It took more than 2,500 glasses of wine and enough gaffer tape to go round edge of the city.

But this year's Brighton Festival has been declared the best ever with tickets sales at their highest in the event's 39-year history.

Even cloudy skies failed to turn away the crowds with visitors from as far afield as Bangladesh booking up seats for sell-out performances between May 7 and May 29.

Festival chief executive Nick Dodds said: "We sold more than 80 per cent of the tickets for over 350 events which is the highest number ever.

"Critically it was a great success and audiences voted with their feet.

"We have never commissioned so much new work or featured so many world premiers."

More than 400,000 people attended shows during the festival and the Fringe with many events selling out in advance, including Dirty Wonderland at the Grand Ocean Hotel in Saltdean and the world premier of Ed Hughes' contemporary score for Battleship Potemkin at the Engineerium, Nevill Road, Hove.

The Festival Fringe also reaffirmed its reputation as the largest event of its kind in the country with a total of 437 different events, including music, literature, dance and comedy, staged at a record number of 194 venues across the city.

The Dome box office recorded a 25 per cent increase in sales for ticketed events during the Festival Fringe.

Fringe co-ordinator Holly Payton said: "People are saying the Fringe made a real impact on the city this year and companies, artists and audiences have been coming from further afield especially to see fringe events.

"We want even more people to come next summer and it is about making shows accessible and having good ticket prices."

A survey into the economic and cultural impact of the festival carried out last year showed the event generated £20 million for the city.

The report, commissioned by Brighton and Hove City Council, Arts Council England South East and Brighton Festival Society, also showed that for every £1 spent on tickets, an additional £22.26 went on meals, drinks, hotel accommodation, shopping and taxis.

But with more world premiers and specially-commissioned shows in 2005, organisers now want to boost the festival's national and international reputation in time for its 40th anniversary.

Mr Dodds said: "We are trying to make the city a hub for national and international culture and for the publication of our programme to be an eagerly-awaited announcement.

"Forty is a big year, a chance to take stock and celebrate achievements of the past but, more importantly, look forward.

"We want the festival to become a trailblazer where creative genius can be put together with an adventurous audience."