Interactive historical food experiences, a new beer and cider festival, cocktail competitions, international chef exchanges, children’s workshops, tastebud challenges and food-inspired arts are on the bill for a culinary festival in its 12th year.

No surprise then that director of Brighton And Hove Food And Drink Festival Nick Mosley says its second edition in 2013, after the Spring Harvest, will celebrate a great year for the not-for-profit organisation.

“We launched the new monthly Brighton Farmers’ Market in April and it is something we are looking to develop over the coming months in conjunction with our weekly farmers’ market in Churchill Square.

“It’s been a great year and our Autumn Harvest is really going to be the cherry on top!”

The festival was named Best Event In The City at the Brighton And Hove Business Awards in June.

To build on the success, Mosley has put in some serious hours. It means this year the Children’s Food Festival on Hove Lawns, running from 10am to 5pm over the weekend of September 14 and 15, is the biggest ever.

Children’s cooking class kings Cookery Doodle Doo will be spinning fair-trade sugar into candy floss, Charley’s Little Kitchen will reveal the secrets to making spring rolls, while the Kids’ Kitchen Cookery Club will be testing taste buds and noses with hidden ingredients.

Face painting, balloons a bouncy castle and gingerbread monster decorating will all be on offer too.

A giant marquee on Hove Lawns will host the inaugural Brighton Beer & Cider Festival from Friday, September 13, to Saturday, September 14, from 5.30pm to 9.30pm.

Entry is £5 and includes a tasting ticket to try any of the 40 beers or 12 ciders from award-winning and cutting-edge regional producers.

There will be continental lager presented by Hotel Du Vin, craft beer from Brighton Bier Co, real ale from Hammerpot Brewery, Hepworth and De Beer, cider from Battle Cider and Wobblegate, plus new spirits from Sussex Blackdown distillery – including Sussex dry gin, vodka and vermouth. L’Eglise restaurant will fire up a hog roast to keep drinkers’ stomachs balanced.

Cocktail lovers can help decide the city’s best tipple at the Mix Off competition on Monday, September 9. Over the summer mixologists from the city’s bars have been submitting their creations to a panel led by Mixology Group’s Myles Cunliffe. He has picked three cocktail creators for the grand finale at the Sea Life Centre in Marine Parade.

Tickets are £12 in advance, drinks are £3.50, and punters will pick the winner by selecting their favourite drinks made with Blackdown Gin, Bank’s Five Year Rum and Four Roses Bourbon.

The third International Chef Exchange will welcome Dutch chef Pepijn Schmeink from Rotterdam to take over the kitchen for one evening for the gala dinner at Hotel Du Vin.

He runs Eendracht in the Dutch port. His meal (Thursday, September 12, 7.30pm, £70 advance) will mix produce from south Holland with wines from across the country. He will then head over to Hove Lawns on Saturday, September 14, to appear in the Live Food Show.

More unusual offerings include a journey through late Georgian society on Saturday, September 7, on a interactive food and drink tour at The Regency Town House.

The 45-minute tour – Pantry, Parlour, Piano Nobile – will take in nibbles and thirst-quenchers as well as characters from the period. Advance tickets cost £12.

What would we do if fish stocks collapsed? That is the question Moshimo aims to answer with its Great Moshimo Vegan Challenge on Wednesday, September 11, from 7.30pm (£25, call 01273 719195).

For one night only the restaurant turns into a vegan-only venue to show what its menu might taste like without fish. Other city restaurants are invited to create Japanese-inspired vegan dishes for this popular event now in its fourth year.

Unmissable free events that will dominate the city over the forthcoming weekends include the Big Sussex Market (New Road, Jubilee Street and Jubilee Square, 10am to 6pm, Saturday, September 7 and Sunday, September 8), with more than 80 growers, producers and restaurateurs showcasing their wares.

Sussex And The World Market has cheese bowling, the Brighton And Hove Curry Chef Of The Year, workshops and masterclasses, as well as the Chilli Challenge and live food shows to go with the cuisine from across the world. You won’t miss the marquees on Hove Lawns from 10am to 6pm on Saturday, September 14, and Sunday, September 15.

  • Brighton And Hove Food And Drink Festival runs from Thursday, September 5, to Sunday, September 15. For more information or to buy tickets, visit www.brightonfoodfestival.com