Due to the saturated market, it can be difficult for Calgarians to decide where to get their first tattoo, but the Calgary Tattoo and Art Festival showcases the best artists both in the city and internationally, to help people decide.
Calgary’s tattoo scene is incredibly large, because of the size of the city, as well as demand for the traditional art form. This has caused a big problem,, as it can be very difficult to know where to start. However, the festival assists people by showcasing talent from a variety of styles, helping them find a trusted, well-known artist.
Steve Peace, the head director of the festival, believes that Calgary is a great city for tattoos.
“Calgary has some amazing artists,” said Peace. “Like the most talented artists in one city.”
The scale of the event attracts some of the biggest artists from around the world.
This year, the festival, which took place on Oct. 18-20 at the BMO Centre, featured 750 local and international artists. The theme for this year’s event was ‘UK invasion,’ and it featured some well-known artists from the United Kingdom.
“We have a lot of artists that, once they come to the show, they love it—and they come back each year,” said Peace.
Artists set up walk-in booths to make getting a tattoo from a well-known artist as easy as possible.
Vancouver tattoo artist, Trevor Mackay, has been attending the event for many years.
“It was a great event last year, and we decided to come back,” said Mackay. “It’s been busy from the get-go, I had a bit of a lull this morning for a couple of hours, but it’s actually been booming, it’s been really successful.”
Mackay thinks that the meaning of having a tattoo has shifted in recent years.
“I think it’s important for people to choose a way to stand out,” said Mackay. “Who doesn’t want to stand out? The problem today is that it’s starting to flip, almost 82 per cent of people in Canada have tattoos, so you are maybe standing out more now if you don’t have one.”
This shift did not at all influence the festival, however, as it continues to grow every year.
The festival organisers will hold another event in early February, which Peace referred to as the dry season, to try and stimulate the Calgary tattoo industry during the hardest part of the year.
Want to see some moments from the festival? Check out these cool shots taken of artists, festivalgoers and tattoos!
Photos: Calgary Tattoo and Art Festival
Over 700 Calgary and international artists gathered at the BMO Centre on Oct. 18-20, for the annual Tattoo and Art Festival, the biggest show of its kind in the country. “Calgary has some amazing artists, like probably the mecca for Canada, like the most talented artists in one city. It is truly amazing,” said Steve…
