The world's biggest festival has got even bigger.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has announced that an estimated 2,183,591 tickets had been issued for shows and events in 299 venues across the city.

This is 12% more than the overall number of tickets estimated to have been issued by the same point last year.

Last year the Fringe issued 1,943,493 tickets, paid for and free.

Today's figure is the first time the Fringe has broken the two million ticket barrier.

Kath Mainland, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said: "Once again audiences from Edinburgh, Scotland, the UK and across the globe have been exposed to a completely fantastic cultural experience. Over the last 25 days performers, writers and artists have given their all on stages across Edinburgh in a truly international celebration of culture and entertainment.

"On behalf of everyone who visited and enjoyed this year's Fringe, I would like to thank all of the immensely talented and courageous participants who brought their work to the Scottish Capital during August - without them this festival would simply not be possible.

"It's wonderful that after 67 years the Fringe remains the ultimate destination for audiences embrace the arts. With over 2,183,591 tickets issued and many thousands seeing over 706 free shows it seems there is still a huge cultural appetite amongst audiences in Edinburgh and much further afield. In a year that places Scotland on the world stage, the Fringe has once again responded by being the greatest explosion of arts and entertainment on the planet."