There's something for just about everybody at the Tucson Tattoo Expo, which gets under way Friday afternoon.
Now in its fourth year, the three-day expo will feature more than 80 artists and a variety of contests, in addition to a fashion show, a free car show and kids activities that include face painting.
"It's just a good time all around," said promoter John Lewis, who expects it will draw 3,500 people over the weekend.
The expo has grown each year, much like the popularity of tattoos as an art form that has become part of popular culture.
"It's worked it's way into the mainstream to where it's not as ostracized as much as it was 20 or 30 years ago when I got my first tattoo," Lewis said, noting that sports figures and other celebrities are walking around with tattoos and not trying to hide them. "There are more tattoo shops in Tucson now than were in all of Los Angeles 30 years ago," he said.
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The move to the Hotel Tucson City Center from Hotel Arizona this year has allowed the expo to expand the car show to a full day.
The Kustom Kulture Car Show is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday with customized cars and motorcycles, and classics. The show is free for spectators and for vehicle owners to enter, Lewis said.
The added space also allows for the addition of daily performances by a human-suspension performance team from California.
"It's interesting and entertaining to watch," said Lewis, noting that suspension has its roots in cultural rites of passage.
There will also be art demonstrations, and a benefit auction to help pay medical expenses for Tucson native Tony Olivas, now a prominent tattoo artist in Atlanta.
If you go
• What: The Fourth Annual Tucson Tattoo Expo.
• When: 4-11 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday.
• Where: Hotel Tucson City Center InnSuites, 475 N. Granada Ave.
• Admission: $10 per day or $20 weekend pass; free age 17 and under with paid adult.
• Schedule: www.tucsontattooexpo.com
