Performers at the ongoing South Australia Carnival take a group photo. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

An exotic carnival featuring premium food and drink as well as cultural elements from South Australia State is under way in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province.

The event, which began on Aug 3, is part of the 30th anniversary celebration of the sister-state relationship between South Australia State and Shandong province and the 15th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between South Australia State capital Adelaide and Qingdao.

Covering an area of 6,000 square meters, the site of carnival is located in Huangdao Main Venue of the 26th Qingdao International Beer Festival at the Golden Beach around the Jiaozhou Bay. The festival kicked off on July 29 and lasts until August 29.

The carnival's presence is known immediately as visitors enter the site through the 13-meter-wide and eight-meter-high "gateway" South Australian doors, with a BBQ pit immediately to visitors left with whole lambs, beef and pigs roasting in front of visitors' eyes

"The event aims to bring the very best that South Australia has to offer," said Tom Skipper, managing director of the Royal Adelaide Club, the organizer of the carnival.

Skipper said that food, which includes Oysters, Tuna Sashimi, King Fish, Wagyu Beef being flown in daily from Australia represents the very best and freshest quality of what South Australia has produced.

"To compliment the premium food we also have South Australian Coopers Beer," Skipper said, "Coopers is Australia's largest family owned brewery and is the largest Australian owned brewery."

The event is widely modeled on the already successful Adelaide's Fringe Festival, the biggest event of its kind in South Hemisphere, with live music, cultural, and entertainment performance on stage every day.

"This activation is a significant and unique departure from an event which historically has seen typical marquee structures, skewered food and standard beer tent facilities," said Skipper.

In addition to food and cultural elements, the event also provided an opportunity to enhance trade relationship between Shandong and South Australia. The organizer Royal Adelaide Club has introduced a 2000-square-meter-terraced "Trade Platform" to the event.

A delegation consisting of government officials and businessmen from South Australia is set to promote their iconic brands and businesses during the event.

Themed "A Smart Beer Festival", the beer event in Huangdao is characterized by 10 beer tents run by international brands, 30 wooden beer houses, Qingdao's first live outdoor show at 8 pm every night, robot show and services, light shows and a newly built beer culture museum. The month-long festival is expected to attract five million visitors all lover the world.