Fall 2026 Tattoo Conventions: Where to Go and What to Expect

TL;DR: Ten tattoo conventions are still ahead this fall, running from Tommy's in Connecticut (Oct 9-11) to Flower City in Rochester (Nov 20-22). Three of them land on the same weekend in November: New York, Miami and Brussels. Dates, venues and prices below come from each show's own website. Check them again before you travel, because schedules move.

Tattoo conventions 2026 are not over. The late September shows have wrapped, but the fall calendar still has a full run of weekends left, and the next one starts Friday.

If you've never been, a convention is a few hundred artists in one room, all tattooing at the same time, with contests, vendors and noise stacked on top. If you have been, you already know it's the best place to see a lot of work fast and the worst place to make a rushed decision about a permanent piece.

We went through the official sites for the shows still on the calendar and kept only the ones we could confirm: dates, city, venue, and how to get in. That left ten. Some run out of hotels, some fill big convention centers, and one is an ocean away in Brussels.

Here's the lineup, month by month, and how to get the most out of whichever one you pick.

Which Tattoo Conventions Are Still Coming Up This Fall?

Ten confirmed shows run between October 9 and November 22, 2026: Tommy's, Milwaukee, Richmond, Longhorn State, True Tattoo Expo, Hell City Ohio, New York, All Stars Miami, Brussels and Flower City. Nine are in the US and one is in Belgium.

Here's the quick list, in date order:

Oct 9-11: Tommy's Tattoo Convention, Uncasville, CT
Oct 9-11: Milwaukee Tattoo Arts Festival, Milwaukee, WI
Oct 23-25: Richmond Tattoo & Arts Convention, Richmond, VA
Oct 30-Nov 1: Longhorn State Tattoo Expo, Dallas, TX
Oct 30-Nov 1: True Tattoo Expo, Oaks, PA
Nov 6-8: Hell City Tattoo Festival, Columbus, OH
Nov 13-15: The New York Tattoo Convention, Brooklyn, NY
Nov 13-15: The All Stars Tattoo Convention, Miami, FL
Nov 13-15: International Brussels Tattoo Convention, Brussels, Belgium
Nov 20-22: Flower City Tattoo Convention, Rochester, NY

This isn't every convention in the country. It's every one we could confirm on the show's own site. We dropped anything we couldn't.

What's Left in October?

October has three confirmed shows: Tommy's in Connecticut and the Milwaukee Tattoo Arts Festival on October 9-11, then the Richmond Tattoo & Arts Convention on October 23-25. The first two share a weekend, so you'll have to pick one.

Tommy's Tattoo Convention is at the Mohegan Sun Expo Center in Uncasville, Connecticut. Tommy's own site lists it as the 14th annual show, with doors at 4 PM Friday and 11 AM Saturday and Sunday. Its ticket page lists a $25 one-day ticket and a $50 three-day ticket, with kids 12 and under free. The site says online sales have closed, and door tickets are cash only. Bring cash.

Milwaukee Tattoo Arts Festival is a Villain Arts show. The official event page runs it from 2 PM on October 9 to 8 PM on October 11, at 405 W. Kilbourn Ave. A one-day pass is $20 and a three-day pass is $40.

Richmond Tattoo & Arts Convention is at 1021 Koger Center Blvd, Richmond. The Richmond show's ticket page lists a $65 weekend pass, $48 for Saturday, $38 for Sunday and $33 for Friday. Kids 12 and under are free, and it lists free day passes for active military, veterans, licensed tattoo artists, seniors 60 and up, and college students for Sunday, with proof required.

What's Happening Halloween Weekend?

Two shows land on October 30 to November 1: the Longhorn State Tattoo Expo in Dallas and the True Tattoo Expo outside Philadelphia. Both run Friday through Sunday, and True Tattoo Expo bills itself as a Halloween weekend show.

Longhorn State Tattoo Expo is at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. The show's site lists hours of 4 PM to midnight Friday, noon to midnight Saturday, and noon to 7 PM Sunday. Tickets run through Eventbrite.

True Tattoo Expo is at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, Hall D, in Oaks, Pennsylvania. This is the second year. Its ticket page lists $20 general admission per day or $40 for the weekend, before fees. The expo's homepage says you can walk up and get tattooed with no appointment, and that kids under 12 in costume get in free Friday and Saturday.

It also runs stand-up comedy and an after-party across the street on Friday night. That's a different kind of convention than a pure tattoo show, and that's the point.

Where Should You Go in November?

November is the heaviest month: Hell City in Columbus on November 6-8, a three-way pile-up on November 13-15 in Brooklyn, Miami and Brussels, then Flower City in Rochester on November 20-22. If you can only travel once, this is the month.

Hell City Tattoo Festival is at the Hyatt Regency Columbus. Hell City's site lists the dates, hours of noon to 11 PM Friday and Saturday and noon to 7 PM Sunday, plus a tattoo battle booth, live painting, burlesque and a Krampus costume contest on Sunday. Its ticket page shows pre-sale tickets from $27 and lists an $80 weekend pass.

The New York Tattoo Convention is at the Duggal Greenhouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The show's site lists more than 320 artists, 20-plus vendors, and free entry for ages 16 and under. Tickets go through Eventbrite.

The All Stars Tattoo Convention is at the Miami Dade Fairgrounds, 10901 SW 24th St. The official site lists November 13 and 14 from noon to midnight and November 15 from noon to 10 PM. It bills itself as the biggest tattoo convention in the world, and adds suspension shows, a juried art show and an outdoor car and bike show.

International Brussels Tattoo Convention is at Tour & Taxis in Brussels. The convention site lists 500-plus artists from 30 countries, and says every booth takes walk-ins. It lists a weekend pass for one euro.

Flower City Tattoo Convention is at 123 E Main St in Rochester. Flower City's own site lists November 20, 21 and 22, with noon to 11 PM on Friday and Saturday and noon to 9 PM on Sunday.

A heads up on the New York, Miami and Brussels overlap. They all run the same three days, so you're choosing one. If you want to see how the scene differs, that's a good excuse to pick the one you haven't been to.

How Much Do Convention Tickets Cost?

Admission is cheap compared to the tattoo itself. Among the shows with prices posted, one-day tickets run from $20 to $48 and weekend passes from $40 to $80, with Brussels as the outlier at one euro for the weekend. You pay for the tattoo separately.

Here's what we could confirm:

Tommy's: $25 one day, $50 three days
Milwaukee: $20 one day, $40 three days
Richmond: $33 to $48 per day depending on the day, $65 weekend
True Tattoo Expo: $20 per day, $40 weekend, before fees
Hell City: from $27 pre-sale, $80 weekend pass listed
Brussels: one euro weekend pass

Dallas, New York, Miami and Rochester don't show prices on their own pages, so we're not guessing. Click through to the ticket link on each site.

Ticket price is the small number. The real cost is the tattoo, and convention pricing varies by artist. Our guide on how much tattoos cost helps you sanity check a quote before you sit down.

What Should You Expect When You Walk In?

Expect a loud floor, a lot of booths, and a lot of pressure to decide fast. Hundreds of artists work at once, there are contests and vendors, and the busy booths have lines. Going in with a plan keeps you from picking a piece you'll regret.

Going by what these sites describe, expect live tattooing all weekend plus entertainment on top. Hell City lists a tattoo battle booth, live painting and burlesque, Miami lists tattoo contests and suspension shows, and True Tattoo Expo lists live competitions and stand-up comedy.

Some practical stuff:

Check the hours first. At most of the US shows above, Friday doors open anywhere from noon to 4 PM, so don't plan a morning Friday session.
Bring cash. Tommy's is cash only at the door, so check what each show takes before you leave.
Look at the artist's healed work. A fresh photo tells you nothing about how the line holds in five years.
Wear something that gives access. Plan the placement before you arrive.

Shows that say walk-ins are welcome, like True Tattoo Expo and Brussels, are the exception to check for. Other artists at other shows may be booked solid weeks ahead. Message the artist before the show if you want a specific slot.

How Do You Get a Good Tattoo at a Convention?

Treat it like any other tattoo: research the artist, bring a clear idea, and don't commit on impulse. A convention makes it easy to say yes to the first open chair, but a permanent piece deserves the same vetting you'd do for a shop.

Start before you go. Browse the artist list on the convention's site, find two or three whose healed work you like, and message them. Our guide on how to vet a tattoo artist covers what to check, and it applies on a convention floor just as much as in a shop.

Know what you can handle. Convention days are long. If you're picking a spot, check the tattoo pain chart first, and if it's your first piece, read our first tattoo guide.

And plan the aftercare. If you're traveling, work out how you'll look after a fresh piece on the road, and read the tattoo aftercare guide before you go.

One more thing. Watch for scams around big events. If someone messages you offering a "convention discount" and asks for a deposit, confirm it with the artist directly. Our post on tattoo scams and fake artist accounts shows how to check.

Fall is a good time to catch a convention. The calendar is full through November 22, with shows in Connecticut, Wisconsin, Virginia, Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Florida and Belgium. Pick the one that fits your travel and your budget, check the show's own site for the latest, and go in with an artist already in mind.

We could only confirm shows through Rochester on November 22 for this guide, so December is empty for now. For more practical, honest tattoo guides and convention coverage, join the Tatulogue newsletter at tatulogue.com.

FAQ

When is the next tattoo convention in the US? Tommy's Tattoo Convention in Uncasville, Connecticut and the Milwaukee Tattoo Arts Festival both run October 9-11, 2026. After that, the Richmond Tattoo & Arts Convention runs October 23-25.

How much does a tattoo convention ticket cost? Among shows that post prices, one-day tickets run about $20 to $48 and weekend passes about $40 to $80. Tommy's is $25 a day or $50 for three days. Brussels lists a one euro weekend pass. The tattoo is a separate cost.

Can you get a tattoo at a convention without an appointment? Sometimes. True Tattoo Expo says you can walk up and get tattooed with no appointment, and Brussels says every booth takes walk-ins. Other shows and artists vary, so message the artist you want before the weekend.

Are tattoo conventions open to kids? Admission policies differ by show. Richmond lets kids 12 and under in free, and the New York Tattoo Convention lets ages 16 and under in free. Check the show's own site for its policy.

Are there tattoo conventions outside the US this fall? Yes. The International Brussels Tattoo Convention runs November 13-15, 2026 at Tour & Taxis in Brussels. Its site lists 500-plus artists from 30 countries.