Sparkling finale

AN ESTIMATED 250,000 people witnessed the closing fireworks display of the Edinburgh Festival.

The spectacular finale lit up the night sky accompanied by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra from Princes Street Gardens after a hugely successful international festival and fringe.

There were 2.45 million Fringe tickets sold, the largest number ever issued, for 50,266 performances across the capital during the last month.

The figures revealed a 7.7 per cent year-on-year increase, with four venues alone accounting for the sale of 1.3 million tickets as they broke records for the event.

The International Festival made more than £4 million in ticket sales for the first time.