An outlandish landmark to rival the Royal Pavilion is to be erected in Brighton city centre.

But the building - shaped like a huge upside-down purple cow - will only be a temporary feature in the city.

Organisers of Brighton Fringe have confirmed the Udderbelly as the main venue for this year's Fringe and the Festival club, replacing the popular Spiegeltent.

The 396-seat Udderbelly was the star attraction at last year's Edinburgh Festival, and will be grazing on the Old Steine throughout May.

The height of four double-decker buses, it will have two bars and will play host to an eclectic programme of comedy, theatre, music and children's shows.

It will also be among the venues for the Great Escape music festival and the Festival Club, serving drinks until 12.30am from Sunday to Thursday and until 2am at weekends.

Holly Payton, operations manager of Brighton Fringe, said: "We are delighted to announce that the Udderbelly will be coming to Brighton. It's a fabulous venue and we're all very excited about the programme we have lined up."

Acrobatic duo The Caesar Twins will be the resident act, performing their spectacular act nightly.

Other stars lined up to appear in the Udderbelly include musical quartet Four Poofs And A Piano and comedians Tina C, Stewart Lee, Sean Hughes and Jerry Sadowitz.

Tickets to all performances at the Udderbelly are on sale from tomorrow by visiting www.underbelly.co.uk or calling 01273 709 709.

Highlights from the rest of the programme will be revealed in next Thursday's edition of The Argus, when the Fringe is officially launched with a party at The Old Ship Hotel.

For more information on the Brighton Festival and Fringe, click here.