For the past 20 years, fans and those in the business of bodypainting have been trekking annually to the promised land and it’s called Austria. It all started back in 1997, when a local tourism organization hired the young Alex Barendregt to create events in the Lake Wörthersee area, and an industry changed forever. An event that started out as a way to create a regional tourism draw, quickly became the passion of its founder, and the heart and soul of the bodypainting industry.

For the 20th anniversary of the event, Alex wanted to create an event that would represent the momentous occasion appropriately. He and his wife Anna, who looks after Artist Relations for WBF, began the planning for a festival to top all others. The biggest change decided on was moving the festival from the small lakeside town of Pörtschach am Wörthersee to the charming city of Klagenfurt. While just 16 km away and still on Lake Wörthersee, the new location provided a very special and unique experience for the more than 24,000 attendees and artists who participated. Klagenfurt rolled out the red carpet for the bodypainting community and it’s wonderful city won all of our hearts.

The central core of the festival was the >> Get the Fall 2017 issue here for more on the World Body Painting Festival

Words Michael DeVellis
Photo Michael DeVellis and World Bodypainting Festival