Resurrection Island Tattoo Convention
- Dates
- Expected October
- Status
- Confirmed
- Venue
- Highlands Sports Complex
- Price
- $10 to $20
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Sep 5, 2026
Resurrection Island Tattoo Convention's next dates haven't been announced yet. The last festival was 9 to 11 October 2026 in Wheeling, WV. Froligo tracks current ticket prices, attendee feedback and travel details.
Age, licensing and hygiene
All ages, children 7 and under free. The organizer does not state a minimum age for receiving a tattoo or piercing at the show, which is a gap; West Virginia is not asserted here without a sourced statute
Organizer-stated, with a real health-authority layer. Every tattooing studio must pay a $100 West Virginia Health Department temporary tattoo license fee per studio, and the organizer states it files the paperwork with the Ohio County (Wheeling, WV) health department. That places a county health department in the loop for this event, which is stronger than a self-policed convention
The organizer's West Virginia Tattoo License page states West Virginia requires the following supplies: gloves, single-use razors, single-use ink cups, disposable tubes and needles with a good expiration date, single-use paper stencils, and antimicrobial solution. This is stated as a state requirement on booth-holding artists rather than a promise to the public
The artist booth-application materials reference client consent/release handling on the artist side; no attendee-facing consent or aftercare protocol is published on the organizer's pages
The organizer prohibits guns and weapons inside the convention, and prohibits outside food or beverage inside the sports complex. No security, first-aid or medical arrangement is published. The performance programme includes body suspension, which is worth knowing for a family visit
The organiser publishes nothing on Any minimum age for getting tattooed or pierced, Any organizer or venue first-aid or medical statement, Attendee-facing aftercare guidance and Whether a health officer inspects on site (only that county paperwork is filed). Ask the artist you are booking with, and expect a licensed booth to answer without hesitating.
Checked 2026-09-05The experience
What's special
Resurrection Island is the sixth annual tattoo convention run by Breaking Skin Tattoo and Body Piercing, held October 9 to 11, 2026 in the field house of the Highlands Sports Complex near Wheeling, West Virginia. It pairs a large tattoo floor, 85 attending artists and six featured artists for 2026, all listed by Instagram handle, with a heavy performance layer: burlesque from Sam Eye Am, dance from the Monster Dolls, body suspension from No Gimmicks Needed, and live bands including Say Ahh, Tongue N Cheek, NeverWake and Casket Candy, with tattoo competitions each evening. The competition programme spans color, black and grey, horror, portrait, Pound of Flesh and a Best of Show at $10 per tattoo per category. Door admission is $20 Friday and Saturday and $15 Sunday, with pre-sale prices of $15/$15/$10 until October 7 and children 7 and under free. The venue is deliberately family friendly, with an arcade, batting cages, turf fields, a play-climb area and an on-site cafe. Every tattooing studio must hold a $100 West Virginia temporary tattoo license, filed by the organizer with the Ohio County health department, and West Virginia requires single-use needles, razors, ink cups and stencils
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.
Bands or DJs playing alongside the tattoo floor.
Piercers work alongside the tattoo booths. The same questions apply: age, ID, sterilisation and aftercare.
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.
The 2026 attending-artists, featured-artists and vendors pages present each participant as an Instagram-linked image card built in Elementor; Read from the live pages (slugs artists-26-ritc, ft-artist-6-ritc, vendors-26-ritc) via the WordPress REST content on 5 September 2026. Some may be studio rather than individual accounts
Contests and judging
11 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.
- Small Color
- Medium Color
- Large Color
- X-Large Color
- Horror
- Anime / Videogame
- New School
- American Traditional
- Neo Traditional
- Tattoo of the Day B&G (fresh)
- Tattoo of the Day Color (fresh)
How entries work
Entry $10 per tattoo per category per piece.
10 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.
- Small Black & Grey
- Medium Black & Grey
- Large Black & Grey
- X-Large Black & Grey
- Lettering
- Portrait
- Fine Line / Dainty
- Worst Tattoo
- Tattoo of the Day B&G (fresh)
- Tattoo of the Day Color (fresh)
How entries work
Entry $10 per tattoo per category per piece.
12 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.
- Pound of Flesh
- Sleeve (Arm or Leg)
- Back or Chest Piece
- Tattooed Individual (Overall)
- Blackout
- Cover Up
- Style Mashup
- Color Infusion
- Collaboration
- Tattoo of the Day B&G (fresh)
- Tattoo of the Day Color (fresh)
- Best of Show
How entries work
Entry $10 per tattoo per category per piece.
Around the tattooing
On the entertainment stage
Eleven acts are listed on the 2026 Live Bands & Performances page. The published schedule places bands, burlesque, dance and body suspension across Friday and Saturday with tattoo competitions each evening at 9 PM (Sunday 5 PM). Note the programme includes body suspension performances
- No Gimmicks Needed Suspension Team
- Sam Eye Am
- Cervena Fox
- Captain & Maybelle
- Monster Dolls
- NeverWake
- Tongue N Cheek
- Theriaca
- Stolen Stitches
- Casket Candy
- Say Ahh
Also running
- Live tattooing
- Body suspension by No Gimmicks NeededFriday and Saturday at 3:30 PM and 4:30 PM; Sunday at 1 PM
What it costs
Admission is the only price the show sets. Tattoo prices are set by each artist; the organizer publishes no price list or floor. Contact artists via the Instagram handles on the roster.
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.
Children 7 and under enter free. Booth and vendor fees and the $10 contest entry are not visitor gate prices and are fenced above
The market and the food
The market floor carries 2026 vendors.
Food on site: on-site cafe, concession food and drinks and additional food-vendor stands.
The venue has an on-site cafe with basic concession food and drinks, with additional food-vendor stands set up for the event. Outside food and beverages are prohibited inside the complex
Hours and the floor
The convention takes place on all six basketball courts of the complex's 44,000-square-foot field house, inside a facility of more than 200,000 square feet
Laid out as 44,000-square-foot field house, six basketball courts, arcade, batting cages, turf fields, play-climb area, on-site cafe and food-vendor stands.
The organizer describes the sports complex as family friendly, with an arcade, batting cages, two full-size turf fields and a play-climb area to keep children busy, plus an on-site cafe
Getting there
Nearest airport Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), about 50 miles northeast.
How do I get to Resurrection Island Tattoo Convention?
By car
Highlands Sports Complex is at 225 McCormick Way in The Highlands development in Triadelphia, just east of Wheeling off I-70. Pittsburgh International (PIT) is the nearest airport with mainline service, about 50 miles / an hour northeast; Wheeling is about 15 minutes west. The Highlands is a retail/hotel development with large free lots
Most people drive to Resurrection Island Tattoo Convention. The nearest major airport is Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), about 50 miles northeast, 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 Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), about 50 miles northeast
Search car hire →Live price search coming soon.
Where
Venue
Highlands Sports Complex
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near Resurrection Island Tattoo Convention?
No on site camping. Here is where to stay nearby.
Airbnb & private camping
Wheeling proper (about 15 minutes west, with the historic Oglebay resort) and the St. Clairsville OH exits add rentals and hotels; the partner cluster at The Highlands is closest to the venue
Search Airbnb →Accessibility & comfort
What the organiser or venue publishes about getting around, and what they do not.
Confirm your specific needs with the organiser's access team before you travel.
Pricing
Price history and tiers
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