17th Brighton Tattoo Convention Spotlights Geometric Tattoo Trends and Artists

“Brighton Tattoo Convention returns for its 17th Annual Show.” The event opens at The Brighton Centre, Kings Rd, Brighton BN1 2GR, today with doors at 11:00, last entry at 16:00, and tattooing scheduled to finish 7:00pm on Saturday and 6:00pm on Sunday; the venue closes 8:00pm Saturday and 7:00pm on Sunday. Re-entry is allowed throughout the day and running times are listed as subject to change.

Artist and vendor counts vary across listings. The convention’s own site displays a stats block reading “327 Working Tattooists / 61 Unique Vendors,” while the Brighton Centre venue page lists “325 hand picked artists & studios” and “65 carefully chosen vendors.” Third-party listings advertise as many as “over 375 hand-picked tattoo artists” with “50+ selected vendors,” and the event Instagram promoted “325 artists, 65 vendors.” Presenters and traders closed applications October 1st and the show programme, dated 07.02.26, sets out who is working and where.

Programming follows the format organisers used in 2025: the convention site promotes “300+ hand picked artists & studios, 60+ carefully chosen vendors & suppliers plus Live Music, Bars, Food, Competitions and exclusive Merch.” Live music and tattoo competitions will run on a purpose-built main stage in the centre of the venue, equipment suppliers and trader stalls will be present, and seminars and galleries are listed in the published programme. Syndicate Rooms return as a curated feature; the organiser copy uses both phrasings, saying “As for our Syndicate Rooms, London's Blank Collective return with The Cult of Blank...” while a partner listing refers to “The Church of Blank,” both referencing Lana & Loz.

Ticketing and access have a new policy for 2026. “New for this year, every ticket allows access over the whole weekend, giving you the option of which day to attend and the chance to return anytime over the 2 days. It also includes access to any official off site parties!” Early-bird offers were announced in news dated 23.12.25 and venue pages show general admission tickets went on sale 31 Oct 2025 at 10:00. The Brighton Centre page states free entry for under-16s, age restrictions that under-14s must be accompanied by an adult, and student discounts; organisers list no ticket limit and confirm last entry is 4pm.

Organisers and the venue are explicit about scale and logistics: the Brighton Centre copy promises “you have an amazing weekend that welcomes 6000 tattoo loving visitors.” Practical notes in the run-up include a live music announcement dated 05.12.25, the show programme release on 07.02.26, and a 19.02.26 advisory about the Brighton Half Marathon on Sunday 1 March which may affect access and travel on day two. General enquiries for the venue are handled at 01273 290131.

Poster artwork and creative credit remain tied to the organiser: “our stunning poster artwork is from our very own show organiser Emily Dominguez. Check her work out here... EmBlackheart.” The convention’s retrospective on last year reads, “Huge thank you to everyone that joined us recently for our 16th year celebration of Tattooing in our beautiful Brighton and Oh Boy was it a cracker of a show,” and with the printed programme available at the venue and organisers listing 327 working tattooists and 61 vendors, the Brighton Tattoo Convention will run through Sunday 1 March with tattooing finishing at 6:00pm and the venue closing at 7:00pm.