The country’s largest tattoo and music festival, Texas Tattoo Showdown, returns to El Paso for the fifth time on July 18-20, featuring more than 300 tattoo artists from around the world at the El Paso County Coliseum.

“The festival started in 2010, with very few vendors and music. As the years grew, so did the festival,” said George Galindo, president and owner of the festival. “Now, we are featuring over 300 vendors as well as national bands that will be playing.”

According to Galindo, in 2010 he and his wife decided that they wanted to start something related to the festivals that take place in  San Antonio and Austin.

“We wanted for El Paso to be part of the fun and so we thought this kind of festival would be a great opportunity to do so,” he said.

The festival will feature live performances from widely known bands such as The Deftones, The Casualties, Bridge to Grace and Scorpion Child, among others. Celebrities such as world-famous model Heather Moss, the cast and producers for “Tattoo Rescue” and the cast from “Ink Master” will attend the event and will meet and greet fans.

“We don’t keep the bands hidden or the celebrities away from the people, there’s no blocked off security, this has become our motto. We want the public to interact with them and take pictures with them,” Galindo said. “It’s all about the mingling and exchanging information. This is one thing we have always had at the Texas Showdown.”

Stephanie Leanos, sophomore forensic science major, said the festival is an event she is definitely interested in attending.

“I’ve heard of it and it’s always caught my eye. I strongly believe El Paso needs more festivals like this because our diversity is so small,” Leanos said.

The showdown allows for the demonstration of tattoo illustrations and will change the perception of many people who believe tattoos are gang related, Leanos said.

The festival may be focused on tattoos, but it has events for the whole family to enjoy.

“We have arts and crafts, as well as games for the kids. It’s not just about the tattoo competitions or the world of tattoos—it’s all about family,” Galindo said.

Vendors at the Texas Tattoo Showdown are all national and local vendors, who are traveling from New York and the West Coast. People can enjoy artwork and clothing from out-of-town artists and clothing lines.

Paul Torres has attended the festival previously and said that his main focus is always to see favorite bands perform. 

“It also gives you something to look forward to in the summer. Overall, the festival is just plain good old-fashioned fun,” Torres said. “I think that the music lineup for this year is really good.”

According to Galindo, El Paso has been growing and so has Texas Tattoo Showdown. He believes that the festival can easily become a tradition due to increased ticket sales.

“The festival has become a hit among El Paso. People from out of town have been hearing about this festival here, and this year has resulted in the booking of over 200 hotel rooms,” Galindo said.

Tickets may be purchased at ticketmaster.com. Gates will open at Noon. For more information about the festival, visit texasshowdownfestival.com.

Ashley Muñoz may be reached at [email protected].