Longhorn State Tattoo Expo
- Dates
- Oct 30 to Nov 1, 2026
- Status
- Confirmed
- Venue
- Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center
- Price
- $30 to $60
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Sep 5, 2026
Longhorn State Tattoo Expo returns to Dallas, TX, Oct 30 to Nov 1, 2026. Froligo tracks current ticket prices, attendee feedback and travel details.
Age, licensing and hygiene
The organizer publishes no admission-age or tattooing-age policy and no ID requirement. Texas state law governs the tattooing of minors in Dallas
The organizer publishes no licensing, sanitation or bloodborne-pathogen statement. In Texas, tattoo studios and body-art establishments are regulated and licensed by the Texas Department of State Health Services, but no organizer or authority statement specific to this convention was found on 5 September 2026
The only conduct rule the organizer publishes is on the Contests page: no disrobing on the convention floor, and photos only in designated photo areas. No security, first aid or medical arrangement is published
The organiser publishes nothing on Admission age and ID policy, Tattooing age policy, Hygiene, sterilization and single-use procedures, Texas DSHS licensing for this event, Consent and aftercare, First aid, security or medical arrangement and Parking and food. Ask the artist you are booking with, and expect a licensed booth to answer without hesitating.
Checked 2026-09-05The experience
What's special
Longhorn State Tattoo Expo runs 30 October to 1 November 2026 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas, hosted by the studio Shine of Sacramento with Dallas artist Deanna James as a local host. Its featured lineup is unusually international, naming artists and studios from Texas, California, New York, Peru, Portugal and Sweden, including Carlos Torres, Nikki Hurtado, Jess Yen, Stefano Alcantara, Michael Hussar and collectives such as Black Anchor and Sullen Art Collective. Admission runs $30 for a single day or $60 for the weekend on Eventbrite, and the contest programme moves from portraits, sleeves and chest or back pieces on Friday, through color, black and grey, medium and ornamental work on Saturday, to traditional, Asian influenced, collaboration, cover-up and original tattoos on Sunday, at $20 per entry. Hours are Friday 4pm to midnight, Saturday noon to midnight and Sunday noon to 7pm. The organizer publishes no age, hygiene or booking policy
What happens on the floor
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.
Teaching sessions aimed at working artists. Usually ticketed separately from admission.
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.
The organizer publishes no booking or appointment process; artists are listed by name and studio only. Booking is arranged directly with individual artists through their own studios or social media. Not stated on the captured pages
Not stated by the organizer
Who is tattooing
Featured-artist and hosting-studio list from the organizer's own Artists page and homepage, captured 5 September 2026. It is an international featured roster (Texas, California, New York, Peru, Portugal, Sweden and beyond), not a complete floor list; the site publishes no booth count
21 artists are listed for this edition, by name only, which is all the organiser publishes.
On the floor
- Shine
- Deanna James
- N9ne Lives Tattoo
- Revolution Ink
- Vatican Studios
- PaintedHarts OC
- Sabrina Lakhaysy
- Stefano's Tattoo Studio
- Black Anchor Collective
- The Raven and The Wolves
- Jess Yen
- Michael Hussar
- Stefano Alcantara
- Pony Lawson
- Carlos Torres
- Nikki Hurtado
- Sullen Art Collective
- Dave Paolo
- Mumia
- My Tattoo
- Hustlers Parlour
Contests and judging
2 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 of Show (weekend)
- Best of Day (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
How entries work
Entry $20 per entry, per category per piece.
Register at the Main Stage during posted hours; entries must be registered before judging. Best of the Day tattoos must be started and completed the same day; Best of Show tattoos must have been done at the convention; the cover-up category requires a before photo
4 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
How entries work
Entry $20 per entry, per category per piece.
6 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 Small Color (8in x 8in and smaller)
- Best Large Color (8in x 8in and larger)
- Best Small Black & Gray (8in x 8in and smaller)
- Best Large Black & Gray (8in x 8in and larger)
- Best Medium Tattoo (between 6in and 12in)
- Best Ornamental
How entries work
Entry $20 per entry, per category per piece.
5 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 Traditional
- Best Asian Influenced
- Best Collaboration
- Best Coverup
- Best Original Tattoo
How entries work
Entry $20 per entry, per category per piece.
What it costs
Admission is the only price the show sets. Tattoo prices are set by each artist. No tattoo price, deposit or show minimum is published by the organizer, and none was estimated.
Extras, bought separately
Tattoo contest entry: 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.
The organizer runs a 'Book Your Booth' application but no booth price is published on the captured pages. Artist/vendor side, not a visitor price
The $20 contest entry is an entrant fee, not a gate price, and is fenced above. Admission (ga_range) is the Eventbrite day and weekend passes only
The market and the food
The market floor carries tattoo artists, special guests and vendors.
No food or concessions information is published by the organizer for this event
Hours and the floor
Indoor public tattoo expo at the city-owned Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas
Laid out as {'name': 'Exhibit hall', 'note': 'Artist booths, vendor area, main stage and contest area. Specific hall not published.', 'src': 'https://longhornstatetattooexpo.com/'}.
Getting there
Nearest airport Dallas Love Field (DAL), about 6 miles north; Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW), about 20 miles northwest.
How do I get to Longhorn State Tattoo Expo?
By car
The convention center is in downtown Dallas about 6 miles / 15 minutes south of Dallas Love Field (DAL); DFW is about 20 miles / 25 minutes west. Downtown parking is in the convention center garages and the connected Hyatt; expect a posted daily event rate
Most people drive to Longhorn State Tattoo Expo. The nearest major airport is Dallas Love Field (DAL), about 6 miles north; Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW), about 20 miles northwest, 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
The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center is at 650 S Griffin St in downtown Dallas, served by the DART Convention Center station on the light-rail Red/Blue lines; Union Station (with the TRE to Fort Worth) adjoins the connected Hyatt Regency. A genuinely car-free-friendly downtown venue
Book / info →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 Dallas Love Field (DAL), about 6 miles north; Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW), about 20 miles northwest
Search car hire →Live price search coming soon.
Where
Venue
Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near Longhorn State Tattoo Expo?
No on site camping. Here is where to stay nearby.
Mid-range hotels 1
300 Reunion Boulevard, downtown Dallas, physically connected to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center (and Union Station / DART) near Reunion Tower: the natural walk-across host hotel, a 1,120-room downtown convention hotel. Book directly; no verified festival group block exists on the official site
Book direct →Airbnb & private camping
Downtown Dallas, Deep Ellum and the Cedars carry rentals within a few minutes / one DART stop of the convention center; the State Fair of Texas runs at Fair Park in October and tightens citywide lodging, so book ahead
Search Airbnb →Accessibility & comfort
What the organiser or venue publishes about getting around, and what they do not.
No accessibility statement is published for the expo. The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center is a major downtown facility with accessible parking, level halls and an accessible DART station; the connected Hyatt Regency carries hotel-standard access.
Contact the venue for specifics
Confirm your specific needs with the organiser's access team before you travel.
Pricing
Price history and tiers
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