PHOTO ESSAY | Tattoo Expo 2024
by Susan Fried
Thousands of people streamed through the doors of the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall over the weekend of Aug. 16—18 for the annual Seattle Tattoo Expo. The event, which has been held for more than 20 years, features some of the world's best tattoo artists.
Tattoo aficionados wandered through aisles of tables set up in the Exhibition Hall, where they could see amazing artwork by 250 tattoo artists from all around the world. The expo also featured burlesque performances, tattoo contests, DJ sets, and the return of BurlesKaraoke. Also on hand were numerous food trucks and a variety of vendors.
Tattoo artist "Who Tattoo" from the Castro Tattoo shop in San Francisco said as far as he's concerned, the Seattle Tattoo Expo is the best tattoo convention in the country.
Check out some of the weekend's sights below.
Susan Fried is a 40-year veteran photographer. Her early career included weddings, portraits, and commercial work — plus, she's been The Skanner News' Seattle photographer for 25 years. Her images have appeared in the University of Washington's The Daily, The Seattle Globalist, Crosscut, and many more.She's been an Emerald contributor since 2015. Follow her on Instagram @fried.susan.
Featured Image: The three finalists in the tattoo portrait competition, Elsa, Robert, and Tierra, show off their tattoos to the audience while the judges decide on the winner. (Photo: Susan Fried)
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