By SHN ROSS THE Edinburgh International Festival has posted its highest-ever box office takings with ticket sales up a healthy 7 per cent on last year, organisers said yesterday.

VISITORS to Princes Street Gardens will be treated to a free Military Tattoo performance next week. Musicians, singers, dancers, percussionists and acrobats from all over the world will gather next Thursday at the Ross Theatre for the Royal Bank of Scotland's Taste of the Tattoo.

By Sue Gyford RAMPAGING Vikings on skis bearing flaming torches, a giant dancing lion, and a lone Spanish guitarist - it's just another year at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

By John Gibson PRODUCER Major-General Euan Loudon had got back from checking out the fledgling Basel Tattoo just in time to brief the press in the Castle about the programme for the 59th edition of the Edinburgh original. You could tell he'd been in Switzerland.

By GARETH EDWARDS A SPECIALLY commissioned fanfare is to open every show of this year's Edinburgh Military Tattoo, it was revealed today. Organisers this morning unveiled the official programme for the event, which will feature more than 1000 performers from around the world.