An annual “poster war” has raged between rival promoters for as long as the festival fringe has been filling Edinburgh’s small theatres and pop-up venues. But now the battleground has shifted. For some, what was once just a simple process of pasting up a silly or striking poster in order to get noticed has been weaponised, as tastes change and sexual politics becomes more controversial. As a result, at this year’s festival, some of the more provocative imagery printed by performers has already been censored or even defaced.
Posters, including those displaying a lineup of bare buttocks, a large pair of breasts, a woman wearing cat paws and a drag queen children’s entertainer have all become embroiled in censorship rows and gender disputes as the festival begins this weekend.
