MUMBAI: TLC is all geared up to bring a tattoo festival in partnership with Indian and international artists. The TLC Heartwork Tattoo festival will take place in Delhi from 2– 4 December at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. The festival aims to bring together the tattoo industry, artists and equipment suppliers and make tattoos accessible and mainstream.

It will play host to the biggest artists from England, Spain, Russia and Netherlands in addition to tattoo gurus from India. Some of the biggest names in the world of body art known for their skill and distinctive styles, will be present at the festival - Jay Freestyle from the Netherlands, StepanNegur from Russia, Bez 666 from the UK, Fabrice Koch from Germany, etc.

“TLC has always been ahead of the curve in setting trends amongst the youth. We made tattoos and tattooing popular with ourshowsand this festival is a natural progression. We have aided the growth of tattoo culture and the festival brings the art form to the mainstream and makes it accessible to a large group of people," said Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific (South Asia) VP female and family entertainment products Rajiv Bakshi.

Creative Skin Graphics director and festival organiser Lokesh Verma added, “Our first introduction to tattoos was watching artists and their work on TLC. The industry has come a long way since then and tattoos have gained wider acceptance. With the festival we want to promote the culture of tattooing by giving people access to international artists and standards.”

The festival will also host music bands and acts by various other entertainers as they take over the stage at regular intervals to keep visitors engaged. There will also be competitions every day as artists vie for the best tattoos in various categories.