IT was an anniversary festival in troubled times, a celebration of the Scotland's unique contribution to the blooming of the human spirit in world where terrorism, division and war was still ever-present.

The most notable additions to this year's record-breaking Edinburgh festival season were not comedies about President Trump or dramas alluding to Brexit, but were silent and unmoving: the large metal barriers on the Royal Mile.

Introduced this year, the security measures were the most tangible sign that the festivals, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Fringe and the Edinburgh International Book Festival, while celebrating 70 years of life, were also reacting to the dangers of the modern world.

The barriers were clearly erected to protect the joyous daily mass of humanity on the Royal Mile, and while imposing, they did little to dampen the spirit of the crowds on the crazily busy stretch of the Old Town.

Policing, at times, also felt more visible that in previous festivals, although this correspondent must note that in a month of festival-going, I endure no bag checks or other obvious security checks at any venue.

As sometimes happens with the festivals, weighty themes and dramatic developments also occurred off stage.

The Fair Fringe campaign, which gathered the support of the City Council as well as other concerned figures, is unlikely to go away: how the campaign can move from urging, lobbying and petitioning to forcing real change in the way venues treat and value their staff will be interesting to watch.

It is clear that, as the festival went on, that the Fair Fringe campaign, which is backed by the Unite union, will not go away.

It was mooted at one point that a 'pop-up' union may the be answer to press for the changes demanded by the campaign: one wonders what the campaign will do next year if the issues it addresses - pay and conditions, the amount of hours worked, pay being substituted for free tickets which often cannot be used by workers - do not improve.

There is also a new City Council, and last week they brought their own drama to the latter stages of the festivals by approving a new, 'one-off' cash boost for the festivals, worth £15m in total over five years, with extra cash from the Scottish Government included.

More intriguingly, the council has also committed to looking at new ways of funding the festivals in the long term.

With hotels packed, and as new council leader Adam McVey noted, 'charging a fortune', the tourist 'bed tax' or 'transient visitor levy' must surely be considered an option. The culture secretary, Fiona Hyslop, is not a fan of this measure: the council will have to convince her.