Ticket sales for the BBC Proms have broken records as preparations continue for the legendary Last Night event on Saturday.

The event raised more than �3.6 million for the first time through ticket sales for the 73 main Royal Albert Hall concerts.

Despite higher prices, ticket sales are estimated to be about 260,000, with more than half of all the concerts a sell-out.

This year's Proms have gone well

For the main evening concerts an average 86% of tickets have been sold and all of the Monday lunchtime Chamber Proms sold out completely.

This year's last night on Saturday will be a return to the usual pomp and pageantry with Henry Wood's Fantasia on British Sea Songs a highlight.

Leonard Slatkin will lead the BBC Symphony Orchestra for a rousing second half featuring Land of Hope and Glory, Jerusalem and the National Anthem.

The Proms also featured "Composer Portraits", Poetry Proms, the Proms Lecture, more than 30 pre-Prom talks, and five BBC Proms in the Park events around the UK including the first Prom in the Park in Belfast and the brand-new BBC Blue Planet Prom in the Park.

Overall there will have been more than 340,000 attendances at BBC Proms events between 19 July and 15 September.

Spontaneous broadcast

The Proms are reaching out to America again this year with US National Public Radio broadcasting 12 concerts attracting up to two million listeners.

It will again broadcast this year's Last Night of the Proms live, coast-to-coast, following its spontaneous decision last year to broadcast the more sombre Last Night which followed the 11 September attacks.

Nicholas Kenyon, Director of the BBC Proms, said: "It is fantastic that the BBC Proms continue to grow, and continues to be valued by a huge audience, live and on air.

"Our sense of adventure in the repertory has been as great as ever, and through digital and online broadcasts we are exploring new ways of communicating with our audiences.

"The pessimists are wrong. Classical music is flourishing, especially at the Proms."