Maine Tattoo Arts Festival 2027

Villain Arts' Maine stop, packing hundreds of artists into Portland's Thompson's Point for a late-winter tattoo weekend.

Event details

About

The Maine Tattoo Arts Festival is Villain Arts' New England outpost, run by promoter Troy Timpel as part of the company's national touring circuit. Held at Thompson's Point in Portland, it brings the Villain Arts formula of hundreds of artists, big-name guests, and a packed contest schedule to a region with few shows of its size.

Like the rest of the circuit, the festival mixes local, national, and international talent with TV personalities from shows like Ink Master, plus rows of vendors and daily tattoo competitions. Its late-February slot makes it one of the first major Northeast shows of the year and a reliable cold-weather draw for collectors.

What to expect

Best for

Artists wanting a turnkey Villain Arts stop in under-served New England

For artists: booths, applications, hours

The 2027 edition runs January 29-31 at Thompson's Point in Portland, ME 04102. Hours are Friday 2PM to 11PM, Saturday 11AM to 11PM, and Sunday 11AM to 8PM. Load-in and check-in are Thursday 12-6PM and Friday 9AM-2PM.

Artists do not buy booths directly; they come in by invitation, and approval takes a completed apprenticeship, two years of shop experience and a portfolio. Application is a web form on the organizer's site, after which approved artists join a booth holder's roster. Under the organizer's 2026 terms, a 10x10 booth starts at $750 and fits two artists tattooing at once, with three badges, two 6ft tables, four chairs, electricity and a sharps container included. Extra badges are bought at check-in, cash only. A 50% deposit holds the booth and the balance is due 30 days out; no refunds or transfers apply inside that window.

Maine licenses tattoo practitioners and requires bloodborne pathogen training taken within the preceding three years. The 2026 policies put license fees and local health department permits on the artist. They also set a $100 minimum per tattoo, and clients must be 18+ with government photo ID. Contest signup is $10 per entry, closing 15 minutes before judging. Parking on site is paid, and the Clarion Portland Airport gives a discounted rate through the organizer's group referral.

Notable: One of the few large-scale tattoo conventions in northern New England, run on the national Villain Arts circuit.

How we check this listing

We last confirmed these details on 2026-07-22. 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/maine/, https://www.instagram.com/villainarts/, https://allevents.in/portland/villain-arts-3rd-annual-maine-tattoo-arts-festival/80002984590233, https://villainarts.com/faq/, https://villainarts.com/policies/, https://villainarts.com/tattoo-contests/