ON Friday, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and sponsor Virgin Money launched Fireworks Fridays, celebrating the build-up to the Virgin Money Fireworks Concert - the spectacular annual event which brings Edinburgh’s summer festival season to a close.

On Friday past they began with teaser trailers for the event, with graffiti firework designs popping up all across the streets of Edinburgh.

Three more ‘Fireworks Fridays’ will follow on 15th, 22nd and 29th August - with further activity around the city and online competitions. On Sunday 31st August at 9.00pm the Virgin Money Fireworks Concert will bring Festival 2014 to an end in epic style. Over 400,000 fireworks choreographed to live orchestral music will light up the sky against the iconic backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, in what is the largest annual fireworks concert in the world.

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Garry Walker, performs classic favourites including Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, accompanied by an awe-inspiring display created by international firework artists Pyrovision, headed by Keith Webb.

This year Keith celebrates 30 years of working on this much-loved Edinburgh event, having worked on every Festival Fireworks Concert since 1984.

The Virgin Money Fireworks Concert is one of Edinburgh’s favourite annual events, bringing together families, visitors, and communities from across the city and beyond, in the grand finale to Edinburgh’s summer festival season.

Last year around 250,000 people gathered in Princes Street and at vantage points around Edinburgh, Fife and the Lothians, to share in the spectacle.