208 Tattoo Fest

A Boise-metro summer tattoo fest at Expo Idaho built around body art education and hundreds of artists from around the globe.

Event details

About

Named for Idaho's iconic area code, 208 Tattoo Fest takes over Expo Idaho in Garden City for a three-day July weekend. The show frames itself as a celebration of body art and the education of tattooing, drawing hundreds of artists from around the world alongside other forms of body modification.

The weekend blends live tattooing, vendors, contests, and workshops, giving it more of an educational bent than a typical convention. With its mid-summer slot in the Boise metro, it complements the area's fall convention and gives Mountain West artists a second annual home-region stop.

What to expect

Best for

Mountain West artists wanting an education-leaning summer show

For artists: booths, applications, hours

The 2026 show runs Friday, July 17 through Sunday, July 19 at Expo Idaho in Garden City, Idaho, and draws over 200 artists. Booths are sold out for 2026, with a waitlist open. A single 10x10 booth is $700 in 2026, a double 10x20 is $1400.

The booth includes pipe and drape, electric, one 8' table, one 6' table, two chairs, sharps container and disposal, and two show passes; extra 2026 exhibitor passes are $50 each, pre-purchased. Two artists may work in a 10x10 at once. The show provides a stencil booth with printing; you bring utility strips, extra lighting, paper towels and distilled water.

You reserve by emailing the contract to the show's registration address; an invoice follows. Contracts for 2026 are due Friday, June 12, 2026. First-time applicants submit an Instagram portfolio for review by a panel of professional tattooers. Idaho State Tax Commission registration is required even if you sell no merchandise, and is presented at check-in; without it, setup is denied with no refund. Booth money is non-refundable inside 60 days of the event.

On the 2026 floor: a $100 minimum on all tattoos, clients 18 and older only, disposable tubes with no autoclave on site, and a booth staffed through show hours, noon to 10pm Friday, 11am to 10pm Saturday, 11am to 7pm Sunday.

Notable: Leans into tattoo education with workshops, framing itself around the craft as much as the contest floor.

How we check this listing

We last confirmed these details on 2026-07-06. Dates and prices are taken from the organizer and change between editions, so treat the organizer's own page as final before you book travel or a booth.

Checked against: https://208tattoofest.com/, https://expoidaho.com/event/208-tattoo-fest-10/2026-07-17/, https://www.instagram.com/208tattoofest/