Festival on the march to a record-breaking year as shows sell out

Published on Sunday 3 May 2009 22:11

ORGANISERS of Edinburgh's flagship festival yesterday revealed it was on track for another record-breaking year, with box office takings already past the £1 million mark.

"Sold out" signs have been posted for a string of major shows at the Edinburgh International Festival, despite criticism over the way its programme is being promoted in the Year of Homecoming.

Last year's Festival was said to have been the most successful in its history, with the box office eventually notching up more than 2.6 million.

But Festival officials revealed yesterday that sales were "holding up well" in the wake of a record-breaking first day last month.

Almost two-thirds of tickets sold this year have been sold online, more than ever.

The news emerged as organisers of the capital's science festival, staged last month, claimed they had just enjoyed one of the most successful years in the event's 21-year history.

Officials at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, meanwhile, said they were "quietly confident" of posting their 11th successive sell-out this summer.

Overall takings for the 2008 Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) were up more than seven per cent on the previous year, while overseas bookings rose three per cent compared to the 2007 Festival.

More than a third of events at last year's Festival sold out.

But the Festival has already had to issue alerts to potential ticket-buyers over the past few weeks warning of limited availability for shows.

Among the hottest sellers are a host of events inspired by the Festival's controversial Homecoming theme – celebrating the 18th-century Enlightenment period in Edinburgh.

A spokeswoman for the Festival said: "

Our first day of sales set a new record for takings on one day and we took our first million within the first couple of days of public sales.

"Bookings are coming in from across the UK and around the world and are very similar to previous years at this stage.

"Given the economic situation and uncertain markets the Festival is tracking well."

Among early sell-outs are virtuoso pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja's performance at the Queen's Hall, the Lewis Psalm Singers concert at Greyfriars Kirk and the flagship opening concert of Handel's Judas Maccabaeus at the Usher Hall.

Just a handful of tickets are said to remain for the closing gala, The Dream of Gerontius at the Usher Hall, Welsh baritone Bryn Terfel at the same venue, and the multi-Grammy award-winning Emerson String Quartet at the Usher Hall.