Edinburgh int'l festival ends with fireworks concert

The 2014 Edinburgh International Festival ended on Sunday night with a splendid fireworks Concert performed by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

The one-hour open-air concert attracted thousands of audience, with many of whom sitting on the grass land at the Princes Street garden at the city center and enjoying the magnificent music accompanied with the grand fireworks over the Edinburgh Castle.

It was the final event of Edinburgh International Festival Director Jonathan Mills, who ended his eight year tenure for the Festival since 2007.

The highlights of the 2014 Festival included The James Plays, Inala with the South African music and dance, and a much lauded Usher Hall concert series, playing to an 80 percent capacity overall.

This year, the Festival presented over 2,400 artists from 43 nations and achieved an estimated attendance of over 415,000 from 76 nations, according to the Festival press office.

The ticket sales income reached more than 3.15 million pounds (about 5.23 million U.S. dollars), passing the 3 million-pound mark for the first time.

The Festival's outreach and community engagement program in schools, with other artists and companies, and across other public events in the city reached over 2,500 people.

Awareness of the Festival's ticket discounts spread this year and ticket sales among under 18-year-olds and students was up 11 percent on last year.

Mills said: "The true measure of success is the audience's experience and we've received so much great feedback. There has been a fantastic atmosphere at shows across the Festival."

Audiences from Britain and 75 other nations around the world had greeted the artists with huge warmth, he noted, hailing the world's leading artists' creativity and their work.

Mills also wished his successor Fergus Linehan from Ireland the very best in taking the Festival forward into the future.

Founded in 1947, the Edinburgh International Festival has been continually ranked as one of the most important cultural celebrations in the world, with annual programs featuring classical music, opera, theatre and dance of the highest possible standard.