The 61st Edinburgh Festival Fringe kicks off on Sunday with a record number of 31,000 performances of 2,050 shows scheduled in 250 venues across the Scottish capital.

The continuing growth of the three-week cultural bonanza – which has doubled ticket sales to more than 1.5m over the past 10 years – has been fuelled by the internet, with half of its tickets now sold on the Fringe’s website, www.edfringe.com.