Spring is here, and with it comes every tattoo aficionado’s favorite time of year: convention season.

This spring is especially exciting for tattoo fans in Northeastern Pennsylvania, since the Electric City Tattoo Convention is right around the corner.

Don’t worry — the Weekender’s got you covered. Ink Spot sat down exclusively with Woody Wodock of the Electric City Tattoo Gallery (and creator of the convention) to get the scoop on what to expect from this year’s convention.

“Our main goal is that you don’t need to get tattooed in order to enjoy yourself,” said Wodock.

The convention, being held at the Scranton Hilton for its seventh annual year, is aiming to bring the best in visual arts and body art together under one roof for yet another weekend.

“The idea for the convention initially came from a course I took back in college years ago – convention management,” said Wodock. “As myself and my colleagues got more into conventions – attending them for tattooing and piercing – we began to see how we’d do things differently and the idea was born.”

This year’s convention will be held April 15, 16 and 17 at the Hilton Scranton & Conference Center, 100 Adams Ave., Scranton. The three day event will take place from 3 to 11 p.m. April 15, 12 to 11 p.m. April 16 and 12 to 8 p.m. April 17.

“Many other conventions end around 6 p.m. on Sundays,” added Wodock. “As much as I’d like to head home after a long weekend, for people getting long pieces on Sunday, I’d like for them to be able to get them all finished up rather than halfway done.”

The convention is an all-ages event. For entry, a single day pass costs $15, and a full weekend pass comes in at $40 for the entire three days.

This year’s convention also features a plethora of contests, vendors and booths to cover every walk of life.

“One of the big events we’re hosting this year is the pinup contest,” he said. “We tried to keep it to 10 or 15 very serious pinup models who are serious about what they do.”

“We also have donated prizes to the winners, coming from Armour Beauty and Sourpuss Clothing of Philly,” he added.

Another attraction returning to the convention will be the burlesque show.

“We’re excited to have the burlesque dancers return, as well as a sideshow sword-swallowing show by Amanda April June of Upstate New York,” he added.

But the real pinnacle of the convention is the artists.

This year features artists from up and down the east coast … and beyond.

“We have a great turnout, over 150 artists and over 90 booths from all over the place,” he added. “We’ve grown so much since the beginning, but I think we still have the same quality feel every year.”

If you go:

What: Electric City Tattoo Convention

Where: Hilton Scranton & Convention Center, 100 Adams Ave., Scranton

When: 3 to 11 p.m. April 15, 12 to 11 p.m. April 16 and 12 to 8 p.m. April 17

Additional information: For more information follow the Electric City Tattoo Convention on Instagram @scranton_tatcon or visit the event website at www.electriccitytattoo.com.

Rachel Holly is a correspondent for Weekender. Reach Weekender at wbwnews@civitasmedia.com.

Creator Woody Wodock talks about the evolution of the convention

By Rachel Holly

For Weekender

The Electric City Tattoo Convention will feature over 150 artists.
http://www.theweekender.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_IMG_4819.jpg.optimal.jpgThe Electric City Tattoo Convention will feature over 150 artists. Submitted photo

A burlesque show will be a featured attraction at the Electric City Tattoo Convention.
http://www.theweekender.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_IMG_4820.jpg.optimal.jpgA burlesque show will be a featured attraction at the Electric City Tattoo Convention. Submitted photo