to host another 6 consecutive World Tattoo Conventions through 1982. Lyle Tuttle was quoted as saying that this was. "The event that changed tattooing forever.” On January 19–21, 1996, Dave Yurkew and Lyle Tuttle co-hosted the 20th anniversary of the First World Tattoo Convention in Houston, Texas, following up with the 25th anniversary on January 18–21, 2001 in Houston, hosted by Dave Yurkew and John "Big John" G. Stuckey. The first International Tattoo Artists Association Convention was held in 1977 in

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

, and the first National Convention was held in

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, Colorado March 23–25, 1979 at the Cosmopolitan Hotel. Speakers at this convention were: Don Ed Hardy, Terry Wrigley, Peter Tat 2 Poulos, Diane Poulos, Bob Shaw, Big Walt Kilkucki, Painless Jeff Baker, Dave Yurkew, and from Germany Horst Streckenbach and Manfred Kohrs. Tattoo conventions range from small events sponsored by a local business that may last a day, to major international conventions spanning a weekend or the better part of a week. They may include contests and exhibitions, booths selling tattoo-related items and even booths rented for use by

tattoo artist A tattoo artist (also tattooer or tattooist) is an individual who applies permanent decorative tattoos, often in an established business called a "tattoo shop", "tattoo studio" or "tattoo parlour". Tattoo artists usually learn their craft via an ...

s who work during the convention. Collectors may attend conventions specifically to obtain a tattoo from a particular visiting artist. Other events may include professional events such as workshops and meetings as well as social events. Contests, usually restricted to registered participants, usually feature a variety of categories: black-and-gray, tribal, oriental, backpiece, women, men, and so on. Judging may be by vote or by a panel of judges. The first tattoo convention in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England took place in 2005. The first tattoo convention in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

was held in 1980 by Horst Streckenbach in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

Tattoo conventions in Australia

Australia holds some of the biggest tattoo conventions in the southern hemisphere, including Tattoo Expo and Rites of Passage Tattoo Festival, both of which showcase some of the world's leading tattoo artists. The history of tattooing may go all the way back to the convicts that were being sent to Australia, with a large portion having a singular tattoo, often an anchor or initials. Since then, tattoos have become a large part of Australian life, with one in four Australians having a tattoo, making tattoo conventions a popular destination in Australia.

Gallery

Don Ed Hardy and Dave Yurkew (1977).jpg, Don Ed Hardy and Dave Yurkew at the 2nd World Tattoo Convention in Reno Nevada, 1977 Singaporetattooconventionin2009.jpg, Tattoo convention in Singapore, 2008 Tattoo convention August 2017 in Berlin - 1.jpg, Tattoo convention in Berlin, 2017 Boston Tattoo Convention.webm, Video of a tattoo convention in Boston, 2019

References

External links

Tattooing Conventions (meetings) {{bodymodification-stub