THE star of a new “art adventure” coming to Brighton and Hove next year is set to be announced this evening.

Organisers behind the Snowdogs and Snails installations will reveal what will feature in an exhibition, due to come to the city in September 2023.

The third event of its kind aims to raise more money for the Martlets Hospice, with the figures auctioned off at the end of the exhibition.

Two cryptic social media posts have hinted at what the new theme might be.

One post featured the manager of one of the charity’s shops donning a flat cap and holding a figurine of a scarecrow and a donkey, while another showed a member of the charity’s fundraising team holding a garden fork.

Argus readers have made their guesses as to what the new figure might be, ranging from seagulls and bears, to dolphins, giraffes and snowmen - in tribute to Sussex author Raymond Briggs, who passed away earlier this year.

Organisers have confirmed that 50 of the new colourful characters will be “let loose” on the streets of the city in the autumn of next year, with the “new trailblazer” to be revealed in an event at 6pm this evening.

The Argus got in on the fun in 2016 with its very own Snowdog sculpture called Newshound, decorated with newspaper pages.

A total of 50 snails were placed across the city for the last installation in 2018, with some spotted outside some of Brighton and Hove’s most well-known landmarks, including the i360, Brighton Palace Pier and Brighton Station.

Councillor Martin Osborne welcomed the news that the art exhibition would be returning after five years and said: “This is exciting - I loved the snails, so I wonder what this new trail will be.

“It’s also for a great cause, so hopefully something we can all get behind.”