THERE could be night-time dancing in the streets if city bosses get the go-ahead for ambitious festival plans.

City centre streets in York could host evening events, music, dancing and open air bars if the proposal gets the go ahead.

The local council has applied to its own licensing department for permission to have such events late as 11pm - two hours after the current licences for the footstreets would force events to shut.

The application ties in with plans for the Great Yorkshire Fringe - a ten-day festival of music, comedy and theatre coming to Parliament Street.

The festival will run from July 24 to August 2 and organisers have already said they will stage it for at least three years.

A council spokesman said they planned to use the new licence for performance in Parliament Street throughout the festival, starting at around 8.30pm and finishing around 10.30pm.

If approved other companies would be able to do deals with the council to run events under the new licence which would come into play in mid-April.

*The Great Yorkshire Fringe is scheduled to start two weeks before the Edinburgh Fringe, with organisers hoping to attract artists as they warm up for the Scottish spectacle.