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Friday the 13th Tattoo Flash: How to Fill the Day and the Weeks After
The next Friday the 13th is November 13, 2026, and the one after that is August 13, 2027. To fill the day, start 3 weeks out: publish a flash sheet, decide walk-ins or booked slots, run local ads to people within a short drive, and plan how you will turn flash clients into custom bookings afterwards.
Friday the 13th is one of the few days a year when people actively search for a tattoo shop near them. In the US, searches for "friday the 13th tattoo deals" sit at a few dozen a month, then jumped to about 11,300 in June 2025 and about 9,000 in February 2026, the months with a Friday the 13th (Ahrefs data). The studios that win the day are the ones people already know about before that wave arrives.
Planning another occasion? Use our flash day checklist.
Why it is worth doing
- It brings in first-timers. A small, low-priced flash piece is the easiest yes for someone who has never been tattooed.
- It fills your follower list with locals. Everyone who comes in, or even messages you, is a nearby person who wants a tattoo.
- It creates future custom clients. The real money is not the flash day. It is the 5 to 10 people who come back for a bigger piece in the next 3 months.
The 3-week plan
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 3 weeks out (by Oct 23) | Draw the flash sheet, set the price and the deposit rule, decide walk-in or booked slots |
| 2 weeks out (by Oct 30) | Post the sheet, pin it, film 2 or 3 clips of healed flash from past years or similar pieces |
| 10 days out (by Nov 3) | Start local ads, open bookings if you take them, add a saved reply for Friday 13th DMs |
| Day before | Final reminder post and story, confirm staffing and supplies |
| On the day | Film the queue and a few finished pieces for next time |
| Week after | Message every flash client with your custom-booking link |
The flash sheet
Keep it simple. Around 13 designs is a nice nod to the date and easy to prepare. Stick to small pieces (2 to 3 inches) that each artist can finish quickly, and pre-draw the stencils.
Include a few designs that fit your shop's style, not just the usual black cats and horseshoes. The flash sheet is an advert for your artists; make sure the style someone sees is the style they would come back for.
Pricing and deposits
The tradition started with $13 tattoos, and most shops have long since moved to their own price. Set yours from what a small piece really costs you in time and materials, then round it to something with 13 in it if you like the theme.
Choose one of two models and say it clearly everywhere:
- Walk-ins only. Easiest to run, but you lose people who will not queue. Post live wait times in your stories.
- Booked slots with a deposit. Fewer surprises and no crowd at the door. Take the deposit at booking and deduct it from the price.
Many studios do both: booked slots in the morning, walk-ins in the afternoon.
Local ads that fill the day
Organic posts reach your existing followers. Ads reach people nearby who have never heard of you, which is exactly who a flash day is for.
- Radius: people within about 15 to 25 miles of the studio. Nobody drives an hour for a small flash piece.
- Creative: open on the flash sheet or a finished piece in good light, then the date and how to book. Short vertical video works on both Instagram and TikTok.
- Objective: messages or conversations, not likes. You want people asking "can I book the black cat?".
- Timing: run for 7 to 10 days before the date, with most of the budget in the final 4 days.
As an example of the maths: if you spend $150 and each new conversation costs $5, that is 30 people messaging you about the day. The cost per conversation in your area will differ; the point is to judge the campaign by that number, not by reach. Our Meta ads guide for tattoo artists covers the campaign set-up step by step.
Handling the DM flood
Friday the 13th questions are always the same: price, availability, which designs are left. Write one saved reply before the ads start:
"Hey! Our Friday the 13th flash is [price] per piece, on November 13 from [time]. Morning slots are booked with a [deposit] deposit here: [link]. Afternoon is walk-in. The full sheet is pinned on our profile."
Answer within a few hours during the week before. A message that waits 2 days is usually lost to the shop down the road. More reply templates are in from DM to booked session.
After the day: where the money is
Most studios stop at the flash day. The ones that grow do the follow-up:
- Save every client's contact at check-in.
- Within a week, send a thank-you with a photo of their piece and your custom-booking link.
- Offer a reason to come back, such as a consult slot within the next 60 days.
- Keep the flash clips; they are ready-made ads for the next Friday the 13th in August 2027.
FAQ
When is the next Friday the 13th?
November 13, 2026. After that, August 13, 2027.
How much should Friday the 13th tattoos cost?
There is no standard price anymore. The tradition started at $13, and most shops now set a price that covers their time and materials for a small piece, often keeping 13 in the number as a nod to the theme.
Should a tattoo shop take appointments or walk-ins on Friday the 13th?
Both work. Walk-ins are simpler; booked slots with a deposit avoid crowds and no-shows. Many shops book the morning and keep the afternoon for walk-ins.
How far in advance should I promote a Friday the 13th flash day?
Post the flash sheet about 2 weeks before and start local ads 7 to 10 days before. Most people decide in the final few days, so keep most of the ad budget for that window.