Chapin Labor Day festival-goers will have a Latin fiesta to partake in during this weekend’s sixth annual festivities.

The festival adds its Latin flair Saturday, Sept. 2 on Beaufort Street, complete with food and dancing.

There will be “authentic Venezuelan food and Latin dancing,” said Dylan Francis, communication specialist for the Town of Chapin. “We were looking to do something different. We were approached by [a Chapin citizen] who had done a Latin night in Chapin before. He wanted to do it in conjunction with Labor Day.”

“We thought it would be a good way to broaden the horizon this weekend,” added Francis, noting there will be Latin music, salsa dancing and a food truck, The Arepa Chef.

In addition to celebrating Latin culture Saturday night, there will be a food drive benefiting the Chapin nonprofit We Care Center. People may donate nonperishables to the organization that helps people in Chapin and the surrounding areas with food and utility assistance.

Prior to the Saturday night festivities, there is the annual Justin Pepper 5k at Crooked Creek Park at 7 a.m., a family event open to people who wish to walk, run or ruck.

On Sunday, people can come out once again to Beaufort Street for some music and vendors.

Johnny Meetze will open on stage followed by Griffin Schelble and the band Spare Parts. The concert runs from 6 to 11 p.m.

The annual parade ends the festival weekend on Monday morning. Francis said the town is planning for around 25,000 people to show up for the parade that goes from the Great Southern Homes building to the Lowes Foods on Chapin Road.

Streets close at 9 a.m. for the parade featuring former Chapin Police Chief Robert Smith as the grand marshal. After the parade ends, which should take a couple of hours, there will be vendors, food trucks, a children’s carnival area and a train museum presented by American Legion Post 193. Literary lovers can check out ta book sale at the old Chapin Town Hall.

“As far as I’m aware, we’re the biggest in the state,” Francis said of the Labor Day Festival “Our theme this year is “Chapin’s Treasures,” playing on the pirate theme.”

“Anyone can come and lean into the theme,” he added, pointing out it can be as simple as a pirate hat. The theme plays into the fact that Lake Murray is a central part of Chapin and is a treasure to the town, Francis explained.

Another way people can partake in the Labor day festivities is the second annual Taste of Chapin running through Sept. 2. Francis said people can stop by various restaurants and mention they’re doing the Taste of Chapin and get some specialty items and discounts. Participants include Chophouse of Chapin, Bart’s Crazy Good Coffee, Catch 22 and The Coffee Shelf.

“It gives our community a chance to come together on a large scale and express our identity,” he said. “It’s a more leisurely time to celebrate the hard work we put into our lives.”