Wind City inking human canvas

By Ry Clarke - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on September 17, 2022.

Herald photo by Ry Clarke Tattoo artist Berly Brumble, of Bones and Stars Tattoos, gives a new tattoo to Brenda Antle Friday at the Lethbridge Wind City Tattoo Show at Exhibition Park.

Lethbridge Wind City Tattoo Show is ready to ink up skin this weekend down at the Exhibition Park South Pavilion.

Opening Friday at 2 p.m. the adults-only day went till midnight with artists inking up crowds of attendants ready for their newest piece. Saturday the event opens at 12 p.m. and goes until 11 p.m., and Sunday 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Hosting over a hundred artists and vendors, attendants will be sure to find that new piece for their collection.

“We have just over 120 tattoo artists from pretty much all over Canada. I wish we could say all over like we normally do, but there’s still a lot of people that aren’t able to travel. We will have on stage shows, with over $10,000 in cash and prizes for the public to win. We support a lot of charities in town, including the Children’s Hospital,” said Will Woods, co-organizer with Wind City Tattoo.

The show offers a chance for people to come down and explore the tattoo world, finding more variety with more options to choose from.

“It’s a big gathering of artists. If people are a little bit shy when they come into a shop, this is a more open atmosphere. You get to see what’s really out there and a little bit of everyone’s style,” said Woods. “When you are looking for a tattooer, everyone just throws their artist at you. But here you can actually see and browse for what you are looking for.”

Artists come from all over, continuing to come back to Wind City Tattoo over the years saying it is the place to be.

“This is one of the best shows in Alberta hands down,” said Berly Brumble, tattoo artist with Bones and Stars Tattoos based in Calgary. “It’s run really well, the people are nice, and Lethbridge is always really excited to have us.”

Coming down for the past few years, Brumble says the hours can be long but worth it, working with smaller designs to keep her booth available to all who attend.

“The purpose of that is to be able to get more people in, because people come down wanting to get a tattoo. A lot of artists are going to book up, and that’s not fun. So I try to have stuff available so people can get in. I would say in a day, I tattoo somewhere between 10 to 20 people, depending on the designs.”

Getting the all clear from Alberta Health Services Friday, the event looks to keep things safe and make sure no issues arise while looking forward to a beautiful weekend of freshly inked skin.

“If you are a first timer or an avid collector, this is something for everybody. You need to come out here and you need to check it out for yourself to see what’s going on,” said Woods.