Villain Arts Colorado Springs tattoo convention 2026
For one weekend, Colorado Springs is about to get a whole lot more tattooed.The Villain Arts Tattoo Festival returns to Colorado Springs August 28–30, 2026, bringing artists, collectors, vendors, performers, tattoo enthusiasts, and probably more black T-shirts than should legally be allowed in one building to the Norris Penrose Event Center.
Whether you're looking to get tattooed, meet artists from around the country, hunt for inspiration for your next piece, or just spend a day surrounded by people who understand why "I think I have room right here" is a completely reasonable thing to say while pointing at a two-inch gap between tattoos, Villain Arts is worth checking out.
The Colorado Springs Tattoo Convention: Dates, Times & Location Villain Arts Colorado Springs tattoo convention
The 2026 Villain Arts Colorado Springs Tattoo Festival takes place:
Friday, August 28: 2 PM–11 PMSaturday, August 29: 11 AM–11 PMSunday, August 30: 11 AM–8 PM
The festival will be held at the Norris Penrose Event Center, 1045 Lower Gold Camp Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80905.
Tickets are currently listed at $25 for a single-day pass or $50 for a three-day pass, and Villain Arts says tickets will be available both online and at the door. The event itself is all ages, with free admission for children under 12.
So, What Exactly Is Villain Arts?
If you've never been to a tattoo convention before, imagine taking dozens of tattoo studios, hundreds of artists, a pile of art vendors, live entertainment, tattoo competitions, collectors, and an enormous amount of buzzing tattoo machines and putting all of it under one roof.
That's the basic idea.
Villain Arts has been producing tattoo festivals around the country for years, bringing together local artists alongside tattooers traveling from across the United States and internationally. Their festivals are designed to celebrate tattoo culture while giving people a rare opportunity to see an enormous variety of styles and artists in one place.
And for Colorado Springs, this is becoming a tradition. The Norris Penrose Event Center lists the 2026 show as the third annual Villain Arts Tattoo Festival in Colorado Springs.
The Artists Representing West Side Tattoo
One of the things we're especially excited about this year is seeing some familiar names on the Villain Arts lineup.
The current featured artist list for Colorado Springs includes Jardel Canto, Sergio Rodrigues, Crius Monsivais, Axl Vera, Christian Puig, Camilo and Samara Osorio, and Jean Paul Marat
We're incredibly excited to have a lineup of talented artists whose work span Realism, Japanese Traditional, Neotraditional, and Ornamental styles. Villain Arts Colorado Springs tattoo convention
The Tattoo Competitions Are Worth Watching Too
One of the coolest parts of Villain Arts is seeing artists put their work up against tattoos from around the country.
Villain Arts runs tattoo competitions throughout the weekend, with categories covering everything from portraits, traditional and lettering to Japanese, realism, anime, cover-ups, sleeves, black-and-grey, color and more.
They also hold Tattoo of the Day competitions for pieces created from start to finish at the convention, followed by Best in Show on Sunday.
There's More Going On Than Tattooing
You definitely don't have to get tattooed to enjoy the convention.
The Colorado Springs lineup includes vendors, special guests and live entertainment throughout the weekend. Villain Arts currently lists performers including the Cenobyte Suspension Crew, Dr. Blasphemy, Captain & Maybelle, Verona Fink, James Maltman and Camille Zamboni among the entertainment scheduled for the event.
There will also be plenty of artwork, merchandise and tattoo-related vendors to wander through between checking out artists.
In other words, you can absolutely tell yourself you're "just going to look."
Whether you leave with a tattoo is between you and your bank account.
A Few Tips Before You Go
If this is your first tattoo convention, there are a few things that can make the experience a lot easier.
Give yourself time to look around.Don't feel like you need to commit to the first artist you see. One of the biggest advantages of a convention is having so many different styles in the same place.
If you want a specific artist, reach out early.Popular artists can fill their convention schedules before the doors even open.
Eat before getting tattooed.Convention food and adrenaline are not substitutes for an actual meal.
Stay hydrated.You'll probably be walking around for hours, and this becomes even more important if you're getting tattooed.
Wear something that makes the tattoo location accessible.If you're getting your thigh
tattooed, maybe don't show up wearing your tightest jeans. Your artist will appreciate it. So will you.
Bring references, but stay open to the artist's input.References help communicate an idea, but a good tattoo artist is going to consider placement, size, composition and how the tattoo will actually age on skin.
Most importantly, enjoy it. Tattoo conventions are one of the few places where you can spend an entire day immersed in tattoo culture and see an enormous amount of artwork being created in real time.
We'll See You Around Colorado Springs
We're excited to see Villain Arts back in Colorado Springs and to watch tattooers from all over come together in our hometown.
We're even more excited to see artists from West Side Tattoo represented among them.
Whether you're heading to the convention to collect another tattoo, meet some of your favorite artists or simply wander around gathering ideas, take your time and enjoy the
weekend.
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