The Edinburgh International Festival comes to an end tonight with up to a quarter of a million people expected to watch the annual Festival Fireworks Concert from vantage points around the Scottish capital.
The Edinburgh International Festival estimates that this year saw a decrease of around 14% in the box office revenue compared to last year's takings. Approximately 158,500 tickets have been issued and the total box office income was over £2.43 million in 2013 compared to box office revenue of £2.83 million in 2012.
The EIF says overall attendance at this year’s Festival will be over 400,000 with Scottish ticket buyers joined by those travelling to Edinburgh from 66 nations.
This year also saw over 2,200 artists (of which, 800 are Scottish) from 36 nations, compared to 3000 artists from over 47 nations last year.
The EIF said that in 2013 it sold over 80% of all available seats for performances, with nearly half (48%) sold out.
"Artists have joined us from around the world, bringing fresh perspectives on ideas and technologies familiar or strange, old and new," said Festival Director, Jonathan Mills.
"Audiences have flocked to an epic Chinese version of Coriolanus and to intimate late night rare live performances of Stockhausen and Stroppa. We’ve been proud to present numerous world premieres including Leaving Planet Earth and the wonderful showcase of new choreographers in Dance Odysseys. The International Festival has once again brought a mix of large scale, high profile events and artists unfamiliar in the UK, with world premieres, commissions and partnerships which continue to reinforce the Festival’s uniqueness and provide Festival-goers with a magical summer experience. A special thanks must go to all the funders, sponsors and supporters who made this Festival possible."
Over 4,000 people saw the Beijing People’s Art Theatre give a heavy metal laden performance of Coriolanus, while the roll call of EIF talent included Valery Gergiev, Daniil Trifonov, Michael Gambon, Barry McGovern, and Patti Smith reading the poetry of Robert Louis Stevenson.
Young people signed up in their hundreds to access concerts and music events at the Festival for free. In the pilot year of this partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council over 670 young musicians became Young Musicians Passport holders. The most popular events among passport holders were City Noir, La Belle et la Bête and Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
EIF 2013 Replay
Over the autumn the Festival will release a series of audio and video podcasts online showcasing highlights of this year’s programme, and particularly the talks and conversations which explored the ideas and the artists that underpinned it. The Festival will also continue its year round work in Edinburgh’s schools.
Concerts still to be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 include those of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the closing concert from the Usher Hall, Verdi’s Requiem.
The Edinburgh International Festival in 2014 will run from 8 to 31 August and will be launched on Tuesday 11 March 2014.