/ Poster History – A Colorful Journey Through the Years
Welcome to the Poster History of the World Bodypainting Festival – a vibrant archive celebrating more than two decades of creativity, music, and unforgettable moments. Each poster tells the story of a unique year, capturing the artistic spirit and cultural pulse of the world's most colorful festival.
Over the years, the festival has not only showcased breathtaking body art but has also hosted an impressive lineup of international music acts. From the electrifying beats of Gigi D’Agostino to the high-energy performances of Culcha Candela, Shaggy or Inner Circle, the stages of the Bodypainting Festival have come alive with world-renowned artists.
Dive into our visual history and relive the evolution of an event that continues to blend art, music, and community into a truly global celebration.
/ The World Bodypainting Festival
Milestones of our History
1997
EBF Plan
Inspiration for an event by Veruschka von Lehndorff (Germany, born 1939). She was the world's first supermodel and pioneer in the art of bodypainting.
1997
1998
Foundation
The 1st Bodypainting Festival took place on one weekend, one day each in the 2 villages Millstatt & Seeboden, in Carinthia, the south of Austria.
1999
First Championships
After a bodypainting showcase in a public park in the first year, founder Alex Barendregt decided to create a competition, the European Bodypainting Awards were born.
1999
1999
Action Painting
The Viennese artist Ric Motha entertained the audience with his whip-brush-color-performance.
1999
First Photo Competition
Photography was always an essential part of the festival. The first winner of the photo competition was Werner Köstenberger.
1999
2000
New Categories, new Park
The artists already competed in 2 differente categories. The new location was a bigger park in Seeboden.
2001
Special Effects
A new and exciting category was introduced to the competition. With spectacular special effects there were nearly no limitations in the artists creativity.
2001
2000
First photo catalogue
To bundle all the memories and keep them forever, the photo catalogue was launched for the first time.
2005
First fine art exhibition
The first fine art exhibition took place during the festival week.
2005
2006
Festival TV
We introduced the first professional Festival TV with live video editing and daily reviews on the festival highlights.
2008-2019
Colour Splash Paint Party
As Alex's hotel room got too tight, we moved the aftershow party to the main venue. Colors were flying around after Sebastian Langer from Kryolan had decided to spice up the party with colours. "We need some more paint in here!", by DJ Matt Emulsion was born.
2008-2019
2009
Technical Steps
The technical development in all areas of the festival let us do the first flight of a drone. The jury got a special programed software to vote electronic.
2010 R.i.P
Last Festival in Seeboden
With a very atmospheric festival and a huge fireworks on the lake it was time to say goodbye from Seeboden. Politics and problems in the neighborhood forced us to look for a new venue.
2010 R.i.P
2011
New Location
The first year in the new venue Pörtschach at the lake Wörthersee, only a 45 min. ride away from the old venue was domineted by big emotions, turquise water and spectacular shows such as some great music acts (Shaggy).
2013
Installation Art Award
Artists have done installation art projects at the WBF some time before, but in 2013 we introduced another new cateogry, the Installation Art Award. 7 categories were already present at that time.
2013
2015
Make-up Battle
After introducing a new make-up category in 2014, we created another new format for make-up artists, a special live on stage award, the WBF Make-up Battle
2017
Reflection time, new venue
Shortly after the 19th edition, a reflection time came. In the end, we didn't give up and got an option for a new venue, Klagenfurt, that gave us new possibilities with all of their cultural institutions.
2017
2018
WBF Art Partner
After the first year in Klagenfurt we were connecting to many interesting institutions and partners. The festival week was full of opportunities for artists to present their art in galleries and museums.
2020
The COVID pandemic
This positive euphoria for the WBF 2020 was suddenly stopped. Everything changed in one day. Our initally small idea to organize a reduced live festival and an online contest turned into a hybrid mega event with 600+ participants from 55 nation in 17 time zones.
The FIRST World Championships (anywhere in the world) in Covid times that went from a live into an online format.
2020
2021
Double Edition Mag
Because we had no more funding and the pandamic ruled our lives, we decided to combine the magazine #23 & #24 into the first double edition.
2021
World Championships in Camouflage
In the 24th year of existance, we are introducing a brand new format, the World Award in Camouflage Bodypainting. The plan was already in 2020 but due to the COVID pandemic we had to postpone it to 2021. We are welcoming artists from 50+ nations in 14 different categories, plus additionally awards for photography, the model award and a DJ award.
2021
2022
25 Years Anniversary
The 25th anniversary was the first full Live Event after the COVID pandemic. Back in the beautiful Goethepark in Klagenfurt a worldwide community celebrated almost like back in the old days. The russian attack on the Ukraine had also a big effect on the festivals participants, costs in travel and infrastructure. Dispite the big loss of money for the organisation, we organized a big fundraiser to help a hopital in the ukraine by financing emergancy cars.
#wbf25years - it is the END of a story, and the beginning of a new one.
2023 - 2024
Moving into an indoor location
Generation Next was announced in 2022 and from 2023 we moved into an indoor location. The WBF always had to adapt to new situations and challanges. It showed in 2022 already how hard Covid hit us as a community and event organizer. Keep on fighting for our community was our goal.
The Exhibition ARENA in Klagenfurt should be the beginning of a new format. We decided to focus on the artform with photography and videography. Big music concerts and headliners were not part of the new plan. The indoor location gave contestants a very equal and fair basis for the contest. Amazing works were presented and captured.
The original spirit of the WBF as an outdoor event was missing, the contest though got a higher quality and the layout was benefitial for the World Awards.
2023 - 2024
2025
WBF splits up
When we launched the World Bodypainting Festival in 1998 we didn’t expect that this will last for years nor for decades. We have been faced with challenges during the 27 years. In 2025 we will have a break of the usual festival format.
Instead of the traditional single-location festival, we will take our vibrant community on a journey, celebrating art, culture, and connection in some of the super inspiring locations.
The special thing about the World Championships is that they are hosted in various host cities throughout the year, while there is still only one World Champion Title in each category.
2025
WBF Italy 2025
The first World Championship of this new series startet with the WBF Italy edition in Sterzing. The medieval town of Sterzing/Vipiteno became the breathtaking stage for participants from around the world competed in the World Award Camouflage.
2025
2025
WBF Finland 2025
On October 19, 2025, Helsinki became the second stage for an extraordinary showcase of artistry and imagination as the World Championship of the World Bodypainting Festival took center stage in the Creative Make-up category along with the Nordic Awards in Bodypainting.
2026
WBF Spain 2026
The first World Bodypainting Championships in 2026 is the WBF Spain in Aguilas in the category Bodypainting and Show during the famous Carnaval de Aguilas in Spain.
2026
