San Diego Tattoo Arts Festival 2027

Villain Arts' three-day San Diego tattoo festival at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, with live tattooing, contests, and a traveling tattoo museum.

Event details

• Dates: January 22-24, 2027
• Venue: Del Mar Fairgrounds, Del Mar/San Diego, CA
• Location: San Diego, CA
• Organizer: Villain Arts
• Founded: 2022
• Frequency: Annual
• Attendance: N/A
• Artists / booths: Hundreds of artists
• Tickets: 1-Day Pass $25, 3-Day Pass $50, children under 12 free.
• Tattoo competitions: yes, judged categories run across the weekend
• Website: https://villainarts.com/tattoo-conventions-villain-arts/san-diego-tattoo-arts-convention/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandiegotattooartsfestival/

About

The San Diego Tattoo Arts Festival is a three-day convention produced by Villain Arts, the Philadelphia-based organizer that runs a national circuit of tattoo shows. The event is held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Convention Center in the San Diego area, bringing together tattoo artists, vendors, and entertainment under one roof for live tattooing across the weekend.

The 2026 edition ran February 13-15 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Programming includes daily tattoo contests, the Tattoo Heritage Project and its Traveling Tattoo Museum, classic tattoo games, original flash displays, and seminars. The show runs annually as part of Villain Arts' coast-to-coast festival schedule.

What to expect

• Live tattooing by visiting and local artists across all three days
• Daily tattoo contests including Tattoo of the Day and Best of Show categories
• Tattoo Heritage Project and Traveling Tattoo Museum exhibits
• Classic tattoo games and original flash, prints, and machine displays
• Seminars led by guest artists
• Vendors, merchandise, and entertainment at the Del Mar Fairgrounds

Best for

Artists and collectors on the West Coast circuit

Notable: Part of Villain Arts' national tattoo festival 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/san-diego-ca/, https://villainarts.com/tattoo-conventions-villain-arts/san-diego-tattoo-arts-convention/, https://www.delmarfairgrounds.com/events/2026/villain-arts-tattoo-festival