Kath Mainland, chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said it was "in fantastic health", with more than 1.8 million tickets sold. She said there were also more than 800 free shows at which attendance could not be measured. However, it is only the second time in more than a decade that ticket sales have fallen from the previous year. Sales fell in 2008 due to the disastrous implementation of a new ticketing system. Mainland said, "The Fringe has shown its resilience in responding so positively to the unique challenges of 2012."
Viva La Vida - Musicians across the UK will perform Coldplay's anthemic hit Viva La Vidaas part of the London 2012 Festival finale. The band have agreed to the track being played at 2pm on Sunday 9 September during the Bandstand Marathon. The event will see hundreds of outdoor community concerts taking place simultaneously that afternoon.
Coldplay are one of the star acts of the Paralympic Games closing ceremony in the evening. Frontman Chris Martin said, "It's a great honour for us to be part of the celebrations for the Paralympic Games and it should be a great moment when the bandstands of Great Britain strike up in unison."
Weather Report - Outdoor performances at Liverpool's Mathew Street Festival were cancelled due to strong winds. Organisers said they had no option but to call off the event, which tens of thousands of people were due to attend, for safety reasons. Nearby festival Creamfields in Cheshire was also abandoned over the weekend due to heavy rain and flooding.
No Strings - American Justin Howard, also known as Nordic Thunder, won the 17th annual Air Guitar World Championship in northern Finland. Dressed in a leather Viking outfit, he narrowly beat his rival Aristotle, or Matt Burns from New York. Dutchman Theun de Jong finished third in the competition, which has been held in the Finnish city of Oulu since 1996. The 18 finalists included competitors from Japan, Britain, Russia, Czech Republic and Estonia.
(Jim Evans)
