Huge crowds watch the world's largest annual fireworks display
An estimated 250,000 people packed vantage points across Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife.
An estimated 250,000 people packed vantage points across Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife to see a stunning fireworks display close Edinburgh's festival season.
The event, which featured 400,000 pyrotechnics, is the largest annual fireworks concert in the world.
The display, against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, was choreographed to live orchestral music from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Kristiina Poska.
The annual Virgin Money Fireworks Concert, which provides the finale to the Edinburgh International Festival, commemorated 400 years since the death of William Shakespeare with excerpts from Romeo And Juliet and Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.
It takes a team of 15 people six days to lay out the four tonnes of fireworks for the event, including the famous waterfall which sees fireworks cascading over the castle's rocks.
Festival director Fergus Linehan, said: "At the end of three incredible weeks, all that remains is for us to thank the hundreds of artists and hundreds of thousands of audience members who continue to make the Edinburgh International Festival one of the wonders of the arts world.
"The International Festival has always been a place for people of all nationalities to meet and exchange ideas and we've seen that everywhere across the city these past three weeks.
"In uncertain times, events like this feel ever more important, and we at the International Festival are honoured to have been able to host, inspire, entertain and moreover welcome so many artists and visitors from all over the world to our city."
As well as the Edinburgh International Festival, the Festival Fringe, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Edinburgh International Television Festival and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo all get under way in August making the city a hive of activity with 50,266 performances over 25 days.
Millions of people have visited the city throughout August to watch comedy, theatre and music shows as well as a number of free outdoor performances which mark the peak of the city's year-round festivals calendar and the height of its tourist season.
Almost 2.5 million tickets have been issued for 50,266 Fringe events, an increase of 7.7% on last year, while the Edinburgh International Festival has generated #4 million in ticket sales, surpassing last year's record.
This year marked Shona McCarthy's first as chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe society.
Ms McCarthy said: "In 2016, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has once again been a spectacular success, welcoming performers and audiences from across the globe, and issuing an estimated 2,475,143 tickets.
"We hope that all those who attended ticketed shows, as well as the thousands of people who attended the 643 free shows in the programme, truly enjoyed their Fringe experience.
"The Fringe plays an essential role in the global arts community, providing a platform for artists from around the UK and the rest of the world to showcase their work and make new connections. With 48 countries represented in this year's programme, the breadth and diversity of talent on offer has been astounding.
"We are now looking forward to our 70th anniversary celebrations in 2017 and hope that as many people as possible will join us to mark this fantastic milestone in the history of Edinburgh's festivals."
In 2015, Edinburgh's 12 major festivals generated £280 million of economic impact in Edinburgh and £313 million in Scotland while attracting audiences of more than 4.5 million people - on a par with the Fifa World Cup and second only to the Olympic Games.