From 500 BC in China to fifth century Greece, tattoos have been a way for people to express themselves.
Getting a tattoo is increasingly popular in the 21st century.
This year’s Tattoo and Arts Festival held at the BMO Centre saw an increase in the number of artists.
With more than 400 different booths at this year’s convention there was a lot of talent to choose from.
“I come from Yellowknife for this convention every year,” attendee Darcy Talon said.
“I love the variety of artists and how I can pick the one I want to tattoo me, all in one place.”
Artists from all over North America participate in this convention including celebrity artists like Tommy Helm, Jasmine Rodriguez, Joey Hamilton, Sarah Millar and Big Ceeze.
Rodriguez, one of the hosts of Tattoo Nightmares, said, “I come to this festival every year. It’s a great place to see so many fantastic artists and meet new clientele.”
Hamilton has been a tattoo artist for more than 16 years.
He won season three of Ink Master and has worked the Calgary convention for the last six years.
“I come back for this convention every year because the people in Canada are really nice and it makes it enjoyable to tattoo here,” Hamilton said.
Local shops in Calgary benefit greatly from this festival.
Keith Kennedy, owner of Tiki Town, said, “We get a lot new clientele this way because there is a lot of traffic that comes through that may not have heard of us or are maybe shopping around for the right artist for them.”
The Calgary Tattoo and Arts Festival has been running for 14 years.
Steve Peace, organizer of the festival and owner of local tattoo shop Immaculate Concept, said, “We have gone up and down in size but the last four years, its just gone up in attendance of artists and attendees.”
Since Fridays tend to be slower convention days, Peace created adult only night to raise attendance numbers.
“You go to a lot of shows and Fridays are always really slow, so we came up with adult only night to increase attendance on the slowest day.”
Anyone 18 and over can come enjoy the festival, have a few drinks and enjoy some adult only entertainment, such as the burlesque show.
Apart from the tattoo side of the festival, people also enjoy going to look at art from different cultures.
Simon Haiduk, an artist with a booth at the festival, said, “It gives people a chance to see my work. I can reach so many more people this way then using social media or even word of mouth.”
The level of creativity that comes from attendees impresses some of the tattoo artists.
Helm, one of the hosts of Tattoo Nightmares, said, “The amount of creativity that people bring when they walk through those doors is insane.
“So many cool ideas get brought to you in a place like this and it’s hard because you want to tattoo them all and there is just not enough time.”
Drew Hampson, a festival attendee, brought the idea of getting a cobra castle done on his shoulder and Shamus helped that become a tattoo Hampson could love.
“I came to this festival specifically to get tattooed by Shamus. He is an amazing artist and his style is what drew me to him,” Hampson said.
