Boston Tattoo Convention 2026

A long-running New England tattoo convention drawing 200+ artists for three days of tattooing, contests, music and sideshow at Shriners Auditorium.

Event details

About

Held annually each September at the Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington, just north of Boston, the Boston Tattoo Convention was founded in 2001 by Natan Alexander to celebrate Massachusetts legalizing tattooing in 2000, and reached its 24th annual edition in 2026. Organized by Artistic Ventures Inc., the three-day event brings together hundreds of tattoo artists and vendors from across the country and around the world, alongside live music, burlesque, sideshow performances, an art gallery, and seminars.

For working artists, it is one of the Northeast's most established conventions, offering a high-traffic booth environment, daily and weekend tattoo contests, and the Miss Boston Ink competition. Its consistency over two decades and proximity to the Boston market make it a reliable date on the regional convention calendar for building a client base and networking with peers.

What to expect

Best for

Northeast artists building East Coast clientele

Notable: Founded in 2001 by Natan Alexander after Massachusetts legalized tattooing, and reaching its 24th annual edition in 2026, it is one of the Northeast's longest-running tattoo conventions.

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://bostontattooconvention.com/, https://bostontattooconvention.com/about/, https://www.worldtattooevents.com/boston-tattoo-convention-2025/