Tattoo and Barber Convention to take place at Horseshoe Arena
Oct. 13—MIDLAND — Tattoo artists from around the world will visit the Tall City this weekend for the seventh annual Tattoo and Barber Convention which is put on by West Texas Tattz and Fadez.
The multi-day convention will take place from Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Midland Horseshoe Arena.
More than 100 tattoos and barber booths will be at the convention to showcase their skills and compete for prizes.
Tattz and Fadez artist Henry Carrasco says this year's convention will also have a kids entertainment zone.
"The kids zone has jumpers and different stuff for the event to entertain them.," Carrasco said. "We bring artists from all around. We just bring them just to do a meet and greet with people that are into the tattoo industry."
The convention has grown since its inaugural event.
When the convention first started, Carrasco said there were about 60 total artists and barbers at the event.
This year, they expect about 150.
"It's got a lot to do with the competition," Carrasco said. "You get a lot of different kinds of vibes with other shops and other people in the tattoo and barber industries. They're very competitive amongst each other, and it's hard to see when you're not in the industry, but we put everyone together in one building and let them go all out. A lot of it has to do with the locals. We bring them here to one building and let them go at it and compete. We give out awards for first, second and third place trophies for the tattoos and the barbers as well."
The convention hit a bump when it was canceled in 2020 due to COVID, but the event returned last year.
"COVID did put us back a year," Carrasco said. "But bouncing back from that, we're hoping to get a little more feedback. COVID did put a little bit of a hit on us. To miss a year, it's hard to get back up."
A lot of tattoo artists and barbers at the inaugural event have returned each year.
"We've had people from the first and second show that competed and don't do anything as far as winning and now you see those come up and come off with something," Carrasco said. "The looks on their faces and the excitement is what catches everyone's attention. We have a lot of repeats. It's a tradition for a lot of people to come back. I see a lot of the same people come back at the front of the building and they're excited about it."
For Carrasco, the highlight of the convention is getting to see the same tattoo artists and barbers return each year as well as new people.
"Just meeting the different people and seeing all the locals and different artists in the building communicate with each other is fun," Carrasco said. "It's watching them in the same building and walking by and asking each other questions and helping each other grow, that's been the best part for me. It's nice to see everyone come together and hold no grudges or bad vibes. They just talk and help each other out."
If you go
— What: West Texas Tattz and Fadez Tattoo and Barber Convention.
— When: Friday-Sunday
— Where: Midland Horseshoe Arena.
