Amy Winehouse headlines mammoth gig: 90 bands in 48 hours

The Camden Crawl — more than 90 gigs at 15 venues over 48 hours — also features Babyshambles, The Charlatans and Travis. It is thought that Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty may also join Carl Barat for a reunion of The Libertines, the band that launched his career.

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Amy Winehouse is ready to rock at the Camden Crawl

The event is a showcase for emerging bands as well as established ones.

The 2005 event featured the then rising talents of The Magic Numbers, Barat's new band Dirty Pretty Things and Maximo Park, who have all gone on to enjoy mainstream success.

Lisa Paulon, co-founder of the Camden Crawl, said: "This year's event is nearly treble the size. We wanted more of a festival atmosphere, with competitions, daytime tours, exhibitions and surprise elements.

"The idea is to get a selection of urban and pop stuff rather then just getting stuck in indie land. I really want to mix it up." Organisers promise surprise guest stars and impromptu performances alongside the line-up already announced.

A spokesman said: "In keeping with the exploratory spirit and musical democracy of past Crawls, the full line-ups and stage times remain a closely guarded secret until each night.

"Surprise guests may appear at any time or venue, so festival-goers are advised to arrive early." The line-up will be disclosed at midday each day, when each ticket holder will be given a CD featuring songs from every artist performing.

The first shows will be acoustic sets at the Spread Eagle in Albert Street.

At the same time a pop quiz will take place at Lock 17 in Camden Lock.

Tim Wheeler of Ash will be among the performers

The evening's first non-acoustic gig will be by Cajun Dance Party, five teenagers from north London, at 6.15pm at a venue to be announced.

The evening will end with simultaneous gigs by Winehouse, Ash and The Damned at venues that could include the Electric Ballroom, Dublin Castle and Koko. James Righton of Klaxons, who played at last year's event, said: "The Camden Crawl was where it all started for us. The organisers had the faith to put us on at Koko, our first big stage, after the Futureheads.

"Despite any apprehensions, it turned out to be one of the best gigs we played last year. The crowd reaction was immense and I remember the day as one big party, a celebration.

"A good thing about the Crawl is you catch lots of new, exciting bands before they become household names."

Thomas Dartnall, bassist with The Young Knives, said: "Last year's Crawl was awesome. Where else would you see Supergrass playing in (a venue like) the Dublin Castle?"