E-Town Tattoo & Food Festival: 70+ Artists at the Haycraft This Weekend

Key Takeaways

• The E-Town Tattoo & Food Festival runs Friday, February 27 (1–9 PM) through Sunday, March 1 (11 AM–9 PM) at the Haycraft in downtown Elizabethtown
• More than 70 tattoo artists are featured — about 70% local or regional — with Black Heart Tattoo Company sponsoring; the farthest-traveling artist is coming from Hawaii
• Tickets are at the door only: $20 for one day, $30 for two, $50 for all three; you can walk in and get tattooed the same day (booking ahead is recommended for a specific artist)
• You must be 18 to get tattooed, but family and friends of all ages are welcome — Tyler stressed a "non-intimidating," high-energy, all-walks-of-life atmosphere
• Beyond ink: daily tattoo competitions, food trucks every day, and a vendor of oddities (Let's Bug Out) who also makes the event trophies

Summary

The centerpiece of this week's show was a conversation, not an interview — Jon O'Brien sat down with Tyler Casey of Triple Crown Tattoos to talk up the E-Town Tattoo & Food Festival landing at the Haycraft this weekend. After a slick promo video introduced the event, Tyler laid out everything a curious first-timer or a tattoo veteran would want to know: the hours, the pricing, the artists, and why he chose downtown Elizabethtown to plant his hometown flag.

The takeaway is time-sensitive and easy to act on: the festival runs February 27 through March 1, tickets are sold at the door ($20/$30/$50), and you can walk up and get tattooed on the spot. With food trucks every day, daily competitions, and a deliberately welcoming vibe, Tyler — a Hardin County native — made the case that this is for everyone, tattoo or not.

Watch this segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPuNSvY6Ap8&t=1605s Full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPuNSvY6Ap8

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Before bringing Tyler on, Phil cued up the event's promo video, narrated by Tyler himself: "Hey, Tyler from Triple Crown Tattoos. Here at the Haycraft in Elizabethtown, where we're having the E-Town Tattoo and Food Festival featuring over 70 artists from around the country... happening February 27th through March 1st." From there, Jon O'Brien took the lead on a conversation built to make the audience want to show up.

How it started — and the vibe

Tyler explained that Triple Crown Tattoos runs about five conventions and expos across the country, including three in Kentucky. "We've got Lexington, we're going into our third year on that one. We've got Bowling Green, which will be our second year, in May. And then we also have Evansville, Indiana, and then one in Hawaii." The E-Town festival is the company's first year. "We really wanted to bring something that brought a new event to the community that we lived in," he said, "and kind of showcased and spotlighted a lot of the local artists that are around here."

The atmosphere is the point. "The vibe that we always like to keep is high energy, welcoming," Tyler said. "Anybody can come on in. It's a very non-intimidating atmosphere."

Why tattoos and food?

The food-truck pairing is new for this event. "Even if you're not into tattoos, the food trucks kind of bring you in, and then maybe you come on in, check out — maybe you might get your first tattoo," Tyler said. "You always want to have a little food on the belly. That's always important."

The basics: hours, tickets, and who's welcome

Tyler confirmed the schedule: Friday runs 1 PM to 9 PM, and Saturday and Sunday run 11 AM to 9 PM. Pricing is tiered — $20 for one day, $30 for two, and $50 for all three. "You do a $10 tier off for the multiple days," he explained, recommending at least a two-day pass. "A lot of people, when they go the first day, they think, 'Oh, I'm just going to buy one day,' and then they end up maybe seeing something they wanted, wanting to come back."

Kids and family are welcome. "You do have to be 18 to be tattooed, but we always welcome family, friends, everyone," Tyler said. "It's a very great place for anybody from any walk of life."

Walk-ups, appointments, and the age rule

One of the most practical answers of the segment: you don't need an appointment. "Tickets are at the door only, but you can walk in that day, get tattooed that day," Tyler said. He recommended booking ahead only if you've found a specific artist whose work you love: "It's better to try to schedule an appointment with them before the convention, just so you know that you're getting in. But there's going to be a number of artists that are going to be taking walk-ups. They'll have flash pieces on the table pre-drawn."

The artists — local pride first

Roughly 70% of the lineup is local or regional, with the farthest traveler coming from Hawaii. But Tyler, a Hardin County native, was clearest about who he wanted to spotlight: the local shops. He named Black Heart Tattoo Company — which is sponsoring the event — along with Love and Devotion, Historic Tattoo, Baldies, Sacred Eagle, the Pink Toadstool, and Secret Lotus. "I love just the community around here," he said. "I'm native, born here in Hardin County, so I always like to bring all of them together."

More than ink: competitions, food, and oddities

Each day brings different tattoo competitions, where artists enter fresh or healed pieces by category and a winner takes home a plaque. "It's a good way to just kind of showcase everyone," Tyler said. On the food side, he singled out Primal Craft Dogs and their craft hot dogs as one he's excited for. And among the vendors is a standout: a seller of oddities whose booth, Let's Bug Out, offers "all kinds of wet and dry specimens" — and who actually makes the event's trophies. "If you couldn't have made it to the oddities expo up in Louisville earlier this month, this is definitely a chance to scratch that itch," Tyler said.

The bigger goal

Tyler's hope is that the festival becomes a yearly fixture. "I'm really hoping that we make this a yearly thing, just kind of like an established event in the community," he said, pointing to how much the downtown entertainment district has grown. "I hope this kind of gets everybody walking around... patronize some of the local businesses while you're out there, maybe waiting on your appointment."

Closing out, Jon gave him 15 seconds to win over anyone on the fence. "This is an event for anybody," Tyler said. "If you don't like tattoos, if you just like the art, come on down. This is a great meeting spot for everybody from all walks of life. Whether you're getting something tattooed that's super meaningful or just something silly — even if you're on the fence about that first one, it'll mean something to you at some point in your life."

The festival is on Facebook and Instagram as E-Town Tattoo and Food Festival.