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.

Fueled by our personal passions, trend research, and decades of experiential brand marketing – we at Javelin have forged a strategic partnership with the creators of Ink-N-Iron, a lifestyle experience celebrating car and tattoo culture with authenticity.  Three days of hotrod/ratrod/streetrod car shows, a traditional 1940’s pin-up pageant, serious musical talent, burlesque and more make this seven year old Long Beach festival “the” gathering place for kustom kulture.  Ink-N-Iron is the Burning Man of authentic retro cool.

The right brands with the right message can deliver an authentic live brand experience to consumers in this culture that reveres iconic Americana.   The impact on mass culture has already achieved critical mass.  Not only are celebrities like Kat Von D, Guy Fieri, & Jesse James deeply immersed, but unexpected brands like Callaway, Restoration Hardware and Sephora have invested heavily in this space and are ahead of the curve.

Javelin will take this world-class experiential program on tour in Summer 2011, offering brands a custom opportunity to reach consumers in a deeply personal way.