Channel 4 is aiming to "bowl over" the people of Bradford with a free, five-day extravaganza involving cricket, dance music and cinema.

The TV channel's Summer Tour will descend on the city on the third leg of its four-date tour around the country. The event will be linked to the Third Ashes Test against Australia at Trent Bridge - which begins next Thursday - and Channel 4 will broadcast the entire match live on a giant screen in Centenary Square.

Council leader Margaret Eaton said: "This is a tremendous coup for Bradford and will provide a wonderful sporting showcase for the district's European Capital of Culture bid.

"The Channel 4 roadshow is sure to attract thousands of people into Bradford city centre."

With his unique brand of sampling, global beats and Asian dub, former Mercury Music Prize winner Talvin Singh will headline the Friday night's entertainment. Singh has been a member of the critically acclaimed Asian Dub Foundation and has worked with stars such as Massive Attack, Bjork, Neneh Cherry and Siouxsie and the Banshees.

The Summer Tour has already brought huge crowds to Brighton, where home boy Norman Cook, better known as Fat Boy Slim, played for 40,000 dance fans.

Besides the Test cricket, the giant screen in Centenary Square will also be used to show the movie Best in Show on the Saturday night, and over the five days a variety of entertainment has been planned - such as beach cricket competitions and virtual-reality cricket.

The virtual-reality helmets enable players to face balls from the quickest pacemen in the world, such as Darren Gough, and players can attempt to hit them for six.

Enough sand to fill a tennis court will be unloaded on the square, allowing junior cricket matches. And a team of professional coaches will be on hand to give cricket tips to children. Catching, bowling and batting games will also be played. Other events include barbecues, live DJs and competitions in which cricketing merchandise is up for grabs.

David Brook, director of strategy and development at Channel 4, said: "This programme of events will take cricket to a new audience and will be an exciting off-screen accompaniment to the great action on the field during the Ashes."

And a spokesman for LD Publicity, who have helped Channel 4 organise the events, said the Bradford leg of the tour would hopefully help to bring people together in the wake of the riots.