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Nov 04, 2023

WV Tattoo Expo returns for eighth year, featuring hundreds of artists

Culture Editor The annual West Virginia Tattoo Expo is returning to Morgantown

Culture Editor

The annual West Virginia Tattoo Expo is returning to Morgantown for the first time this year after two years of postponement due to COVID-19. This will be the event's 8th year running and its ten year anniversary.

"It's been rough not having it because through the pandemic, we haven't been able to see some of our tattooed family in years and now that we're finally able to have it back," Rocco Cunningham, the event's founder, promoter and organizer said. "Everybody is so excited to be back in Morgantown for the weekend."

The tattoo expo will be held from Friday, Aug. 19, to Sunday, Aug. 21, at the Morgantown Event Center.

The WV Tattoo Expo will feature over 200 tattoo artists from around the nation. Some local Morgantown favorites that will be attending include Wild Zero Studios, PattysArtspot and Country Roads Tattoo.

In addition to the artists there will also be various food vendors on site, a Miss Tattooed West Virginia pageant and various other contests taking place.

"I really wanted to showcase and represent West Virginia the best that I could and also represent the tattoo world the best I could," Cunningham said.

The West Virginia Tattoo Expo is a family friendly event for people of all ages whether or not they are interested in getting a tattoo.

"Even if you don't get a tattoo, it's still really something to see with that many different artists in one place, the different styles of art and the different applications. It's truly something to see," he said.

Cunningham, who is a proud West Virginia University alumni, also said that the tattoo expo is a popular event for WVU students looking for something to do.

"It's like that back to school weekend tradition. Students like the expo, come be a part of it. And that feels awesome to know because being a West Virginian and a mountaineer, that means a lot to us," he said.

Cunningham, a Clarksburg native, has been in the tattoo industry for years, getting his first tattoo 19 years ago as a junior in high school.

"I went to a private Catholic school, so yeah you can imagine how well that went," Cunningham said.

Cunningham later went to WVU to study political science and passed on the opportunity to go law school to pursue tattooing. Cunningham now owns Pike Street Studios in Bridgeport, West Virginia.

"From when I started to now, there's much less of a stigma involved in tattoos in general and we love to see that they're so much more widely accepted and appreciated. And it's been fun to see that happen," he said.

Cunningham noted that tattoo safety and education are both top priorities that will be relayed to attendees at the expo.

"We work with the Mon County Health Department. and they come, they inspect, they sign off on every booth, he said. "We do it right because we want it to be a safe environment and also, we want to help show anyone that is interested in getting tattoos, or the first tattoo even, what professional tattooers are, what professional tattoos should look like."

Tickets are available at the ticket booth every day and appointments are optional.

A $5 discount will be offered to WVU students and military veterans who bring their ID. Entry will be free for children under 12.

More information about the event is available at the WV Tattoo Expo website, on Facebook or on Instagram @WVTattooExpo.

Culture Editor

Lara Bonatesta is the culture editor for The Daily Athenaeum. She is a senior journalism student minoring in electronic media, marketing and trumpet performance from Branchburg, New Jersey.