THIS year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe - the 64th - has recorded record attendances with more than 1.9 million tickets sold - something that will come as no surprise to those of us who braved the crowds of the Royal Mile in an effort to see performances from some of the most cutting edge companies in British theatre with 40,254 performances of 2,453 shows in 259 venues writes liz davies.

Speaking about the success of the 2010 festival chief executive, Kath M Mainland said: "Audiences have come to know the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as the place to see every kind of art; from the most imaginative children's theatre to topical and incisive comedy and theatre which challenges audiences to discuss and re-consider their world. Edinburgh is without doubt the world's leading festival destination and audiences continued to be inspired and enthralled by the many and varied events on offer."

This year's fringe programme boasted 2,453 companies and more performances than ever before with the The Fringe High Street Events team registering some 662 acts from street performers to buskers and fringe performers.

Among the famous fringe faces this year were Gyles Brandreth, Carol Ann Duffy, Abi Titmuss, Simon Callow, Caroline Rhea, Jennifer Coolidge, Arj Barker, Paul Merton and star spotting as always was a sport among attenders - my own effort wasn't exactly stellar - but I did manage to notch up comedian,writer and chef Hardeep Singh Kohli and Hannah Gordon, which although may not have ranked as highly as sitting behind Ronnie Corbett last year did place me fairly highly on the boasting table...second only to the local theatre marketing manager who won bragging rights by managing to sit next to crime writer Ian Rankin in the city's famous Oxford Bar.

While the performances are at the heart of the fringe, it is the atmosphere that truly makes it memorable.

Few festivals take over their host city so completely in fact the fringe has a 75 per cent market share of all attendance at Edinburgh's year-round festivals and annually generates around £75 million for the Edinburgh economy meaning that despite the disruption it's a popular feature of the annual calendar.

It also appears to be one which isn't weather dependent. After braving the rain for last year's visit, I had packed for the cold and wet this year only to find Scotland basking in the closest we've come to Summer this year, much to the disgust of the local taxi drivers.

"We were all doing really well last year," one disgruntled driver told me. "It was pouring with rain every day and everyone was looking for taxis to take them from show to show. This year the sun is out and everyone wants to walk."

"I've been sitting here all morning and you're my first punter and you only want to go to the airport to go home so you're no investment," he added weaving his way through the rush hour traffic.

Of course, the simple fact is that rain or shine there's nowhere like Edinburgh and nothing quite like the Edinburgh Fringe. It's manic, loud, brash, frantic and frenetic but there is a buzz to it that I haven't experienced anywhere else. If you are a fan of theatre, of dance, of comedy or of art come next August pack your bag and head north...you won't be sorry.

With dozens of shows to chose from here's a taste of just some that may be heading to a theatre near you in the coming months.

Apparently now a fringe institution, The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre this year turned their wobbly eyes to the world of television.

Doubtless inspired by an appearance on The One Show, the footwise duo double entendred and sideswiped their way through the evening taking merry liberties with everything from Alan Titchmarsh to Jane Austen as they struggled to come up with that all elusive format which would catapult them to television fame and fortune.

It may well be unashamed corn with the odd splash of wit thrown in but equally it is the sort of good natured japery which makes the fringe exactly what it is.

The story telling abilities of the popular Theatre of Widdershins company led by storyteller Andy Lawrence are well known among theatregoers and for this production the imaginative company turns to the Arabian Nights stories for its inspiration.

With an imaginative set and beautifully made and operated puppets the three 'lost' stories unfold and take the audience on a journey of wonder through bustling bazaars, deep oceans and endless deserts peopled by noble genies, duplicitous thieves and talking donkeys.

While there were moments when the stories didn't quite live up to the sets or indeed hold the attention of the younger elements of the audience and for me the stories themselves were not quite up to scratch this is storytelling to remember.

If the Georgian splendour of The Dome on George Street - a former bank headquarters and now a stylish restaurant - makes it one of the most elegant venues on the fringe circuit, then the twists and turns of An Evening with Elsie Parsons makes it one of the most intriguing.

Starring Lorraine Chase - yes, she of Luton airport fame - and Mike Burns as a pair of questionable psychics, the productions sets out to explore the nature of mediumship and what it lacks in substance it makes up for in likeability.

When Ms Chase steps out of character at the end of the performance to explain that the play is a work in progress the brave move endears her to the audience and helps forgive a multitude of sins.

An Evening with... is an intriguing piece which follows the short term fortunes of a pair of mediums who may or may not find themselves in dangerous territory during a seance.

This is a play which shows great potential, but for me at least is not yet quite sure whether its fish, fowl or good red meat. Part music hall, part comedy and part psychological thriller it does not sit comfortably enough in any genre to fully convince and yet there is something in it which made me desperately want to like it and to see it work. In short it needs to go back to the drawing board because there really is a good play in there somewhere.

Telling the fact based story of two lighthouse keepers responsible for the operation of the isolated Smalls lighthouse off the Welsh coast, Keepers is a frank yet often comic look at the rigours of isolation.

With some lovely set pieces the two actors immediately establish the location of their play as they battle the elements struggling the maintain their grip on reality and their remote spot of land.

Both actors have faultless mime skills which make their recreation of the lighthouse appear simple and the near perfect use of music and sound add to the production immeasurably.

If there was the odd moment when the plot rambled, the drama of the situation soon brought it back into perspective and the simple elegance of the entire set up was a delight.

This production is set to tour to Wales this year and it is certainly one to look out for.

If you are apt to blanche at the use of bad language or falter at the mere thought of the seamier side of life then give Hit Me - The Life and Rhymes of Ian Dury a wide berth...in fact don't even pick up the flyer because any play whose opening scene is made up almost entirely of every four letter word I've ever heard and I few I haven't is just not going to be for you.

If however you have a broad mind and an interest in the life and music of Ian Dury then don't miss this show when it visits Wales soon.

Telling the intriguing story of the enduring relationship between Ian Dury and his friend and tour manager 'Spider' Rowe, the production gives an insight into the complex working of the musician's mind at pivotal times in his life.

In turn challenging, rude and ultimately tragic Hit Me is a play for any Billericay Dicky with an eye for a good story and an ear for a good tune.

In the unlikely event that Jacobite Country should ever venture out of Scotland be warned...do not on any account go to see it. Billed as a new comedy the weary tale of Haggish McSporran and Craiturface two inmates of a Glasgow asylum is at best coma enducingly boring and at worse...well I just don't want to go there.

Apparently aiming to explore the question of Scottish identity it seems to be blunt that keeping Jacobite Country in its place could just be what Hadrian's Wall was build for.

Where else but at the fringe could you find a musical comedy about an illegal immigrant who keeps his late grandfather in a box of dry ice in the hope that he can eventually be resurrected? This is the unlikely premise behind one of the surprise hits of the fringe The Not So Fatal Death of Grandpa Fredo.

Packed with good tunes and good uncompromising fun, the production which boasts one of the most charmingly twisted endings possible, is set in the American town of Reliance Falls which finds itself unwittingly at the centre of a national scandal when it mayor and her sidekick police detective discover environmentalist Fredo's chilling - or chilled - secret.

It's not politically correct but it is a laugh!