The Golden State Tattoo Expo was scheduled for September 18–20, 2026, in Pasadena, California. Its published program paired tattoo competitions with an artist directory maintained by event partner Freshly Inked.
The Pasadena Competition Program
The organizer's event page named the Pasadena Convention Center as the venue and Nikko Hurtado and Carlos Torres as hosts. Hours extended into the evening on all three days, ending at 7 p.m. Sunday. Competition rules distinguished pieces completed that day from work eligible for the overall show award. Coverup entries required a before photograph.
Those distinctions matter when reading an old contest program: an award category describes eligibility, not a result. This archive does not identify 2026 winners from a schedule or carry forward winners shown for an earlier edition.
The Partner Artist Directory
The Freshly Inked event listing independently displayed the September date range and Pasadena location. Its billed artist roster included Stefano Alcantara of Fort Lauderdale, Jess Yen of Long Beach and Brenner Pereira of Orem. Other entries included Patrick Dunaway in Phoenix and Alessio Ventimiglia in Rome.
The directory provides named artists to research beyond the competition timetable. Its location labels also show that the advertised roster reached beyond California. They do not establish who ultimately attended, who had appointments available, or which tattoos were completed during the weekend.
Archive note
This entry is dated to the convention's opening day, 2026-09-18. It was compiled on 2026-10-27 from the linked organizer and venue or event-partner pages. It summarizes the published program, not an on-site review or confirmation of attendance, contest results or current ticket availability.