Attention Vancouver tattoo art enthusiasts: this month is the 1st Annual East Van Tattoo Show – and it’s shaping up to be one kickass event!

The three-day-long event kicks off energetically on Friday, August 23rd, with an evening event from 6-10pm, featuring a deejay and on-site food trucks (in addition to the buzz of tattooing, natch). The good times continue all weekend-long, on Saturday, August 24th from 12-8pm, and Sunday the 25th from 12-6pm.

So far, there are over 100 local tattoo artists from both local tattoo shops and private studios participating in the event (with more waiting in the wings) which, according to its organizers, aims “to showcase the immense and diverse talent that the East Van tattoo community has to offer”. If the numbers are anything to go by, it seems like they’ve got this in the bag!

Clearly, the local community is also super-stoked for the inaugural event, since early bird tickets for the 1st Annual East Van Tattoo Show have already been snatched up (yup, all 500 of them – along with 500+ at the current price tier, on top of that). Give into the hype by scoring your pass (good for all three days) in advance for the reasonable price of $17.31 here… Even those are in dwindling supply, though, so if you’re into it then we recommend acting fast! (Also of note: the cost of online increases to $22.63 the weekend-of the event; tickets will only be made available at the door if there are any remaining, which seems unlikely.)

If you’ve been impatiently coveting the ink of someone local, then this is your opportunity to snag some flash from tattoo artists with typically months-long waitlists – no appointment required; walk-ups more-than welcome! As for the less committed tattoo art lover: there is also the opportunity to snag some original art via the event’s ‘Doodle for the DTES’ contest, where artists compete for attendees’ votes to win a $1000 cash prize with their 4×6″ pen drawing. All of the pieces will also be auctioned off for charity, beginning at just $20 a pop.

The 1st Annual East Van Tattoo Show runs August 23rd through 25th at the warehouse at 75 West 3rd Avenue in Mount Pleasant. To keep abreast of event announcements and ogle the art of participating artists, follow the East Van Tattoo Show’s Instagram.

75 West 3rd Avenue Warehouse

Neighbourhood: Mt. Pleasant

75 W 3rd Ave.