It is perhaps a little clichéd, and maybe it belongs at the lazier end of the journalistic spectrum during an Edinburgh summer, but I stand by my decision to use this space to gripe about the great failings of the world's largest arts festival.  I can't help but feel that the Edinburgh Festival Fringe seems to have moved so far from it's bright eyed and idealistic beginnings that it no longer resembles even the faintest reflection of it's original purpose.

A less militant observer might perceive my cynicism as purposely overlooking the positive aspects of the Fringe, whilst focusing with unnecessary vigor upon the less palatable elements that might surely be unavoidable when we're dealing with an event of this scale.  Well, personally I can't help but feel that the Fringe office do a very good job in promoting the positive aspects of the festival - indeed it is not the record numbers of performers, shows, venues and events that I take issue with, but the fact that the legendary "Fringe experience" is totally inaccessible to your average person (or perhaps even more importantly, your average Edinburger).

As an interesting sidenote - a few years ago, I was involved in (the very early stages of) trying to take a show to the Fringe.  In order to feature the show at any of the major venues (The Pleasance, Pleasance Dome etc) we would have had to audition in London.  So essentially, the flagship venues in the Fringe have no connection with Edinburgh beyond the physical space they temporarily inhabit, hence the abundance of London based companies.  Now, I appreciate that London is a big place and it is natural that it produces a large chunk of the UK's performers, but it seems crazy that a Londoner can audition to appear at a major Fringe venue on little more than the price of a tube fare, whilst performers who live in Edinburgh must consider trains, planes or overnight buses to the other end of the country (this surely stifles the opportunities of Edinburgh based acts, whilst giving a clear advantage to those in London or the south of England).

The Fringe was originally set up as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival - with a view that Edinburgh needed a more accessible festival which showcased performances on a lower budget to audiences representing a more accurate cross section of society.  An abundance of shows with very cheap ticket prices saw people from all walks of life "doing the Fringe", that is to say - taking in several shows a day over the course of the 3 weeks.  These days of course, the International Festival is a considerably smaller event, long overtaken in size and popularity by the Fringe.  Throughout it's growth, the Fringe has taken every advantage it could - hiking up ticket prices and venue fees - whilst the price of a listing in the official Program could buy you a half decent second hand car.

A glance at this year's program (I really do wonder how much the purple egg design on the front costed), tells you that the average ticket price comes in at somewhere between £7 - 10, though if the act feels it can get more the price arbitrarily rockets upward to £15 or even more!  Fair enough though I hear you say, even the most financially challenged among us can afford seven pounds - well yes, but that's hardly "taking in the festival" is it?  If I were to take in 3 shows a day (even if I ONLY went to the cheap shows), it'd cost me well over £400, and that's not even including a pint here and there, perhaps a sandwich (or a bus).  As for those who would raise the old "most acts at the Fringe don't break even" line as an argument in favor of the costly nature of the festival - they need to realize that these poor people are also victims of what has unfortunately become little more than an extremely profitable corporate venture.  I'm aware that their biggest sponsor 'RBS' has recently fallen on hard times, but the 'Fringe' seems to have become an extortionate and unnecessarily exclusive club.

The simple fact of the matter is that the Fringe is shut to those who do not have large amounts of disposable income to spare.  The festival is aware of this, Edinburgh is aware of this - but rather than do something to change the situation, it revels in it.  Property owners make a killing leasing flats to tourists and performers at extortionate rates, taxi drivers rake in the cash (though they moan about it no end for some reason) taking festival goers from Bristo Square to the Royal Mile and other such unnecessary yet financially lucrative journeys.

There are events like the 'People's Festival' which attempt to reclaim some of the original purpose of the Fringe - but it is almost entirely banished to areas well outwith the city centre, and therefore well beyond the boundaries of even the most adventurous tourists.

I do value the fact that my home town hosts the largest arts festival in the world, and accept that I am likely to see some amazing performances over the next 3 weeks (even if it's only between the St. Brides Centre and The Royal Oak).  But I can't help but wonder (if I could go back to that initial conversation, where the idea of a Fringe festival was first mooted), just how far off track we've gone.  There is more than just a grain of truth behind the assertion that it's a summer holiday for the London arts scene and a tourist attraction beyond the financial means of most Edinburgers.