Syracuse Tattoo Arts Festival
A three-day Villain Arts tattoo festival at The Oncenter bringing hundreds of artists, live tattooing, and daily contests to Central New York.
Event details
- Dates: September 18-20, 2026
- Venue: The Oncenter
- Location: Syracuse, NY
- Organizer: Villain Arts (Troy Timpel)
- Founded: N/A
- Frequency: Annual
- Attendance: Thousands over 3 days
- Artists / booths: Hundreds of artists
- Tickets: See website; ~$25/day, ~$50 weekend, under 12 free
- Tattoo competitions: yes, judged categories run across the weekend
- Website: https://villainarts.com/shows/syracuse-ny/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/villainarts
About
The Syracuse Tattoo Arts Festival takes place September 18-20, 2026 at The Oncenter in downtown Syracuse, NY, delivering three days of live tattooing, juried contests, and a full vendor floor to Central New York. It is part of the Villain Arts touring circuit run by Troy Timpel, the world's largest tattoo-festival organizer, so the Syracuse edition draws the same traveling talent and competitive judging as the company's marquee events.
For artists across Central and Upstate New York, the festival is a convenient in-region weekend to tattoo walk-up clients, compete for trophies against visiting talent, and connect with supply vendors and shops in person. Concentrating that much industry foot traffic in a single downtown Syracuse venue makes it a practical booking and networking stop for the Upstate market.
What to expect
- Hundreds of tattoo artists working live across three days
- Daily tattoo contests with trophies in dozens of categories
- Featured guest artists from the national Villain Arts circuit
- Stage entertainment including sideshow and burlesque-style acts
- A full vendor floor of supplies, apparel, art, and jewelry
- Walk-up tattooing available throughout the weekend
Best for
Central and Upstate New York artists wanting in-region walk-up exposure
Notable: Held at The Oncenter, Syracuse's downtown convention and arena complex.
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/syracuse-ny/, https://villainarts.com/shows/