• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Sun 27 Aug 2006

Today, hundreds of eager Bank of Scotland Fireworks Concert goers queued for the last remaining tickets to the annual spectacular finale to the Edinburgh International Festival. The final allocation of tickets for Princes Street Gardens went on sale this morning at 10.00am from Edinburgh International Festival Hub Tickets, The Hub, Castlehill, Edinburgh.

Upwards of three hundred people – some having camped out in sleeping bags since 1am - joined the queue to secure their tickets for the Bank of Scotland Fireworks Concert which takes place on Sunday 3 September at 9.00pm. Demand was such that all remaining tickets sold out in only ninety minutes.

For those not having secured a ticket for Princes Street Gardens or who are seeking a superb vantage point away from the city centre crowds, the free and un-ticketed Bank of Scotland Family Viewing Area in Inverleith Park is an ideal alternative. Situated in the north of the city, on Arboretum Place, Inverleith Park offers stunning views of Edinburgh’s skyline and to the Castle in particular.

Ensuring that everyone visiting the park enjoys the same fantastic experience, a giant screen will relay the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s performance live from Princes Street Gardens from 8.30pm. Earlier in the day the screen will show a specially commissioned film about the Bank of Scotland Connecting to Music programme. An Edinburgh International Festival initiative sponsored Bank of Scotland, Connecting to Music is designed to help adults and children develop a greater understanding of classical music. Audiences will receive a complimentary concert programme on arrival. The evening’s entertainment begins at 7pm.

Recognised as one of the world’s greatest fireworks concerts, choreographed to a live orchestral performance, this immensely popular event regularly attracts audiences of over 250,000 people viewing from vantage points across the capital.

Scotland’s internationally acclaimed young conductor Garry Walker leads the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in Prokofiev’s passionate and dramatic Romeo and Juliet. Prokofiev’s masterpiece is rich with romantic fervour, wit and ceremony and as a ballet score it has the grace and poise which make it perfect for this concert.

International Fireworks artists Wilf Scott and Keith Webb are designing the pyrotechnic display. It takes their expert team of 15 individuals six days to lay out all the fireworks including the famous waterfall.

The Bank of Scotland Fireworks Concert is the biggest annual event of its kind in Europe with over 100,000 fireworks set off from the Castle. 4.5 tonnes of explosives with well over 150 firing sequences will be used along with up to 200 fireworks in each sequence.

Forth Radio 1 and 2 will be broadcasting the Concert live on the night, enabling members of the public to tune in and experience the full atmosphere of the event from wherever they choose to view it.

Ends

For further information on the concert, members of the public are advised to contact the Edinburgh International Festival Hub Tickets on Tel: 0131 473 2000 / www.eif.co.uk