Digital animations will be projected on to the side of Edinburgh Castle during the opening of the International Festival.

Scottish rock band Mogwai will provide a special soundtrack for Deep Time, which will chart the city's history and take place on Sunday, August 7.

On Monday, organisers of the festival announced the details of the opening event as well as plans for 27,000 free tickets to watch the spectacle from an arena on Castle Terrace.

They said the project "charts 350 million years of Edinburgh history, uncovering the unique geology of a landscape formed by volcanic activity" as well as exploring its "intellectual legacy".

Organisers said the event will use "cutting-edge 3D animation and projection techniques" and will involve input from science, arts and humanities experts at Edinburgh University.

Free tickets for the event arena will be available from Monday, July 11, before a second batch is released on Monday, August 1.

A final grouping of tickets will be released the day before the event, organisers confirmed.