Long Beach Tattoo Arts Festival
Villain Arts' three-day Long Beach Tattoo Arts Festival brings hundreds of tattoo artists, live tattooing, contests and sideshow entertainment to the LB Convention Center each July.
Event details
- Last held: July 10-12, 2026
- Next edition: to be announced
- Venue: Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, Long Beach, CA
- Location: Long Beach, CA
- Organizer: Villain Arts
- Founded: 2025
- Frequency: Annual
- Attendance: N/A
- Artists / booths: Hundreds of artists
- Tickets: $25 single-day pass, $50 three-day pass; children under 12 free.
- Tattoo competitions: yes, judged categories run across the weekend
- Website: https://villainarts.com/shows/long-beach-ca/
- Instagram: @LongBeachTattooArtsFestival
About
The Long Beach Tattoo Arts Festival is a Villain Arts production held at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center. Launched in July 2025 as its 1st annual edition, the festival returns for its 2nd annual edition on July 10-12, 2026 in Exhibit Hall A. The three-day event gathers tattoo artists from across the U.S. and abroad for live tattooing, alongside vendor booths selling clothing, jewelry, artwork and oddities.
Beyond tattooing, the festival programs daily entertainment including suspension, sword swallowing, contortion, burlesque and sideshow acts. Villain Arts also runs its standard tattoo competitions, including Tattoo of the Day and overall category awards judged across the weekend.
What to expect
- Live tattooing by U.S. and international artists across three days
- Tattoo competitions including Tattoo of the Day and overall category awards
- Sideshow entertainment: suspension, sword swallowing, contortion and burlesque
- Vendor booths with clothing, jewelry, artwork and oddities
- The Traveling Tattoo Museum (Tattoo Heritage Project) on-site
- Held at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center on the waterfront
Best for
West Coast artists seeking a large, multi-day Villain Arts convention
For artists: booths, applications, hours
For the 2026-2027 Villain Arts season a 10x10 booth is $750 for two artists. The 2026 booth includes 3 badges, two tables, four chairs, power and a sharps container. A 50% deposit holds it, the balance is due 30 days before the show, no refunds.
Applications run through the Villain Arts portal. Sales for the 2026 edition (July 10-12, 2026) have ended, and as of September 2026 Long Beach is not on the 2027 booth registration list. Approval requires 2 years shop experience, a completed apprenticeship and a solid portfolio; 2026 floor rules: $100 minimum per tattoo, clients 18+ with photo ID.
The City of Long Beach requires a temporary body art booth permit, filed 30 days before the event with registration proof, a Bloodborne Pathogens certificate and Hepatitis B status; the city FAQ (undated) lists $44.55 per artist. Artists registered in another California county can work up to 15 days a year without city registration; out-of-state artists must register.
2026 hours: Friday 2PM-11PM, Saturday 11AM-11PM, Sunday 11AM-8PM. 2026 tickets: $25 day, $50 three-day pass, no charge under 12. Contest entry is $10, Tattoo of the Day judged nightly. The 2026 venue was the Long Beach Entertainment Center, 300 E Ocean Blvd, paid on-site parking ($15/day venue rate, 2026), hotel block at the Marriott Long Beach Downtown.
Notable: Produced by Villain Arts; launched in 2025, the 2026 edition is its 2nd annual.
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://villainarts.com/shows/long-beach-ca/, https://villainarts.com/tattoo-conventions-villain-arts/long-beach-tattoo-arts-convention/, https://villainarts.com/faq/, https://villainarts.com/policies/, https://www.longbeach.gov/globalassets/health/media-library/documents/inspections-and-reporting/inspections/hazardous-materials/body-art/body-art-eventsfaq, https://villainarts.com/tattoo-contests/