Golden State Tattoo Expo
- Dates
- Expected September
- Status
- Confirmed
- Venue
- Pasadena Convention Center
- Price
- $41 to $72
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Sep 5, 2026
Golden State Tattoo Expo's next dates haven't been announced yet. The last festival was 18 to 20 September 2026 in Pasadena, CA. Froligo tracks current ticket prices, attendee feedback and travel details.
Age, licensing and hygiene
The organizer publishes no health, hygiene, licensing, consent or age content of its own, so nothing here below the age line is an organizer claim. What follows is California statute and the Pasadena permitting regime, recorded as legal backdrop. It is worth reading anyway, because California regulates convention tattooing more tightly than any other state on this branch and because the correct regulator here is easy to get wrong
California is the strictest jurisdiction on this branch and it removes any ambiguity: state law says a client shall be at least 18 years of age to be offered or to receive a tattoo, REGARDLESS OF PARENTAL CONSENT. There is no parent-present route, no written-consent route and no exception. Branding is the same. Body piercing is the one thing a minor may receive, and only in the presence of a parent or guardian, with piercing of the nipples or genitals of a minor prohibited outright. Bring government issued photo ID if you intend to get work done. The organizer itself publishes no age or ID policy of its own, and the ticket platform records no age restriction on admission, so nothing is stated about whether under-18s may attend as spectators
Context only, NOT an organizer claim. California's Safe Body Art Act has governed tattooing, branding, piercing and permanent makeup since July 2012. The regulator for this event is the CITY OF PASADENA Environmental Health Division, which states plainly that it is a separate agency and jurisdiction from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, so the widely published Los Angeles County body art event rules and fees do not apply here even though Pasadena sits inside the county. Under Pasadena's own regime a body art facility needs a health permit and every practitioner must file a practitioner registration form, register annually with the city, hold annual bloodborne pathogen training and document hepatitis B vaccination status; for a temporary body art event, each booth must obtain a health permit and each artist must submit a registration form. California also runs a reciprocity limit for practitioners registered in another Californian jurisdiction, capped at a few consecutive days and a small annual total, which is the mechanism a visiting artist would use. No permit number for this event is published by anyone
The organiser publishes nothing on any organizer statement on age or ID, sterilisation, autoclave or single-use practice, sharps disposal, a consent, release or waiver form, aftercare guidance and a Pasadena temporary body art permit number for this event. Ask the artist you are booking with, and expect a licensed booth to answer without hesitating.
Checked 2026-09-05The experience
What's special
Golden State Tattoo Expo is a three day convention at the Pasadena Convention Center, hosted by tattoo artists Nikko Hurtado and Carlos Torres, both of whom work the floor themselves. Its pitch is the roster: 62 artists are published for 2026, travelling in from over 27 countries, and unusually for a tattoo convention you can browse every one of their portfolios and request a booking before you go, through the show's Freshly Inked partner directory. Contests are judged on all three days across seventeen categories on the Main Stage, with entry at $20 a category, Best of Day work started and finished that same day and Best of Show tattooed live at the convention. Supply, ink, machine and apparel brands trade all weekend. Friday and Saturday both run to midnight. Admission is $41.11 for a day or $72.01 for the weekend, fees included. California law sets the floor for getting work done: you must be 18, regardless of parental consent
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.
Stage acts between judging: sideshow, suspension and burlesque are common. Worth knowing before you sit down with a child.
Getting tattooed here
Admission gets you through the door, not into a chair. Tattoo work is arranged with the artist, not with the show.
This show is set up for booking in advance, which is unusual on this branch and is the practical reason to look at the roster early. The organizer partners with Freshly Inked so that attendees can browse every attending artist's full portfolio and request to book them directly, through the expo's own site. There is no organizer-run appointment desk beyond that
The show's booking route is the advance request system, and it says nothing about walk-ups or waiting lists on the day
Who is tattooing
62 artists are published for this edition, each with the city they travel from, which is how you can see the international spread the show advertises: the list runs from Rome and Da Nang and Baku to Pasadena and Long Beach. Both hosts, Nikko Hurtado and Carlos Torres, are on it. The roster does NOT publish Instagram handles or booth numbers; what it publishes instead is a full portfolio and a booking request for every artist through the show's Freshly Inked partner, which is more useful than a handle for deciding who to book. Note the roster is not on the official artists page, which renders nothing in plain HTML, but on the partner page it links to
62 artists are listed for this edition, and Instagram handles where the show publishes them.
A to Copen
- Adrian Lazaro
- Alessio Ventimiglia
- Ami
- Andrei Ilin
- Art.Joker
- Bethany Villagomez
- Brenner Pereira
- Buffy_tatts
- Bumpy Munoz
- Carlos Torres
- Cat Castro
- Cherie
- Churry Tattoos
D to Fopen
- Dana Nicole
- Daniel N Tattoo
- Danny Romeo Orellana Tat2one
- Do Santos
- Dominic_Mata
- Don Don
- Donnie Chapman
- EL TAKAS
G to Jopen
- Gabe Motta
- Gabriella Nova
- Gara
- Hocheon ART
- Ivan Cavassana
- Jess Yen
- Jose
- Joshua Gallant
K to Mopen
- Kenny G
- Kerasu
- Kirin
- Kobe Virgen
- Konstantin Strokin
- Krybaby
- LongBor
- Mia Chavez
- Mother.Monster.Maker
N to Ropen
- Nata
- Nikko Hurtado
- Olga Leonova
- Oliver Kenton
- Owen Paulls
- Patrick Dunaway
- Pierre Bustos
S to Zopen
- Sam
- Scorpio tattss
- Slava Bodrov
- Stefano Alcantara
- T-GRAN Ink
- tattoo.naz777
- Toto G
- Umid Panahov
- United Society of Sin
- UrchinBite
- Valeriatattooing
- Viacheslav Danh
- Vira.Ink
- Wesley Bird
- Willard Malebear
- Yam Stigmata
Otheropen
- 849tats
Contests and judging
17 categories are judged across the weekend. Judging pulls the whole floor to the stage, so it is the best hour of the day to watch even if you are not entering.
- Best Color Portrait
- Best Sleeve (arm or leg)
- Best Chest or Back Piece
- Best Black & Gray Portrait
- Best Small Color (8" x 8" and smaller)
- Best Large Color (8" x 8" and larger)
- Best Small Black & Gray (8" x 8" and smaller)
- Best Large Black & Gray (8" x 8" and larger)
- Best Medium Tattoo (between 6" and 12")
- Best Ornamental
- Best Traditional
- Best Asian Influenced
- Best Collaboration
- Best Coverup (before photo required)
- Best Original Tattoo
- Best of Show (tattooed live at the convention)
- Best of Day (Friday)
- Best of Day (Saturday)
- Best of Day (Sunday)
How entries work
Entry $20 per piece.
Sign up at the Main Stage.
Entry is $20 per category, registered at the Main Stage before judging. Judged competitions run on all three days across seventeen categories. Best of the Day pieces have to be started and finished on that same day. Best of Show has to be tattooed live at the convention. Best Coverup entries require a before photo
What it costs
Admission is the only price the show sets. Tattoo work is priced by each artist and paid to them directly, and the organizer publishes no price guide, no minimum and no deposit rule. What it does give you is a way to ask before you travel: every attending artist has a portfolio and a booking request form on the show's partner directory, so agree scope and price there rather than on the day.
Extras, bought separately
Tattoo contest entry: Not admission and not a tattoo price
If you are exhibiting
Booth and vendor fees are what the show charges artists and traders. They are not visitor prices.
The site sells booths through a Buy Booths and Request a Booth flow, but no booth price, size or deadline is published on any public page. Artist side, not a visitor price
The ticket prices above already include the platform's fees. The organizer adds no service fee of its own, and the platform caps orders at ten tickets
No food or concessions information is published by the organizer for attendees
The market and the food
Named traders include FK Irons (vendor), Ultimate Tattoo Supply (vendor), Radiant Colors (vendor), Fusion Ink (vendor), Sullen Clothing (vendor), Cam Supply (vendor), Matrix Cartridges (vendor) and NC Noctem Crafts (vendor).
No food or concessions information is published by the organizer
Hours and the floor
Indoor
Laid out as Main Stage.
Posted hours: Friday 4:00 PM to midnight, Saturday 12:00 PM to midnight, Sunday 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The Friday and Saturday nights run late for a tattoo convention. The Hyatt Place Pasadena, which holds the show's room block, is around the corner on the same street
Getting there
Nearest airport Hollywood Burbank (BUR); Los Angeles International (LAX) is the larger option.
How do I get to Golden State Tattoo Expo?
By car
The Pasadena Convention Center is at 300 E Green Street in central Pasadena. Hollywood Burbank (BUR) is the easy airport at about 20 minutes via the 134; LAX is the larger option at 45 minutes to an hour plus depending on traffic. The organizer publishes no parking guidance; the convention center and city operate paid structures on the surrounding blocks
Most people drive to Golden State Tattoo Expo. The nearest major airport is Hollywood Burbank (BUR); Los Angeles International (LAX) is the larger option, 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
The Metro A Line light rail runs from downtown Los Angeles through Pasadena; Del Mar station is about two blocks south of the convention center, making a car-free expo visit from anywhere on the Metro rail network realistic
Book / info →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 Hollywood Burbank (BUR); Los Angeles International (LAX) is the larger option
Search car hire →Live price search coming soon.
Where
Venue
Pasadena Convention Center
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near Golden State Tattoo Expo?
No on site camping. Here is where to stay nearby.
Mid-range hotels 1
399 East Green Street, in The Paseo retail and dining complex directly across from the convention center: the event's room block hotel, booked through the dedicated group link on the organizer's site or by phone at (626) 788-9108. No nightly rate is published
Book direct →Airbnb & private camping
Pasadena and neighboring South Pasadena carry steady rental stock, with anything near the Green Street/Colorado Boulevard core walkable to the expo; the Metro A Line makes staying in downtown LA (25 minutes by train) genuinely practical
Search Airbnb →Accessibility & comfort
What the organiser or venue publishes about getting around, and what they do not.
The organizer publishes no accessibility details. The Pasadena Convention Center is a modern municipal facility with accessible entrances and elevators as standard provisions, the block hotel is one flat block away, and Del Mar station is an accessible light rail stop.
Contact the venue for specifics
California is the strictest jurisdiction on this branch and it removes any ambiguity: state law says a client shall be at least 18 years of age to be offered or to receive a tattoo, REGARDLESS OF PARENTAL CONSENT. There is no parent-present route, no written-consent route and no exception.
Read the full notes
Branding is the same. Body piercing is the one thing a minor may receive, and only in the presence of a parent or guardian, with piercing of the nipples or genitals of a minor prohibited outright. Bring government issued photo ID if you intend to get work done.
The organizer itself publishes no age or ID policy of its own, and the ticket platform records no age restriction on admission, so nothing is stated about whether under-18s may attend as spectators
Confirm your specific needs with the organiser's access team before you travel.
Pricing
Price history and tiers
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