World-Renowned Artists Visit Poughkeepsie for Third Annual International Hudson Valley Tattoo Convention
Man sits on table at the Hudson Valley Tattoo Convention as he is being tattooed by artist John Setzer. Photo by Lucy Baldino '25
The third annual International Hudson Valley Tattoo Convention took place from April 4-6 at the MJN Convention Center in downtown Poughkeepsie, featuring the work of over 200 artists from all around the world, including the United States, Japan, Argentina and more.
Adults as well as children lined up outside the center at noon, sharing ideas they had for what they wanted to get tattooed that day, alongside showing tattoos they received prior.
The event, sponsored by numerous Hudson Valley businesses, including Hudson Valley Tattoo Company and Zeus Brewing Company, featured rows of booths with portfolios, business cards and stickers from each artist for attendees to grab as they passed by.
Many of the artists this year had attended in the past, allowing for routine tattoo goers to get tatted from some of their favorite artists. Joey Digregorio, a Cold Spring native, has made the trip up to Poughkeepsie every year for the event.
“It’s an awesome event,” Digregorio said. “They have so many vendors and so many different artists that are most likely to scratch the itch of anyone’s tattoo taste.”
Digregorio’s most favored tattoo artist is Tim Huck of Key City Tattoos, located in Frederick, Maryland.
“Every time I have come to this event, I get a tattoo from Tim. His flash tattoos are simple, and his style is very carefree, but he does such a great job with it,” Digregorio stated. “Since he’s from Maryland, it’s rare that I’d find myself down there, so I always try to show up when I know he’ll be up here.”
This year, Digregorio and his partner received a marlin tattoo from Huck, which only took around 20 minutes for each of them.
The event cost around $25 to attend, leaving plenty of pocket change for a new tattoo. Many of the flash tattoos being offered cost roughly $150-250 as artists shared their prices next to their designs.
With another successful year in the books, time will only tell how much bigger this event will grow and what artists from around the world will enjoy coming to the Hudson Valley to leave their mark - literally.