These days, lovers of food festivals are absolutely spoiled for choice… not that we’re complaining.

One such festival kicking off this weekend is Tasting Australia, an annual Adelaide festival with a focus on local South Australian produce. Now in its 20th year, the festival highlights the greatest in meats, cheeses, a multitude of cuisines and wine, beer and champagne.

While highlights include appearances by Marco Pierre White and Maggie Beer, there’s so much more to the food festival than food itself. Here are our top picks for the more unusual events at Adelaide’s Tasting Australia 2017.

Draw It, Cook It, Eat It

Whoever told you that you can’t play with your food was wrong. Organised by Red Poles restaurant, the Draw It, Cook It, Eat It workshop is exactly what it sounds like. First, you’ll “create” your artful masterpiece, sketching with grapevine sticks, wine and ink. Next, you’ll cook, using produce from the neighbouring Fleurieu Peninsula and McLaren Vale wine, and finally – the best bit – you get to sit down and enjoy the delicious meal that you’ve created.

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Professional Food Writing

Food writing is a skill attempted by many, mastered by few. Le Cordon Bleu is setting up camp at Tasting Australia for a professional food writing course, with 11 hours across five days, run by experienced food and wine critic David Sly. Students will get to interview chefs and winemakers, write articles to be published online, and more.

The classes will kick off at 9am, and students are encouraged to then attend Tasting Australia events, before filing articles and reviews that same afternoon. Oh, and there’ll be free drinks and nibbles too.

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Professional Food Photography

Writing not your thing? Fear not – maybe you’re more handy with a camera. In conjunction with the food writing course, Le Cordon Bleu is also hosting a two-day food styling and photography course. You’ll learn about lighting and shade techniques, prop arrangement, backdrops, edit, post production and much more, followed by an on-location shoot within the Tasting Australia town square, and the chance to shoot a chef’s kitchen in action. The course is fully catered for, with lunch prepared for you each day.

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Taste Buds Food Art

If the “draw” segment of Draw It, Cook It, Eat It wasn’t enough to satiate your creative streak, Taste Buds Food Art is for you. This session is fun for the whole family (OK, it’s specifically aimed at kids, but you’re never too old to have fun with food, right?) Under the guise of local artist Kirsty Shadiac and author Kate Hubmayer, You’ll get to paint and create using pasta, beans, pulses, seeds and more.

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Fresh Wine Disco

Though it often holds a snooty reputation, wine tasting doesn’t need to be stuffy and stifled. The Fresh Wine Disco is an amazing way to get a feel for the “new school” of winemaking. This is set to be a seriously decadent night, with more than 30 wine tastings on offer, where you’ll get to taste fresh 2017 vintages poured straight from the barrel to your glass. More than that, there’ll be DJs bringing the beats, and Sydney institution Mary’s will also be on hand with their famous burgers.

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Feature image: Tasting Australia/Facebook

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Tasting Australia runs from April 30 through May 7. Find out more right here.