Queen City Festival
Charlotte, North Carolina- known for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, barbecue, and most likely traffic on I-77. For those who have never been, they often call Charlotte the New York City of the south; with a reputation like that it was natural for us to want to host our next event there. The Queen City Arts & Tattoo festival was three days of family and fun and a variety of entertainment for all.
Did you check your Instagram?
We wanted selfie and photo opportunities for all so, with help from the designers at Associated posters Inc., we could provide guests with a photo-op with tattooing cut out of a very tattooed Alice. Sticking with the Alice in Wonderland theme, there was a 3D art illustration featuring the Mad Hatter and White Rabbit with a plate for visitors to take a picture with. This masterpiece was made from chalk and artist, Chris Carlson. Even at Freshly people could come to take a picture with UFC Champion, TJ Dillashaw. Let’s sum it up by saying this was a picture-perfect occasion.
Music Makes the People Come Together
Ever hear the sound of silence? Not at this Queen City event. We were surprised by the beautiful opera singing of permanent makeup artist, Julie Anne Barnett. To keep things classy we had the mesmerizing music of violinist, D Sharp. The second D Sharp started playing people gravitated closer to the stage, almost hypnotizingly. But there were options for the rockers out there too, Jules the Wulf, a very sought after guitarist played original songs along with a few of our favorites. Dan Nelson was no stranger to the stage either, playing music everyone could headbang to. The closing entertainment was a rap legend, Biz Markie. It’s safe to say that when it came to the music we had a ride range.
Something for everyone
For anyone who attended the event, you could start your day with the strong, exceptional brews of Knowledge Perk’s coffee. A local bar and adult arcade, Abari, offered free games for all ages. Classic Kutz Barbershop provided complimentary cutting and hair styling all weekend. Darion Fleming hand painted a wrapped van with audiences periodically watching. The art gallery gave kids a place to color, craft, and participate in a tea party. Also in the art arena a skilled pumpkin crafter, Brandy Davis, brought pumpkins to life with her detailed Alice inspired creations. She even created a pumpkin version of Absolem, the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland, with real steam coming out of a pipe.
New Beginnings
One major attraction was the work of Essential Aesthetics. At the event, they offered discounted tattoo removal, a raffle for a $300 gift card, and microblading. The main location in Charlotte also offers IPL Photo Rejuvenation, stretch mark treatment, laser hair removal, and other self-image enhancing services. It looked like everyone who approached their booth left feeling more confident.
Seminars
Future and current permanent makeup artists gathered to expand their knowledge of the Perma Blend world. Stacie-Rae Weir spoke about her amazing life-changing work with areola repigmentation. Brow Daddy has the attendees captivated with his Bombre Brow Class. Mandy Sauler articulated in depth about scar camouflage. Will Anthony explained Stretch-niques along with the perfect stretch for eyeliner live demo. Tina Davies expressed in detail about her reliable eyebrow collection and colors. Sheila Bella informed attendees about Social Media Marketing for tattoo artists. Perma Blend excellently executed a seminar on the impressive sciences behind the ink color theory and management series-Watch Your Tone. Additionally, attendants could take the CPCP Certification Exam. To thank all those who participated Perma Blend hosted a luncheon.
People
We had epic entertainers, awesome artists, and a variety of vendors but what really is the heart of a show is the people- the weekend would not have been as great without you- the crowd. Thank you for standing in line and stepping into the festival. We’ll be back again next year. 2019 is approaching and we couldn’t be more excited for the shows we have in store.