DAYTON — The 21st annual Hispanic Heritage Festival is coming to Dayton on Saturday, Sept. 17.

The festival, which is presented by The Puerto Rican, American and Caribbean Organization (PACO) and Five Rivers Metroparks, will be held at the Riverscape Metropark at 111 E. Monument Ave. in downtown Dayton.

The festival starts at 11 a.m. and kicks into high gear with a parade at noon. There will be Latin food vendors, dance lessons with Chévere LF, a Hispanic Walk of Fame, a cultural exhibition, Zumba fitness, Group Café con Leche, Group Orgullo Mexicano and more until 11 p.m. The lineup of performers includes Renesita Avich, Jhonny Velez, Dayton Salsa Project, Madrazo de Tierra Caliente and Daglio.

“At PACO we feel it’s important to have the festival to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and give Hispanics a venue to enjoy a little piece of what they may be missing from their homeland. We also use the festival as a way to educate the community about the richness and beauty of Hispanic culture through music, dance and food and we showcase the many contributions Hispanic have made to the United States through our Latino Walk of Fame exhibit,” PACO Board President Karla Knox said in a press release.

The Hispanic Heritage Festival benefits PACO, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to the success of the Hispanic community in the Dayton area. This festival is PACO’s largest fundraiser of the year and it enables PACO to fulfill its mission through scholarships to local Hispanic students, events to support the local Hispanic community and promote Hispanic culture and other charitable initiatives. PACO is entirely run by volunteers.

Admission is free. To learn more, visit www.pacodayton.org or visit the organization’s Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/PACODayton.