The 20th Annual Beaufort Shrimp Festival is set to take place at the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park in Beaufort on Friday, October 3 and Saturday, October 4. This two-day celebration will feature live music, arts and crafts, a wide variety of fun activities for all ages, and of course plenty of scrumptious dishes featuring wild caught shrimp from South Carolina. Produced by Main Street Beaufort, USA and the South Carolina Shrimpers Association, the presenting sponsor for the event is the Beaufort area’s premier VW dealer, Hilton Head Volkswagen.

“We have sponsored this event for many years,” said Warner Peacock, President and CEO of the New River Auto Mall. “This is a great opportunity to showcase the best of our Lowcountry restaurants and to support the efforts of Main Street Beaufort.”

Here’s what the Beaufort Shrimp Festival has lined up for Lowcountry residents:

Friday, October 3: Starting at noon, those who want to kick the festival off early can browse through the Arts & Crafts Market or take a carriage, bus, walking, or boat tour of beautiful downtown Beaufort. A party in the park will take place at 6 p.m. featuring live music performed by The Company Band as local restaurants preview their shrimp dishes for Saturday's competitions

Saturday, October 4: At 8 a.m. the popular 5K Bridge Run/Walk will take place on a USATF-certified course, followed at 8:45 a.m. by the Popcorn Shrimp Run for ages 7 and under. The festival kicks in at11 a.m. with children’s activities, the arts and crafts market, and live music throughout the day provided by The Brewer Band, Aunt Pearlie Sue, and The Bull Grapes. Local restaurants will compete for the “Best Shrimp Dish” and “Best Booth Decoration” as voted by festival judges and the “People’s Choice” award as voted by festival attendees. There will be alternative foods on hand, as well, for any shellfish intolerant fest-goers.

Also on Saturday, the Sea Island Rotary Club will host its 6th annual Charity Shrimp Race, which will feature $5,000 in cash prizes, as well as the chance to win the $1 Million Grand Prize. For more information, visit the Rotary Shrimp Race website.

To learn more about the festival or to register for the 5K Bridge Run/Walk, visit the Beaufort Shrimp Festival website or call (843) 525-6644.

As the presenting sponsor, Hilton Head Volkswagen is expecting this year’s Beaufort Shrimp Festival to be one of the best yet.