Edinburgh Zoo is celebrating its most successful event after welcoming an extra 80,000 visitors through its doors.

The Giant Lanterns of China installation spanned 50 nights, with visitors coming across the globe to experience Scotland's first ever Chinese lantern festival.

The event, which launched on December 1 featured an illuminated trail around the zoo inspired by the zoo's giant pandas, Tian Tian (Sweetie) and Yang Guang (Sunshine).

Visitors explored a trail of over 450 gigantic Chinese lanterns including a 19-foot high and 115-foot long Chinese dragon.

A team of 150 specialist craftsmen from Sichuan Province, China, worked 25,000 hours to create colossal lanterns before making the 5000-mile journey to Scotland's capital.

The nightly event featured over 600 performances by traditional Chinese acts including an illusionist, gymnastic acrobats and Rui Yang who showcased the traditional tea pouring ceremony known as Gongfu Tea.

Western-fusion cuisine on offer was a hit with almost 5000 Sichuan noodle street pots and over 35000 Peking duck pizzas sold to visitors.

CEO of Edinburgh Zoo, Barbara Smith, said: "We're extremely proud of the success of The Giant Lanterns of China, it has been our most unique seasonal event to date.

"Bringing Scotland's first Chinese lantern festival to Edinburgh was a big moment for the Zoo and gave us the opportunity to showcase our conservation work around the world in a new light."