Over 300 Artists Descend on Syracuse for the World’s Largest Traveling Tattoo Festival

Sword swallowers, contortionists firing arrows with their feet, acrobats hanging from hooks in their knees. That was the scene at the Syracuse Tattoo Arts Festival this past weekend, and it happened alongside more than 300 Tattoo Artists working live at the Oncenter. It was the inaugural Syracuse stop for Villain Arts, the largest traveling tattoo convention in the world, and organizers expect between 5,000 and 8,000 attendees to come through over the weekend. “It’s like a three-ring circus in one room,” emcee Dr. Carl Blasphemy said. 

At Ink Different Tattoos, we’ve watched people walk into festivals like this one as spectators and walk out ready to actually pursue the craft. The question is what you do with that spark once the trucks pack up and leave town.

What Is the World’s Largest Traveling Tattoo Festival?

Villain Arts bills itself as the world’s largest traveling tattoo convention, and Syracuse just became one of its stops for the first time, drawing over 300 artists to the Oncenter downtown.

These events blend live tattooing, competition, and spectacle. Sideshow acts like sword swallowers and acrobats performed alongside vendors selling jewelry and merchandise, while artists worked on walk-in clients right on the convention floor. Anyone 18 or older could buy a ticket and get tattooed on the spot.

Getting a booth isn’t automatic. Villain Arts reviews applications and portfolios and confirms artists meet professional experience standards before they’re allowed to set up. In Syracuse, roughly five to ten percent of the floor was local talent, with the rest touring in from other cities, plus artists from television shows like Black Ink Crew, Ink Master, and Tattoo Rescue.

Why Did Over 300 Artists Descend on Syracuse?

Villain Arts brought its festival to Syracuse for the first time, and Dr. Carl Blasphemy, who has worked in tattooing for 25 years and emcees the tour, said the response from the local community was strong.

For local artists, a festival like this works differently than it does for the touring crowd. Carmelo Silva, owner of Carmelo’s Ink City, was singled out by other artists on the floor as the one to know. “He’s the Syracuse tattoo king,” said Leo Torres, a cover-up specialist from New Jersey. Silva spent the weekend working a large stomach piece, encouraging his own past clients on Instagram to come enter their old tattoos into the festival’s competitions.

That’s part of the appeal for local talent specifically. They get new exposure without leaving home, and their existing clients can show off work they already have done, without traveling anywhere.

What Actually Happens at a Tattoo Festival?

At a festival like this, artists tattoo live clients, compete across dozens of categories, sell merchandise, and connect with peers from around the country, all in the same room over a few days.

Here’s what the floor typically includes:

• Live tattooing: Artists work on clients in the open, so attendees can watch technique unfold in real time.
• Style competitions: Syracuse ran more than fifty competitions across forty-nine categories, from Tattoo of the Day to specific placements like best neck tattoo.
• Vendor booths: Suppliers show off tattoo machines, ink, and other gear.
• Flash work: Booths like Black Ink Crew’s featured completely unique, one-off flash designs. Once someone gets it tattooed, it’s gone.
• Networking: Casual conversations on the floor are how a lot of touring artists and local talent first connect.

If you’re new to the tools of the trade, our guide to the tools every beginner Tattoo Artist should know will help you understand what you’re actually looking at on the vendor floor.

Pro Tip: Watch how professional artists set up their stations. Cleanliness and safety standards, like those in the OSHA bloodborne pathogen standards, separate true professionals from hobbyists.

Why Should Aspiring Tattoo Artists Attend?

Aspiring Tattoo Artists should attend festivals because they offer a concentrated look at real technique and professional culture that’s hard to get anywhere else.

About 40% of the artists on a Villain Arts floor no longer have a home shop at all as they tour with the festival full time. “They don’t even have shops anymore,” Blasphemy said. “They just kind of do laundry on the road and go to the next city.” That’s a real look at what a tattoo career can actually involve, for better or worse, well beyond the romanticized version most people picture.

Tattooing remains a human-to-human craft built on trust, which is part of why it’s holding up as automation reshapes other industries. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also tracks craft and fine artists as a field where skilled, original work continues to find demand.

How Can You Prepare for Your First Tattoo Festival?

To get the most out of a tattoo festival, bring a portfolio, research who’s attending, and go in with real questions instead of just admiration.

1. Step 1: Build a rough portfolio. Even if you have no tattoo experience, bring drawings. Artists respect effort and want to see how you think on paper.
2. Step 2: Research the lineup. Know which artists are attending and which styles you admire, so your conversations have direction.
3. Step 3: Show up early. Mornings are calmer, and artists have more time to talk before the crowds hit.
4. Step 4: Ask real questions. Ask about apprenticeships, licensing, and daily life in the studio, not just “how do I get famous.”
5. Step 5: Follow up. Collect handles, then reach out professionally afterward. The relationship starts after the festival ends.

Avoid the rookie missteps that sink so many hopefuls. Our guide to the mistakes aspiring tattoo apprentices should avoid is worth reading before you ever walk onto a convention floor.

How Do You Go From Festival Spectator to Working Artist?

You go from spectator to working artist through a structured tattoo apprenticeship, learning fundamentals, safety, and live technique under an experienced Mentor instead of teaching yourself.

Standing in that Syracuse crowd is the easy part. Every one of those 300-plus artists started with the same fundamentals: line work, shading, machine control, and sterile practice, built over real time under real guidance. That path also means understanding your state’s licensing rules, since they vary everywhere.  

For a lot of people, a formal tattoo apprenticeship has become a serious college alternative, a way to build a real skill without the debt of a four-year degree. 

What You Can Expect From Our Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship

Ink Different’s Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship is an 18-to-24-month, four-phase path that takes total beginners to job-ready professionals with live, in-person mentorship and licensing support. No prior experience is required.

We’ve spent over 15 years, since 2011, training professional Tattoo Artists the right way. Here’s how it works:

• Start remote: You begin building fundamentals before transitioning into a working Tattoo Studio.
• Four phases: A progressive structure that moves you from drawing and theory to supervised live client work.
• Beginner-friendly: No formal art background needed. We plant the seed and help you grow it.
• Licensing support: We guide you toward the credentials and job-ready skills you need to work professionally.

This is a career that comes with confidence. When you finish, you’re not guessing. You’ve done the reps, learned the safety standards outlined by organizations like OSHA, understand proper healing per the American Academy of Dermatology tattoo care guidelines, and you’re ready to build a name in an AI-proof craft.  

Remember: Seats in a hands-on, mentor-led apprenticeship are limited by nature. Real training can’t be mass-produced, so the time to move is when the spark is fresh.

Mentorship That Pushes Your Brand and Skills Further

Ink Different’s Master Mentorship is a one-year, in-person track where you train alongside award-winning Mentors to master a specific style, grow your career, and build your own business. It fits both beginners and experienced artists.

You’d learn directly from names the industry knows, including Al Fliction, Liz Cook, and Kyle Dunbar, building specialized skill and business knowledge that few artists develop on their own. It’s intensive, focused, and built for artists who want to own their future.

Making Tattoo Training Accessible for Everyone

Language should never stand between you and this craft. Ink Different offers Spanish-speaking locations near Denver, in Orange County, near New York City, in Miami, in San Antonio, and near San Diego. Our Good Humans culture means you’re joining a family-like community from day one.

Ready to Become a Tattoo Artist?

Over 300 artists showed up in Syracuse because they built their skills one honest hour at a time, many of them touring full-time to keep doing it. You watched, or you’re reading about it now. The choice is whether you stay a spectator or start building the skill yourself.

Ready to become a Tattoo Artist? Apply now to Ink Different’s Traditional Tattoo Apprenticeship and start building an AI-proof career with real, live mentorship and licensing support along the way.