WHEELING — Breaking Skin Tattoo and Body Piercing of Bridgeport is hosting the Third Annual Resurrection Island Tattoo Convention to be held at Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack this Friday through Sunday showcasing over 150 tattoo artists from across the United States.

The convention will be open to the public noon to midnight Friday and Saturday, and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Weekend passes are only available online at resurrectionislandtattoo.com. Discounted day wristbands are currently available online. This is an all-ages event. Children under the age of 12 are granted free admission.

Convention Coordinator Lexie Lopez states, “This year we have expanded as a result of the support from the community over the last two years. We are so excited that we have added a new area that includes more vendors and artists!”

Ink Masters’ Madison Labelle and Joe Capone will be among artists that will be tattooing live throughout the weekend as well as the queen of realism glitter tattoos, Amanda Graves.

For those wanting to acquire a piece of artwork on site, some artists will have walk up availability with a large variety of tattoos to choose from. If a custom piece is the desire, a consultation and an appointment can be made by contacting the artist of choice prior to the event. All attending artists are listed on the website along with samples of their work.

The weekend will also be filled with entertainment that is included with entry in the Main Showroom. Friday evening the local favorite Tongue N’ Cheek will be taking the stage.

The metal band NeverWake will be performing Saturday evening. The weekend is closing out with Theriaca on Sunday. Attendees will also have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of entertainers daily ranging from sword swallowing to a suspension team as well as the Las Vegas burlesque show of Cervena Fox.

Dennis Gilbert, owner of Breaking Skin Tattoo, said, “I wanted to bring awareness of the professionalism and aseptic techniques of the tattoo industry to the Ohio Valley. Tattooing has become an extremely popular form of self-expression and more accepted over the years. Hosting this convention is a way of showcasing the various styles of this form of art under one roof while giving the community the opportunity to watch the process and become a part of it with nationally known artists.”

Wheeling Island Casino-Hotel-Racetrack is giving away five $400 gift cards to Breaking Skin Tattoo & Body Piercing and a grand prize of a $1,500 gift card to Joe Capone Tattoos. More details can be found at wheelingisland.com.