First Area holds Elmira's first tattoo convention

by: Brandon Kyc Posted: Oct 29, 2022 / 06:25 PM EDT Updated: Oct 30,

by: Brandon Kyc

Posted: Oct 29, 2022 / 06:25 PM EDT

Updated: Oct 30, 2022 / 03:12 PM EDT

ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) — Dozens of tattoo artists and shops converged to Elmira from around the state and country to participate in a special Halloween tattoo convention.

The convention allows people to come out and get a tattoo without being put on a waiting list. Artists show off their work samples and brought various products to sell to the community.

The event was coordinated by Skin Art, a Long Island-based tattoo shop, which spent the last year reaching out to different shops across the state to recruit them in coming to Elmira to have a convention.

Artists from shops in Buffalo, Long Island, Rochester, the Albany area, and many more places, gathered inside First Arena. Attendees have the chance to look around and see all the different artists and their own styles of tattooing from realism, neo-realism, cartoonish, and more.

Attendees are given a chance to compete for trophies in different Tattoo contests throughout the weekend where they show off their body art and are then judged to see who has the best tattoos.

The event brought different forms of entertainment such as a comedian, different performances on stage, a comic, and more throughout the weekend.

Steve Donner, the Active Tenant of First Arena, said that having this type of convention here is a big opportunity for the community.

"One of the things we committed to was having this be an economic engine for downtown," he said, "and we thought that if we (First Arena) could at least break even on this, and have the economic spinoff for the hotels and restaurants that it would be a win-win for us and the community," he said.

Donner said that because this event had so many moving parts and a big set-up that it's giving them experience in how to operate similar events that require vendors.

"This type of event is already bringing us some thought process of other types of events to have in the arena," Donner said when being asked about what it's like to do events similar to the tattoo convention inside the arena. He said that a cornhole tournament is going to be held in November because of the results of the tattoo convention.

The convention isn't over as it still has the remainder of Saturday and the entire day of Sunday left. If you’d like to attend the event, general admission tickets are $25 dollars per person, and prices for tattoos vary per vendor.

On Saturday, Oct. 19, the event finishes at 10 p.m. and on Sunday, Oct. 30, it starts at noon and goes until 8 p.m.

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First Area holds Elmira's first tattoo convention