INK-N-IRON, A True Festival Experience

Just because you’re slathered in SPF 50, covered in insect repellant, have pissed in a Port-A-Potty and somewhere a band is playing it doesn’t mean it’s a festival.  It just means it’s summer. The term festival is used for virtually every event involving live music events outdoors.

Recently I attend INK-N-IRON in Long Beach, California. and enjoyed 3-days of sensory overload. INK-N-IRON is a true festival experience that certainly has music as an important element, but that element supports everything else that is going on, rather than dominating.

INK-N-IRON is a celebration of kustom kulture, Americana and the art of rebellion.  A diverse and passionate group of tens of thousands of people make the pilgrimage to Long Beach: Latinos in cuffed Levis and greased hair, punk rockers with pink Mohawks, custom bike builders with pompadours, sexy babes, Suicide Girls, hot rod enthusiasts in mechanic shirts, rockabilly hipsters and pin-up babes.  Collectively they are the heart of the experience.

This eclectic group of trendsetters all come to INK-N-IRON to explore and experience vintage collectibles, hot rods and kustoms, burlesque, art shows, fashion, 280 of the best tattoo artists in the world, pin striping, pin-up contest, BBQ, beer, hundreds of vendors selling amazing hand crafted merchandise, and – of course – an incredible lineup of music.

Tagged as: americana, burlesque, construction, custom culture, diy culture, element, experience, festival, festivals, ink, Ink-N-Iron, iron, kustom, kustom kulture, live music, long beach, music, pin striping, pin-up, rebellions, tattoo, true, visual arts

This post was written by...

Jon Maurice – who has written 7 posts on Javelin Experiential.

Exec. Creative Director: lover of hot rods, pop culture, and American literature | Food Network junkie