DETAILS of this summer's Great Yorkshire Fringe have been announced, with 150 shows over 18 days - more than double the size of last year's inaugural event.

The comedy festival runs from Friday, July 15 to Monday, August 1, and will feature 300 shows from more than 600 performers including Richard Herring, Henning Wehn, Tony Law and Simon Munnery, among many others.

More than 120,000 people visited last year's event, which also includes music, cabaret, magic and theatre, at venues in and around Parliament Street in York.

Martin Witts, festival founder, said this year's event would be "an even bigger non-stop cavalcade of laughs".

He said: "Comedy is going to take over the city centre and the sound of infectious laughter will be everywhere. We are also creating The Great Northern Comedy Trail, which will celebrate the lives and work of many of our greatest laughter heroes and venues.

"We’re also thrilled that the Great Yorkshire Fringe will be the first place you can see new material from many established acts. It will be the place where acts give birth to new shows before moving on to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and beyond."

Three venues will be sited in Parliament Street, including the White Rose Rotunda - a century-old Spiegeltent which seats 300 - the 200-seater Turn Pot, and the extended Tea Pot, which has doubled last year's capacity to seat 200 and will host the Fringe's New Comedian of the Year competition.

Street food will also be available at venues along Parliament Street, as part of the Feastival, while new for this year is a themed double-decker bus which will act as a box office and will be parked in the city centre from Wednesday, June 1.

Other venues taking part in the event include the 100-seater Gillygate Shed at the Gillygate pub - which has a late licence for the festival - the Black Swan Inn, which will host the Burning Duck Woodsduck Comedy Festival between July 22 and 24, and the Arts Barge Riverside Festival will run at Tower Gardens between July 27 and 31 as part of the Free Fringe.

Other acts due to appear include Jerry Sadowitz, Glenn Wool, Tom Stade, improvised musical Showstopper, Australian adults-only puppet show Sammy J and Randy, while for families there will be an hour-long show based on the books of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, creators of The Gruffalo and Stick Man, called Tiddler & Other Terrific Tales.

For full details and the festival line-up, go to greatyorkshirefringe.com