Frieze London 2012

First staged in 2003, annual art fair Frieze London, held over four days in October, now plays host to 175 of the world's leading contemporary galleries, providing an eclectic schedule of presentations, talks, discussions and film screenings amid the stalls of artworks for sale. These attractions see more than 60,000 visitors go through the doors of a large marquee in Regents Park to revel in the strange and the new, spotting the names that will be attracting attention in the future, as well as getting a chance to eye up more established names. And year on year, what has become clear is that some of the joy of Frieze can be found in studying the characters who attend.

More than just an art fair, it has become a cultural event, with an estimated 80% of attendees buying tickets for the spectacle, rather than from the intention of purchasing pieces. In honour of this, AnOther sent photographer David Edwards to the opening night on Wednesday to capture some of these birds of paradise in situ, mingling with the artworks.

Frieze takes place in Regent's Park, and across London, until 14 October.