Comic faces hundreds of pounds extra costs

 Protesters have started defacing comedians' posters at the Edinburgh Fringe, adding  to the costs performers are paying to be at the festival.

Aaron Twitchen discovered one of his giant promotional posters covered in graffiti which read: 'Boycott the Fringe'.

Posting the image on social media, he said: 'My big expensive banners, defaced before I even arrived.'

The comic says he has already spent around £10,000 to bring his latest show, Himbo, to Edinburgh, explaining: 'I haven’t been to the Fringe for five years, as I’ve been paying off the costs of previous years, and this year could be the last chance I have to come to Edinburgh and do it.

'If people really want me to boycott the Fringe, I wish they had told me back in January, before I spent £10,000!'

Aaron explains that the damaged poster will cost around £90 to replace.

Despite his upset, Twitchn remains philosophical about the situation, saying: 'When I heard that one of my posters had been vandalised, I initially thought that it might have been homophobic comments, so I’m quite relieved that it’s nothing personal against me per se. And at least they got my gender right, "boy" [in 'boy'cott].'

But he added: 'As a gay man I can’t honestly object to any form of protest – without the protests of the past we wouldn’t have things like gay rights and gender equality. Plus, recent protests have seen iconic works of art targeted – such as Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.

'So I’m telling myself that my poster must be pretty iconic to be picked by protesters; I just wish they’d used soup instead of spray paint, it would’ve been easier to clean.'

It's not clear who is behind the vandalism, but some Edinburgh residents have long been vocal about the disruption the festival brings to their city every August.

Published: 30 Jul 2024