LULA.XYZ ANNOUNCES“EDINBURGH FRINGE WITH SPICE”A DEDICATED BROCHURE AND MARKETING INITIATIVE FOR ALL ARTISTS OF COLOUR
Edinburgh Fringe with Spice is a brand new pilot initiative launched at Edinburgh Fringe 2025 to spotlight Global Majority and non-white artists at the festival. Spearheaded by LULA.XYZ, she will lead a series of programmes with the support from City of Edinburgh Council, Underbelly and Fringe of Colour.
‘Our aim is to increase diversity in audiences at the fringe. We want to make sure the communities we write about are in the room’ says LULA.XYZ.
The digital brochure is available online immediately with a printed version to be available on Thursday.
The initiative has multiple elements designed to counter the negative bias of non-white stories and address the overwhelmingly white audience demographic of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, covered in both The Guardian and The Stage. With almost 4,000 shows programmed fewer than 10% centre Artists of Colour, according to the Fringe of Colour database. And ‘whilst it’s easy to complain, I chose to celebrate those of us who are here representing against all the odds’ LULX.XYZ adds.
LULA.XYZ is piloting the following actions for 2025:Edinburgh Fringe with Spice: A dedicated brochure of all shows by non-white artists, created with the support of the Fringe of Colour database. This has only been possible thanks to the support from The City of Edinburgh Council, Culture and Wellbeing Service, Diversity and Inclusion Fund
- OommoO.xyz: A public facing centralised digital space where Global Majority Shows are spotlighted, and audience reviews drive discovery. Designed to widen the frame of feedback and capture what the press misses. Real, unfiltered feedback from the people who matter most, those who have paid to see the work.
- 200 tickets have been bought for the global majority shows programmed by Underbelly to be distributed to new audiences. Providing active outreach at no cost to the artist (in partnership with Underbelly). Initially started by Fringe of Colour 2019, with LULA.XYZ picking up the baton in 2025.
Whilst there are a lot of initiatives actioned for the purpose of access and audience development to address some things, we believe outreach should not be the responsibility of the artists/companies.
Jodie Adams, senior programmer for Underbelly said:
“The Edinburgh Fringe With Spice Initiative is a crucial new scheme from pioneering artist LULA.XYZ, building on the work of Fringe of Colour to ensure Global Majority artists and audiences are giving visibility and support at what is still an overwhelmingly white festival. Underbelly are delighted to be presenting Lula’s shows and to be supporting this initiative by donating free tickets to community groups at no cost to the artists, enabling them to see shows by Performers of Colour that they may otherwise not have seen. By boosting visibility to the Edinburgh Fringe With Spice brochure and website wherever possible we are hoping to encourage everyone across the festival to check out and support the work of all these fantastic artists and help amplify their voices.“
LULA.XYZ said:
“As an artist, my work speaks to more than the usual theatre goer, it is a gateway for communities who traditionally think theatre is not for them. Knowing that, I do a lot of outreach to engage the communities I write about. For a lot of them, my work would have been their first theatre experience and as a byproduct of that, they want to see more but this environment has not been accessible. Audiences that want to engage with global majority stories can’t find us. There has been no easy way to navigate through it all. So I decided to do something about it.”
About LULA.XYZ
LULA.XYZ is an award winning multidisciplinary artist working at the intersection of theatre, music and technology. Described as ‘the future of new storytelling’ she received an Oram award and is gaining recognition for her innovation and cultural impact.
Credits include: I AM – One of many, many of One (Summerhall, Underbelly), I AM – A Walking Universe (Summerhall, Underbelly), Punk Alley (Southbank Centre), Parakeet (Boundless Theatre), Rapunzel (Wicked Productions), Journeys Beyond (Eclipse Theatre).
She has created the audio/visual installation Everyone is a Storyteller (Upswing) and North Star Fading (Positive Negative) which was nominated for an Inspiration award. Her film credit is the title role of Semret (Cinedokki), winner of Best Narrative Feature Award at Montreal International Black Films Festival and official selection of Locarno Film Festival.
Website: https://lula.xyz/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lula.xyz / @LULA.XYZ
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lulamebrahtu/
ABOUT FRINGE OF COLOUR
Fringe of Colour was founded in 2018 in response to the scarcity of shows by People of Colour at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and the disproportionate promotion and support they receive in comparison to productions by white performers.
LISTINGS FOR LULA.XYZ
I AM – One of many, many of One Iron Belly, Underbelly 66 Cowgate, Edinburgh EH1 1JX Preview 31st July 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 19, 21, 23 August 2025
Tickets from £9 / £15 17:10pm – 18:10pm 60 mins Age 12+ (Guideline)
Event warnings: Contains distressing or potentially triggering themes http://underbellyedinburgh.co.uk/
I AM – A Walking Universe Iron Belly, Underbelly 66 Cowgate, Edinburgh EH1 1JX
Preview 31st July 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24 August 2025 Tickets from £9 / £15 17:10pm – 18:10pm 60 mins Age 12+ (Guideline) Event warnings: Contains distressing or potentially triggering themes http://underbellyedinburgh.co.uk/
The project began as a database of shows.
Website: https://www.fringeofcolour.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fringeofcolour
About Underbelly at the Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the largest arts festival in the world, and Underbelly is one of its largest venues. With over 160 shows, 2025 saw over 2500 performances take place across its 20 venues and 4 sites – George Square, Circus Hub, Cowgate and Bristol Square. Underbelly showcases the best international work of all genres, and there’s no better place to be in August.
About Underbelly Ltd
Underbelly is a UK-based live entertainment company. Their events and festivals division runs one of the largest operations at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In October 2023, Underbelly established its first permanent venue with the Underbelly Boulevard theatre in the heart of Soho. Elsewhere, Underbelly also produces Christmas in Leicester Square, Skate West End in Hanover Square, West End Live in Trafalgar Square, and Pride in London for Westminster City Council and the Society of London Theatre.
Website: http://underbellyedinburgh.co.uk/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/underbellyedinburgh/ / @underbellyedinburghFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/underbellyedinburgh
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/UnderbellyLtd
About the City of Edinburgh Council
The City of Edinburgh Council is the second largest council in Scotland and the ninth largest in the UK, with a workforce of 19,000 employees and a budget of around £1bn for the financial year 2015/16.
The Council is committed to playing a dynamic role on the local, national and international stage. The Council has a strong commitment to corporate management, a willingness to innovate and a determination to set the highest standards.
The Council plays a central role in shaping the continued success of Edinburgh as a 21st century capital city. Our responsibilities are wide-ranging, from our superb schools through to social work, housing, economic development, parks and green spaces, culture and sport, festivals and events, roads and transport.
About Underbelly
Underbelly is a UK-based live entertainment company. Our events and festivals division operates one of the largest operations at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. With over 160 shows, 2024 saw over 280,000 tickets sold across its 21 venues and 4 sites – Bristo Square, George Square, Cowgate and Circus Hub.
