CANNING Circus has one of the city's highest EPPSM ratios. (That's "excellent pub per square mile", naturally.) And on Saturday, that walkable clump of top-notch boozers gets put to good use.

The Circus Extravaganza happens across the top-of-Derby-Road locale from 2pm to 2am. Sponsored by those crazy kids over at that LeftLion, the event will feature live music, DJs, spoken word and even, erm, zombie face painting and a flashdance performance of Michael Jackson's Thriller.

So then, what's happening where?

The Ropewalk, the Running Horse, the Red Lion, Seven, Moog and The Falcon get the music. Acts at the Ropewalk include Hhymn, the Hum, alt-country slingers Garrison, soon-to-break-big Ronika and others. Meanwhile over at the Horse and the Lion, acts will include the Swiines, Euler, The Beast and the Priest, Becky Syson and Andy Whittle. At Seven, it'll be Rapunzel MAP and Lisa DeVille, while DJs will keep the circus going into the early hours at Moog. And it is rumoured the music on offer at The Falcon may include Pete the Feet, the pianist who plays with ... well, it's in the name, really.

Meanwhile over at the amazingly good Hand and Heart, they're setting up a little literary salon. Nicola Monaghan, the Nottingham author who wrote The Killing Jar and Starfishing, will read extracts from her latest work. Other writers include poet Aly Stoneman, Mike Wilson and Marion Bell, The Girlfriend Experience author Rebecca Dakin and sex columnist "Nottingham's Mr Sex", Al Needham.

And finally there's Shop, which will feature the, ah, "Dead Celebrities" portion of the day. That includes the previously mentioned live flashdance performance of Thriller and the zombie face painting. There will also be dead celeb fancy dress and lots of artsy stuff on sale.

The Circus Extravaganza runs from 2pm into the early hours across Canning Circus. Admission to all venues is free.