The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual feast of classical music, opera, theatre and dance.

The 2009 event, the first under new Festival Director Johnathan Mills, adds an additional 2 days to the event - in a move that allows more people to see many of the exciting shows on offer.

Some highlights of this year's festival includes award-winning Hollywood actor Alan Cumming in The Bacchae and the critically-acclaimed Simon Russell Beale starring in Oedipus Rex. Music from Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Royal Scottish National Orchestra and The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, with exciting dance and opera programmes as well.

To mark the end of the summer festivals on 2 September, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra will perform great American music from Gershwin, Barber, Ives, Copland, Sousa and Bernstein, while the breathtaking Bank of Scotland firework display takes place overhead. Set outdoors in Princes Street Gardens, with the Castle as a stunning backdrop, this is a spectacular finale to the festivals.