Record ticket sales for Edinburgh International Festival

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-32106055

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The opening of the box office for this year's Edinburgh International Festival has seen record sales.

More than £370,000 worth of tickets were sold on Saturday for the world-renowned cultural festival.

An eclectic range of performers including Juliette Binoche, Berlin's Komische Oper and Franz Ferdinand will take part.

This year's event runs from 7 until 31 August and will welcome more than 2,300 participants from 39 countries.

Among the hottest tickets are Ivo van Hove's production of Sophocles' Antigone, starring French actress Juliette Binoche, the Citizens Theatre's production of Alistair Gray's seminal novel Lanark, the Komische Oper and 1927 theatre company's production of The Magic Flute and Budapest Festival Orchestra's The Marriage of Figaro.

Scots band Franz Ferdinand will also team-up with US synth legends Sparks for a hotly-anticipated gig.

About 70% of the first-day ticket sales were recorded online.

From 30 March tickets can be bought at venues including the Edinburgh Playhouse, Festival Theatre, King's Theatre, The Queen's Hall, Royal Lyceum Theatre and the Usher Hall.

A free open air event outside the Usher Hall will open this year's programme.

It will be the first under new director Fergus Linehan.