Are any Northern Ireland shows out of the festival?

The Edinburgh Fringe is where many young artists from Northern Ireland go to make their name.

However, some local artists said the rising costs of performing there were a major limitation.

The festival, which runs until August 26, is in its 77th edition and will feature almost 4,000 different shows.

Local artists told BBC News NI they hope the Edinburgh Fringe Festival will allow Northern Ireland to “showcase its talent”.

Hit shows like Baby Reindeer, Fleabag and Nanette all started out on the Fringe.

Up-and-coming artists will compete for the attention of bookmakers and promoters, as well as facing rising festival costs.

The price of accommodation in particular, it is said to have tripled since 2019.

A Northern Irish comedian said the costs were “disgusting”.

John Meagher, who presents The Divil’s Own on BBC Radio 4, said the festival was “not accessible” to working-class artists.

The Newry comedian, who will perform a solo stand-up show at the Fringe for the first time this year, believes the costs associated with the Fringe, especially rent, make it difficult for working class performers like himself to participate.

John noted that in an attempt to save money, many of his colleagues share rooms with strangers during the festival.

“It takes a lot of privilege to do the whole month,” Mr. Meagher said.

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival has been contacted for comment.

Northern Irish playwrights Orla Graham and Kirby Thompson faced similar financial challenges.

“The financial barriers you face are insane,” said Kirby, who is attending the Fringe for the first time.

“It’s very difficult and very expensive,” she added.

Vittorio Angelone, who has already been nominated for the 2022 Fringe Newcomer award, told BBC News he was “extremely blessed” to be able to perform at the Fringe, thanks in large part to his aunt and uncle in Edinburgh who put him up during the Festival.

“I know people who sold out their shows and left owing two thousand,” Vittorio said.

“It can be exclusionary,” he added.

The Belfast comedian highlighted that many artists have day jobs where they continue to work remotely during the Festival, which could have an impact on their performance.

Despite the economic barriers, John, Orla and Kirby say the cost is worth it.

“I grew up in a housing project,” John said.

“I never went to university. I saved up all year, this is the money I would have spent on a degree.

“I’m investing in myself,” he added.

For John, stand-up comedy was a lifelong dream.

Growing up in a household with two blind older brothers, stand-up offered a form of entertainment accessible to the whole family.

John’s stand-up show, Big Year, runs through August 26 at the Gilded Balloon Patter House.

For Orla and Kirby, the Fringe is an opportunity to introduce their play to a wider audience.

Float is about a group of young women living together in Belfast and how they deal with the aftermath of a sexual assault.

“We ask ourselves, ‘What makes us angry?'” Kirby said.

“We keep coming back to being a woman trying to exist, and there are all these different things preventing you from having this chaotic experience of just being a girl in her twenties living with your friends.”

Orla, in turn, hopes that the play “will encourage people to talk about things they would never talk about or would be afraid to discuss.”

Orla and Kirby’s play, Float, opened August 1 at the Assembly Roxy.

Vittorio, however, suggested that performing at the Fringe may be losing some of its importance for comedians.

“He’s not the star maker he once was,” says the Belfast man.

“The internet doesn’t depend on gatekeepers. That’s the way forward,” he added.

Vittorio’s stand-up show, Off the Cuff, takes place from August 2nd at Monkey Barrel Comedy.