PRESS ASSOCIATION -- Edinburgh Festival Fringe organisers have celebrated an "incredibly successful event" as it closed with a record number of tickets issued.
The Fringe Society said an estimated 1,877,119 tickets were given out over the three and a half week festival.
This compares to 1,829,931 issued over the course of the 2010 event.
Comedian Al Murray, magician Paul Daniels and dance group Flawless were among those to feature at this year's fringe, while Hollywood star John Malkovich directed actor Julian Sands in a play celebrating the work of Harold Pinter.
This year the fringe boasted a bigger line up than ever before, with 2,542 shows across 258 venues.
An estimated 21,192 performers took to the stage, compared to 21,148 in 2010.
Kath M Mainland, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said: "I am delighted to announce this year has been another incredibly successful event. The courage and creativity of the thousands of individuals that participate in this unique, world-class event are what make this such an inspiring and important festival.
"That almost 1.9 million tickets have been issued for this great festival, as well as the many, many people who have experienced the free non-ticketed performances is a great testament to the resilience of the world's largest arts festival.
"The Fringe's committed, loyal and risk-taking audiences have this year enjoyed another exciting, exhilarating, challenging and entertaining month in Edinburgh."