Success sees work start on next year’s Newbury Tattoo Convention

The organiser of Newbury’s Tattoo Convention says following the success of this year’s event work has begun on next year’s, and it will include the return of a strongman contest.

The event was held at Newbury Racecourse, and saw thousands of people flock to enjoy two days celebrating the best of body art.

There were three floors of exhibitors, some of whom inked people there and then. In all, more than 100 firms exhibited over the weekend of August 3 and 4.

Other attractions included BMX stunt team display Fusion Extreme, music from local bands, a food court and activities for children.

There was also a display of classic cars, and an art gallery showcased some of the very best in body art.

Lee Priddy, who runs Full Power Studios in London Road, said: “I’m super chuffed. It outdid my expectations.

“The whole event was incredible for us.

“We had record attendance with more than 2,000 per day, way more than last year and more than I expected.”

Mr Priddy said things ran so smoothly he and his organising team were able to enjoy the weekend just as much as the stall holders and visitors.

“We had so many people come up to me thanking us for such a great event,” he said.

“The guys exhibiting do them all over the country and being compared to events that have been running for years and years is amazing.

“It really makes you feel grateful.”

One of the important parts of the convention is allowing people to meet artists and get to know them before commissioning them to create some art.

This continued beyond the racecourse, as they held an after party in the Walkabout in Cheap Street.

“People from all over the country were chatting and hanging out with different artists and people, they wouldn’t normally get a chance to meet or collaborate with each other,” Mr Priddy said of the gathering.

“All these new friendships and potential business partnerships were made because of the conventions.”

And he was thrilled to see so many people from across the country gel.

“Originally, I thought it would be quite nice to have all the local artists together, building a Newbury-Berkshire community, but more and more people applied for stalls,” he said.

“Newbury is where I grew up, and it’s where I want to be.

“I want to put my hometown on the map as much as I can, and this is a thing to do for the community.”

The 2025 event will be back by popular demand.

“We’ve had a few days of rest and recovery and now it’s back to work,” Mr Priddy said.

“We’ve already started on next year’s event.

“We have had lots of people asking if it is returning and yes, it is and it’s all stations go in getting it all prepped and ready.

“We have lots of ideas in the works, we want to do more fun stuff, and the strongman contest will return, they have already signed up for next year.”

Mr Priddy will be taking part at the Big London Tattoo Show in Excel London over the weekend of September 7 and 8.

For more on the Newbury event, log on to newburytattooconvention.com or search social media for NTC.