Yuma Tattoo Fest & Car Show
- Dates
- Expected September
- Status
- Confirmed
- Venue
- Yuma County Fairgrounds
- Price
- $25 to $60
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Sep 5, 2026
Yuma Tattoo Fest & Car Show's next dates haven't been announced yet. The last festival was 11 to 13 September 2026 in Yuma, AZ. Froligo tracks current ticket prices, attendee feedback and travel details.
Age, licensing and hygiene
This block is almost entirely empty on the organizer's side, and that emptiness is the finding. This is a single city independent show with no circuit policy to fall back on, so there is no other document where the missing rules might live. Everything below the age line is Arizona statute, recorded as the legal backdrop and NOT as anything the organizer or the venue has said about how this event runs
The organizer publishes NO minimum age for admission, NO minimum age to be tattooed and NO ID requirement, on its own site, on its itinerary page or on the venue's listing. That is a real gap on a public event and it is reported as one rather than filled in. Arizona law, which applies regardless, is unusual and worth knowing before you travel: it does not ban tattooing under-18s outright, but it makes tattooing anyone under eighteen unlawful without the PHYSICAL PRESENCE of a parent or legal guardian. A signed permission note is not enough for a tattoo. The written-or-verbal permission route in Arizona covers ear piercing only. Checking identification in good faith is the statutory defence available to an artist, which is why most artists will ask for photo ID whatever the show says. Bring it
Arizona is one of the few states with no statewide tattoo artist or studio licensing scheme and no state health department permit for tattoo establishments. Instead it regulates through the criminal code, section 13-3721, which makes it an offence to reuse a needle or a colour bearing substance, to use a needle not sterilised to state licensed medical facility standard, to tattoo a person under eighteen without a parent or guardian physically present, and to run a tattooing business out of a home or an impermanent structure such as a tent or trailer. Checking identification in good faith is the statutory defence for an artist. Because there is no licensing regime, there is no permit number to look for and no inspection record to check for this event, which is a structural difference from states like Missouri or Massachusetts, not a failing of this particular show. No Yuma County Health District permit or inspection notice for this event was found, and the county's own body art rules were not directly retrieved
The organiser publishes nothing on any minimum age or ID requirement, single-use needles and inks, sterilisation or autoclave procedure, sharps or biohazard waste disposal, a consent, release or waiver form, aftercare guidance, bloodborne pathogen training, on-site first aid or medical cover and heat and hydration guidance for a September event in Yuma. Ask the artist you are booking with, and expect a licensed booth to answer without hesitating.
Checked 2026-09-05The experience
What's special
Yuma Tattoo Fest and Car Show is a three day tattoo convention and car show at the Yuma County Fairgrounds, run by Rollin Ol School and billed as its 3rd annual Yuma edition. The organizer frames it as a hometown showcase across several mediums rather than a tattoo show alone, with engravers and pinstripers alongside tattoo artists, tattoo contests judged on all three afternoons, an outdoor car show on the Saturday evening, Aztec dance and breakdancing performances, food vendors from around the city and a Saturday after party. Admission is bought at the gate only, there are no online ticket sales, and active duty military and veterans get in free on the opening day. Part of every car show entry fee is donated to Crossroads Mission
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.
Piercers work alongside the tattoo booths. The same questions apply: age, ID, sterilisation and aftercare.
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 artist list, no booking route and no contact for reaching an artist in advance. If you want a specific artist you will have to find them through the organizer's social channels or turn up
The show bills live tattooing across three days and judges contests each afternoon, but no organizer statement about walk-ups or waiting lists exists
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 artist roster is published for this edition. Six days before the doors open, the official site carries a heading reading Artist 2026 Yuma Tattoo Fest, and the only name under it is a tattoo supply company. There are no artist names, no Instagram handles, no studio names, no booth numbers and no artist count anywhere, including on the venue listing, the convention directories and the local press coverage. This show does not appear to publish a booked artist list at all, so there is no way to choose an artist in advance from the official pages
Contests and judging
24 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.
- Most Patriotic
- Best Line Work / Black Work
- Best Latin
- Best Realism
- Best Job Stopper (Head, Face, Neck, Hands)
- Best Neotraditional
- Best of Day
- Best Anime
- Best Color Small
- Best Aztec
- Best Traditional Small
- Best Traditional Large
- Best Small Black & Grey
- Best Large Black & Grey
- Best of Day
- Best Lettering
- Best Religious
- Best Portrait
- Best Sleeve
- Best Asian
- Best Bio-Mechanical
- Best Torso / Back
- Best of Day
- Best of Show
How entries work
The category list leans into the show's own regional identity in a way most convention lists do not: Best Latin and Best Aztec sit alongside the standard style categories, and the Friday list includes Best Job Stopper for head, face, neck and hand work
Around the tattooing
On the entertainment stage
The performers are billed by first name or stage name only. Gomez, Freak, Mike Breakdancer and Aztec Dance are published with no full names, no genre and no social handles, so they cannot be resolved to identifiable acts and no attempt was made to guess
- Aztec Dance
- Mike Breakdancer
- Gomez
- Freak
- Live DJ
Also running
- Car, bike and vehicle showSaturday 12 September. Roll in 3pm to 5pm, show 6pm to 10pm, awards 9pm. Part of every car show entry fee is donated to Crossroads Mission
- After partySaturday 11pm to 2am
- Friday Night MunchiesFriday 5pm to 10pm
What it costs
Admission is the only price the show sets. Tattoo work is priced by each artist and paid to them directly. The organizer publishes no price guide, no show minimum and no deposit rule, and because it publishes no artist list either there is nothing to derive a range from. Any tattoo price quoted for this show would be invented. Agree the price with the artist before the machine starts.
Extras, bought separately
Car show vehicle entry, pre-registered: An entrant fee for showing a vehicle, not admission for a spectator.
Car show pedal car or bike entry, pre-registered: An entrant fee, not admission
Car show vehicle entry, day of show: An entrant fee, not admission
Car show pedal car or bike entry, day of show: An entrant fee, not admission
If you are exhibiting
Booth and vendor fees are what the show charges artists and traders. They are not visitor prices.
No artist booth fee, booth size, application form, deadline or booth cap is published for 2026. The site has no artist or vendor application page. Booth prices returned by search engines for a similarly named California event are unrelated and must not be attached to this show
There are no booking or service fees, because there is no online ticketing. The organizer warns in bold that it does not sell tickets online and will not be responsible for any financial loss to anyone who buys online
No food prices are published. The organizer promises food vendors from around Yuma but names none of them
The organizer publishes an explicit anti-scam warning: it is not selling tickets online, and it will not be responsible for any financial loss to anyone who buys online. Any online listing offering admission to this event should be treated as illegitimate. No legitimate online listing exists to duplicate, which was checked across the usual ticketing platforms on 5 September 2026 and found clean
The market and the food
The market floor carries tattoo artists and engravers and pinstripers. Named traders include West Phoenix Tattoo Supply (tattoo supply).
Food on site: food vendors and Friday Night Munchies.
The organizer promises food vendors from across Yuma but names none of them. A Friday Night Munchies slot runs 5pm to 10pm
Hours and the floor
Mixed indoor and outdoor
Posted public hours: Friday 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM, Saturday 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM, Sunday 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The Saturday car show runs outdoors 6pm to 10pm. Mid September in Yuma averages daily highs from about 105F at the start of the month to about 97F at the end, and no heat, shade, water or first aid provision is published by anyone
Getting there
Nearest airport Yuma International (YUM).
How do I get to Yuma Tattoo Fest & Car Show?
By car
The Yuma County Fairgrounds is at 2520 E 32nd Street, effectively across from Yuma International (YUM), about 5 minutes door to door; YUM has commuter service via Phoenix and Dallas. Phoenix is about 3 hours northeast on I-8/AZ-85, San Diego 3 hours west. No event parking price or shuttle is published; fairground lot parking is the norm. September afternoons in Yuma still exceed 100F, so plan car shade and hydration for the lot walk
Most people drive to Yuma Tattoo Fest & Car Show. The nearest major airport is Yuma International (YUM), 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
Where
Venue
Yuma County Fairgrounds
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near Yuma Tattoo Fest & Car Show?
No on site camping. Here is where to stay nearby.
Airbnb & private camping
Yuma's rental market is small and seasonal, aimed at winter snowbirds; in September, listings are open and inexpensive. The Foothills area east of town adds options 15 minutes out
Search Airbnb →RV travelers should first ask the fairgrounds itself (928-726-4420): the venue hosts overnight camping and RV rallies for some events, though nothing is published for this one. Yuma's many RV parks are otherwise geared to winter residents and have deep September vacancy; Hipcamp adds desert private land sites
Search Hipcamp →Accessibility & comfort
What the organiser or venue publishes about getting around, and what they do not.
The organizer publishes no accessibility details. Fairground venues mean flat lots and single level halls but real distances in extreme September heat; attendees with mobility or heat sensitive conditions should plan drop offs at the door and contact the fairgrounds office (928-726-4420)
The organizer publishes NO minimum age for admission, NO minimum age to be tattooed and NO ID requirement, on its own site, on its itinerary page or on the venue's listing. That is a real gap on a public event and it is reported as one rather than filled in.
Read the full notes
Arizona law, which applies regardless, is unusual and worth knowing before you travel: it does not ban tattooing under-18s outright, but it makes tattooing anyone under eighteen unlawful without the PHYSICAL PRESENCE of a parent or legal guardian.
A signed permission note is not enough for a tattoo. The written-or-verbal permission route in Arizona covers ear piercing only. Checking identification in good faith is the statutory defence available to an artist, which is why most artists will ask for photo ID whatever the show says.
Bring it
Confirm your specific needs with the organiser's access team before you travel.
Pricing
Price history and tiers
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