The city skyline will be transformed by big tops as a thrilling line-up of acts appear under canvas during the 2008 Brighton Festival Fringe.

The tents will host some of the biggest acts to appear at the three-week festival in May.

They will include Ed Byrne, Jerry Sadowitz, Jenny Eclair and Jim Bowen.

After some initial uncertainty, the Parlure Spiegeltent will be pitching up at St Peter's Church.

The giant tent, in the shape of a purple cow known as the Udderbelly, will return to the Old Steine to host arty and comic gems including Australian hip-hop and beatboxing spectacular the Tom Tom Club and burlesque extravaganza Le Scandal.

It will also feature Glastonbury hit The Silent Disco.

Accompanying the Udderbelly will be a new cow-pat shaped venue called The Udder Place, offering more new and exciting events.

A highlight is Potted Potter which will offer a high-octane journey for adults and children through the Harry Potter books.

Another first takes place when the Fringe stages the Brighton International Buskers Festival, sponsored by the Anita Roddick Foundation, on Saturday, May 24.

There will be plenty of old favourites in the line-up too.

The Moscow State Circus will perform death-defying acts when it sets up its tented city in Preston Park.

Meanwhile, the popular Ladyboys Of Bangkok will be frolicking in the Thai Pavilion in Victoria Gardens.

The exciting programme of events was launched last night at a VIP party at The Arc on Brighton seafront.

Organisers revealed the biggest line-up yet, with more than 600 events ranging from theatre, dance and comedy to live music, film, visual arts and literature.

In a variation on last year's Fringe, many of the events will spill on to the streets each weekend, giving people no excuse for missing them.

Last year Fringe city was held at the beginning of the festival to whet appetites. This year it will be held every Saturday in Jubilee Square and New Road.

The Fringe has been running informally alongside Brighton's main festival for more than 50 years.

It broke away five years ago and is gathering momentum by attracting big name performers.

Fringe communications manager Holly Payton said: "It gets bigger every year. It's becoming known nationally and internationally. That's what makes it so successful.

"As a result, we get things like the Udderbelly, which had its English debut in Brighton last year."

The Fringe brochure hits the streets today. It has an eye-catching, quirky front showing a man in a giant shoe against an alpine background.

Miss Payton said they chose the image because it reflected the bold line-up.

She said: "The theme of the Fringe is that it's larger than life.

"The shoe on the programme and items on the inside pages are all larger than real life.

"This year there are some really big names.

"The motto of the Fringe is to take a risk on your tickets - because prices are reasonable, you can try things you wouldn't usually.

"If you've ever fancied going to a tea dance, having flamenco classes or visiting one of the city's many venues, now is your chance."

For the second year, The Argus will be running The Angel Awards to reward excellence at the Brighton Festival and Fringe.

Miss Payton said: "They are massively important to us because they have become highly regarded and really raised the profile of the Fringe last year in a short space of time.

"People can take them as a recognition of quality and excellence. The Angel Awards are mentioned when they take their acts to places such as Edinburgh."

For more information, pick up a copy of the Fringe brochure or visit the Fringe website at www.brightonfestivalfringe.org.uk or phone the box office on 01273 709709.

Tickets are on sale now.

Highlights include:

Udderbelly
The venue will hold a-moo-sing nights, with comics including Jim Bowen, Shazia Mirza, Will Hodgson and Jenny Eclair. The Tom Tom club from Australia will feature a DJ, a beatboxer, a drummer and some high-flying acrobats. Robert Maxwell will be brought back to life in Philip York's Lies Have Been Told. The Lady Of Burma is the inspirational story of Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The Terrible Infants, described as "Roald Dahl meets Tim Burton" is an award-winning show that blends puppetry, live music, storytelling and physicality. In the cow pat-shaped Udder Place there will be a regular silent disco.

Parlure Spiegeltent
Brighton's Fat 45s, an 11-piece jump jive band, will host a swing night, while Ragroof Theatre are putting on one of their popular tea dances. Seth Lakeman, twice winner of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, is another act bringing new life to an old genre. Movin' Melvin Brown's tribute show to Ray Charles and Sammy Davis combines song, dance and robotics.

Theatre
Bloodstone Arts will hold a traditional May Day celebration featuring playing, fooling, singing and dancing in Queen's Park, bringing to life the spirit of Merry England. In the Haunted Moustache, upstairs at the Three And Ten, "Cheeky Guide" author David Bramwell undertakes an epic journey in a quest to uncover the mystery of a singular inheritance - his great aunt's moustache. Total, a new drama by Ed Harris, will be performed in the atmospheric Old Police Cells Museum. Catchy! The Great Plague Musical brings the story of the great plague of London to life with a cast including rats, dancing corpses, nymphomaniac lesbian maids together with some "very catchy" songs at the Brighthelm Centre.

Music
There will be Zimbabwean mbira music at Brighton Unitarian Church, folkstress Martha Tilston at the Komedia and candlelit harp playing at St Bartholomew's. Local musicians have also seized the chance to showcase their material. Electro indie popsters Kovak will be launching their single with a party at Hector's House in Grand Parade. Bad:Science, the Drookit Dogs, the James Town Union and Elvis impersonator Jim Devereaux and his Burning Love Band are also on the programme. The Rainbow chorus will perform a concert of choral music by gay composers, including Barber, Bernstein, Copland and Tippett. The Barfly will host a night called Brighton's Finest, featuring Friday Night Hero, Rubylux and Doll And The Kicks.

Tours
The Famous Brighton Back Passages tour will be a chance to discover the city's labyrinth of byways. Fans of Graham Greene can visit locations which featured in the film version of Brighton Rock Experts will host tours of graveyards in Lewes and Brighton. Continuing the macabre theme, there will be a ghost tour, a haunted pub crawl and an excursion taking in historic murder scenes.

Film
Highlights include the world premiere of ART:HOUSE, an observational documentary exploring the Brighton Artists' Open Houses festival and revealing the importance of art in all our lives. A collection of adventurous short films written and produced by the homeless and disadvantaged adults of Brighton's First Base Day Centre Film Group will be shown at the Odeon.