Boise Tattoo Convention
- Dates
- Oct 23 to 25, 2026
- Status
- Confirmed
- Venue
- The Riverside Hotel
- Price
- $20 to $45
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Sep 5, 2026
Boise Tattoo Convention returns to The Riverside Hotel, Garden City, ID, Oct 23 to 25, 2026. Froligo tracks current ticket prices, attendee feedback and travel details.
Age, licensing and hygiene
The organizer states admission ages clearly, children 12 and under free with a paid adult and 13 and up paying, and offers a veteran discount with ID, but publishes no minimum age to be tattooed. Idaho law restricts tattooing and body piercing of minors, so anyone under 18 planning to be tattooed should expect ID and parental-consent checks from the individual artist
The organizer publishes no licensing, sterilization, consent or aftercare requirement on the pages read on 5 September 2026. This is an absence of organizer statements, not of rules: Idaho does not license tattooists at state level the way some states do, but general health and bloodborne-pathogen practices still bind the artists working the floor, and this is a curated, invite-only artist list
The organiser publishes nothing on Any organizer statement on artist licensing or bloodborne-pathogen certification, Any sterilization, single-use or workstation standard, Any organizer consent form or aftercare sheet, Any first aid, medical or security arrangement and Any minimum age to be tattooed. Ask the artist you are booking with, and expect a licensed booth to answer without hesitating.
Checked 2026-09-05The experience
What's special
Boise Tattoo Convention is a smaller, locally run show, revived from the earlier Treasure Valley Tattoo Convention by Devotion Tattoo owner Jon Morse and co-owner Mary Coleman. It runs invite-only, so the artist floor is curated rather than open, and it is held at The Riverside Hotel on the Boise River in Garden City. The public information is refreshingly plain: buy a day pass for $20 or a weekend pass for $45 plus tax, browse the floor whether or not you have any tattoos, and treat getting tattooed as a separate conversation with the artist. The weekend has a compact contest arc, moving from Friday's back, chest, portrait and black-and-grey categories through Saturday's traditional and large-body-of-work classes to Sunday's Japanese, sleeve and Best in Show, at $10 per piece to enter. Children 12 and under attend free with a paid adult, and veterans get $5 off with ID
What happens on the floor
The core format: artists take a booth for the weekend and work on the open floor, with the public walking through.
Pieces go on in the open, start to finish. You can watch, and talk to artists between clients.
Finished and same-day work is judged on stage in named categories, usually late in the day.
Machines, inks, aftercare, art and clothing. Aimed at artists, but open to anyone through the door.
Getting tattooed here
Admission gets you through the door, not into a chair. Tattoo work is arranged with the artist, not with the show.
Admission does not include a tattoo; the artist you inquire with discusses pricing and availability. The convention is invite-only for artists and vendors, so the floor is a curated set of invited artists rather than an open booking system
Who is tattooing
No artist roster has been published for this edition, so there is no way to pick an artist in advance from the official pages.
No 2026 artist or vendor roster is published. The convention operates invite-only: the FAQ says it keeps an interest list and works through it during the invite process, that a previous appearance does not guarantee a return spot, and that limited space caps how many artists it can showcase each year. There is no artists page in the site's sitemap. Past-edition faces appear only in the 2024 and 2025 photo galleries, not as a named roster
Contests and judging
How entries work
Entry $10 per piece per piece.
Entry is $10 per piece. Tattoo of the Day must have been started and finished that day. Other categories may be previously completed tattoos
How entries work
Entry $10 per piece per piece.
Entry is $10 per piece. Tattoo of the Day must have been started and finished that day
How entries work
Entry $10 per piece per piece.
Entry is $10 per piece. Best in Show must have been started and finished during convention weekend
What it costs
Admission is the only price the show sets. The price of entry does not include a tattoo; it just gets you in. If you want to get tattooed, the artist you inquire with discusses pricing. No organizer minimum, hourly range or guidance figure is published. Set by the individual invited artist. Budget for it as an unknown.
Extras, bought separately
Contest entry: Paid by whoever enters, not admission and not the price of a tattoo
If you are exhibiting
Booth and vendor fees are what the show charges artists and traders. They are not visitor prices.
Visitor admission is $20 a day or $45 the weekend, plus a $10-per-piece contest entry and a $5 veteran discount. Everything else on this record is artist or sponsor money and is fenced: the $250 and $350 conference tickets are artist/booth registration, and the $400 and $600 packages are sponsorships. None of those is a gate price
The market and the food
The market floor carries vendors.
No food programme is published by the organizer. The FAQ notes vendors beyond tattooing but does not name food vendors. The venue is a full-service hotel with its own food and beverage
Hours and the floor
A locally run, indoor tattoo convention at The Riverside Hotel, a full-service hotel and conference property on the Boise River in Garden City, just northwest of downtown Boise. The organizer runs an invited-artist floor, a vendor area and a nightly contest stage inside the hotel's event space
Laid out as {'name': 'Convention floor', 'note': "Invited-artist booths and the vendor area inside the hotel's event space.", 'src': 'https://www.boisetattooconvention.com/'} and {'name': 'Contest stage', 'note': 'Nightly contest judging; mentions from the stage are part of sponsor packages.', 'src': 'https://www.boisetattooconvention.com/schedule'}.
The venue is an indoor, climate-controlled hotel, so weather is not a factor. No event-specific comfort information is published by the organizer
Getting there
Nearest airport Boise Airport (BOI), about 15 minutes southeast.
How do I get to Boise Tattoo Convention?
By car
The Riverside Hotel is at 2900 W Chinden Blvd in Garden City, along the Boise River just northwest of downtown, about 15 minutes from Boise Airport (BOI) and 10 minutes from downtown Boise. Free on-site hotel parking
Most people drive to Boise Tattoo Convention. The nearest major airport is Boise Airport (BOI), about 15 minutes southeast, and from there it is a straightforward drive to the venue. Check current road and traffic conditions before you set off, and see parking below.
By train
No direct passenger rail to the venue was found. Drive, fly in, or use a shuttle instead.
By bus & public transit
No scheduled intercity bus or public transit route to the venue was found. Drive, fly in, or use a shuttle instead.
Taxi & rideshare
Taxis and rideshare such as Uber and Lyft can be limited near the venue, especially late at night or in rural areas. Agree a pickup point and time in advance and keep a backup plan.
🚙 Car hire
Compare car hire at Boise Airport (BOI), about 15 minutes southeast
Search car hire →Live price search coming soon.
Where
Venue
The Riverside Hotel
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near Boise Tattoo Convention?
No on site camping. Here is where to stay nearby.
Mid-range hotels 1
2900 W Chinden Blvd, Garden City: this IS the convention venue, Boise's largest full-service hotel and convention center on 18 acres along the Boise River, with indoor and outdoor saltwater pools. Staying here means walking to the show; no festival block rate published (208.343.1871)
Book direct →Airbnb & private camping
Garden City and the North End / downtown Boise carry rentals within 10 minutes along the river and greenbelt; with the venue itself a hotel, most attendees stay on-site
Search Airbnb →Accessibility & comfort
What the organiser or venue publishes about getting around, and what they do not.
Two admission rules. Children 12 and under are free with a paid adult, and everyone 13 and up must pay to enter. The site publishes no minimum age to be tattooed; getting tattooed is a separate conversation with the artist, and the price of entry does not include a tattoo.
Anyone planning to be tattooed should treat the artist's own ID and age requirements, and Idaho state law, as the governing rules
Confirm your specific needs with the organiser's access team before you travel.
Pricing
Price history and tiers
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