Pigeon Forge Ink Masters Tattoo Expo
- Dates
- Oct 23 to 25, 2026
- Status
- Confirmed
- Venue
- The Ramsey Hotel and Convention Center
- Price
- $20 to $40
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Sep 5, 2026
Pigeon Forge Ink Masters Tattoo Expo returns to Pigeon Forge, TN, Oct 23 to 25, 2026. Froligo tracks current ticket prices, attendee feedback and travel details.
One stop on a circuit of 18 conventions run to the same format by Ink Masters Tattoo Show.
Age, licensing and hygiene
Read the layers separately. The single BBP certificate line is the ORGANIZER's, published circuit-wide on a form that serves every stop, not written for Pigeon Forge. The age rule is Tennessee STATE statute, read through the state code. The broader licensing and inspection framework is Tennessee Department of Health and Sevier County; it applies to any artist working this floor whether or not the organizer mentions it. No claim here is a statement about how clean this particular show will be
The organizer states its rule twice: 'Must be 18 and over with a valid Government Issued ID for Tattoo Services or Raffle' on the information page, and 'MUST BE 18 & OVER WITH A VALID ID FOR TATTOOS!' on the event page. Tennessee law is at least as strict. Under Tennessee Code Sec. 62-38-211, tattooing anyone under 18 is a Class A misdemeanour, and the only exception is that a minor 16 or older may be tattooed to cover up an existing tattoo, with the written consent of a parent or legal guardian who proves guardianship. There is no general parental-consent route to a decorative tattoo for anyone under 18. A minor who presents false proof of age to obtain a tattoo faces a fine and community service. So a 16 year old can walk the floor free with a parent but cannot get a routine tattoo at this show; the organizer's flat 18 and over rule is what applies at the booth
The organizer's own requirement is one line long: 'All Artist and Piercers must have an approved BBP Certificate', on the individual artist inquiry form, with a link to a list of approved bloodborne pathogens courses. That is the entire organizer-published licensing position for this show. Tennessee regulates tattooing and body piercing under Title 62 Chapter 38 of the state code, and body art establishments and operators are licensed and inspected through the state's public health framework, with county health departments involved in inspection. Pigeon Forge sits in Sevier County. The organizer names none of this
The ORGANIZER publishes no sterilisation, single use, sharps or workstation standard of any kind, for this show or for the circuit. Do not read that as an absence of rules; it is an absence of organizer statements. Tattoo and piercing work in Tennessee is bound by the state's body art standards under Title 62 Chapter 38 and the associated Department of Health rules, which are enforced through licensing and inspection. None of this has been confirmed as inspected at this specific event
The organizer publishes no consent form and no aftercare guidance. Tennessee's body art rules require operators to keep records and provide aftercare; the specifics are set by the state rules rather than by the organizer. Expect to be asked for ID and to sign at the booth
Nothing published. Neither the organizer nor the venue publishes a bag policy, security screening, medical or first aid arrangement, or incident procedure for this event
Tennessee regulates tattooing and body piercing at STATE level under Title 62 Chapter 38, with the Department of Health and county health departments handling licensing and inspection. Pigeon Forge is in Sevier County. The exact form of any temporary-event or travelling-artist registration for this expo was not resolved to a primary rule here and is worth a human confirming
The organiser publishes nothing on Any organizer statement on single-use needles, ink, sharps containers or workstation barriers, Any claim that a health inspector attends or licenses this event, Any organizer consent form or aftercare sheet, Any first aid, medical or security arrangement and The exact Tennessee temporary-event or travelling-artist registration rule for this show, confirmed to a primary source. Ask the artist you are booking with, and expect a licensed booth to answer without hesitating.
Checked 2026-09-05The experience
What's special
The Pigeon Forge Ink Masters Tattoo Expo is the circuit's first stop in Pigeon Forge, held at The Ramsey Hotel and Convention Center on the Parkway from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October 2026. The organizer bills it as the 1st annual Pigeon Forge Tattoo Expo. The format is a walk-up floor rather than a booked one: tattooists and piercers work on the spot for all three days, and the organizer's claim is up to 60 artists covering realism, traditional, black and grey and colour. Around that runs a contest programme with twenty categories, judged at 7:30pm on Friday and Saturday and 6:00pm on Sunday, at $10 per tattoo entered with no limit, plus a free daily raffle giving away two tattoos a day with the artist of the winner's choice. Admission is sold at the door only, at $25 for a day or $40 for the weekend, with $5 off either on Friday before 5pm, and under 16s come in free with a parent. Anyone getting tattooed or pierced must be 18 with government issued photo ID
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.
Piercers work alongside the tattoo booths. The same questions apply: age, ID, sterilisation and aftercare.
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.
No booking system, artist directory or contact route is published by the organizer, so there is no way to pre-book from the official site. If you want a specific artist you would have to find them yourself and arrange it directly
Walk up is the model. The organizer's pitch is that up to 60 artists work on the spot across 'all different styles from realistic to traditional or black and grey to color', and that you turn up and find the right one. Availability on the day is not guaranteed anywhere
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.
There is no roster. The organizer publishes no artist list, no booth map, no Instagram handles and no studio names, for Pigeon Forge or for any stop on its calendar. The only artist information published in advance is a headcount, 'up to 60 award winning tattoo artists', which is unverifiable and is a lower figure than the organizer uses at some larger stops. Since this is a first edition there is also no past Pigeon Forge roster to reason from
Contests and judging
20 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 Cover-Up (must provide a before photo)
- Best Traditional (American)
- Best Neo-Traditional
- Best Arm or Leg Piece
- Best Chest or Back Piece
- Most Unusual
- Most Realistic
- Best Lettering
- Best of the Day
- Best Black & Grey Color Fusion
- Best Portrait
- Large Color (8x8 or larger)
- Medium Color (8x8 or smaller)
- Small Color (4x4 or smaller)
- Large Black and Grey (8x8 or larger)
- Medium Black and Grey (8x8 or smaller)
- Small Black and Grey (4x4 or smaller)
- Best of the Day
- Best of the Day
- Best of Show, Black & Grey
- Best of Show, Color
How entries work
Entry $10 per tattoo per piece.
Entry is $10 per tattoo and there is no cap: the organizer invites artists to 'submit as many tattoos as you'd like across multiple categories'. Sign-up is in person at the show only. The person wearing the tattoo, whom the organizer calls the canvas, has to be present to be critiqued by three judges. Nobody may say who the artist was until the award is presented. Best of the Day entries must have been started AND finished at the show that same day; the two Best of Show categories must have been started and finished at the show across the weekend
How entries work
Entry Free with paid admission per piece.
Two free tattoos are raffled each day, which the organizer values at $1,200 across the weekend, and the winner picks any attending artist. Sign-ups start at noon each day on the circuit information page. You must be present to win, and you must be 18 or over with a valid ID
Around the tattooing
Also running
- Live on-the-spot tattooingRun continuously through all three days rather than scheduled. Described on this city's event page as the core of the show
- Live piercingAdvertised as part of the circuit format. No piercer roster, price list or age rule beyond the general 18 and over rule is published
What it costs
Admission is the only price the show sets. NO tattoo prices are published, by the organizer or by anyone else, and none should be inferred. Each artist sets their own rate at their own booth. The organizer publishes no guidance figure, no minimum and no hourly range for this show. The only dollar amount attached to tattooing anywhere on the site is the $1,200 the organizer says the weekend's raffled free tattoos are worth, which is a giveaway valuation and not a price list. Walk up work is the format, and the cost is whatever the artist you approach charges. Budget for it as an unknown.
Extras, bought separately
Tattoo competition entry: This is a contest entry fee 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.
The organizer publishes no booth price. Artists and vendors go through an inquiry form and are quoted privately, so nothing is on the public record. Artist side, not a visitor price
The same. The vendor inquiry form carries no price and no booth specification. Trader side, not a visitor price
Every gate price here is a door price. There is no online sale, so there are no booking fees, and equally no way to lock a price in advance. Two categories of money on this record are NOT visitor prices and are fenced above: the $10 contest entry, and Tennessee body art licensing that sits on the artists and operators
The market and the food
The market floor carries circuit sponsors, not confirmed as Pigeon Forge exhibitors.
Nothing published. The organizer says nothing about food, and the hotel's general food service is not confirmed as open to expo attendees for this event
Hours and the floor
A hotel with attached convention space at 3230 Parkway, on Pigeon Forge's main tourist strip in the Smoky Mountains foothills. The organizer names it in the event page body as The Ramsey Hotel & Convention Center
Laid out as {'name': 'Convention hall', 'note': "The expo floor, inside the hotel's convention center. The organizer does not publish a room layout or square footage for this event.", 'src': 'https://www.inkmasterstattooshow.com/events/nashville-tennessee-tattoo-expo-january-29-31-2027-1'}.
The Ramsey is an indoor climate controlled hotel and convention center, so weather is not a factor. Beyond that the venue publishes no visitor comfort information for this event, and the organizer publishes none
Getting there
Nearest airport McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), Knoxville area, about 30 miles northwest.
How do I get to Pigeon Forge Ink Masters Tattoo Expo?
By car
The Ramsey Hotel and Convention Center is at 3230 Parkway on the main Pigeon Forge strip (Traffic Light 6), about 30 miles / 45 minutes from McGhee Tyson (TYS) near Knoxville. Free hotel parking. In late October, leaf-season traffic on the Parkway through Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg can be heavy; allow extra time
Most people drive to Pigeon Forge Ink Masters Tattoo Expo. The nearest major airport is McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), Knoxville area, about 30 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
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 McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), Knoxville area, about 30 miles northwest
Search car hire →Live price search coming soon.
Where
Venue
The Ramsey Hotel and Convention Center
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near Pigeon Forge Ink Masters Tattoo Expo?
No on site camping. Here is where to stay nearby.
Mid-range hotels 1
3230 Parkway (Traffic Light 6), downtown Pigeon Forge: this IS the expo venue, minutes from Dollywood and The Island, with 208 rooms, free hot breakfast, free parking and a 24-hour indoor pool. Staying here means walking to the show
Book direct →Airbnb & private camping
Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Gatlinburg are cabin-rental country, with thousands of Smoky Mountain cabins 10 to 30 minutes out; the venue hotel is the on-strip walkable option, and late-October leaf season books early
Search Airbnb →Accessibility & comfort
What the organiser or venue publishes about getting around, and what they do not.
Two separate rules. ENTRY: all ages welcome, under 16s free, but a child must be with a parent or accompanying adult. GETTING TATTOOED OR PIERCED: 18 and over with a valid government issued ID under the organizer's rule.
Tennessee law makes tattooing anyone under 18 a misdemeanour outside a narrow cover-up exception for 16 and 17 year olds with written parental consent, so at this show the practical rule is 18 with photo ID
Confirm your specific needs with the organiser's access team before you travel.
Pricing
Price history and tiers
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