Beaufort Town Center will host the 3rd annual St. Patrick’s Day Festival from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 14.

Area restaurants and food trucks will be selling food and drinks, and there will be live entertainment. The event will also have activities for children of all ages. The event is free and open to the public.

New to the Festival this year will be an adult and kids costume contest, beginning at 2 p.m. Winners will be chosen based on crowd applause and one adult (age 14 and older) and one child (age 13 and younger) will win a great Pot O' Gold Prize Pack.

The event benefits Beaufort County Animal Services, which will be on site and taking donations.

“By March of this year, Beaufort Town Center will have several new businesses occupying the redeveloped reuse space, more commonly known as the former K-Mart space,” said Jenny Sanborn of 303 Associates, which owns Beaufort Town Center, in a release. “In addition to this Festival being a great community event for all ages, this gives the opportunity for all Beaufort Town Center businesses to interact with the community and share their information. The Festival continues to grow year after year, and this will be our best yet.”

The Festival is accepting vendor applications online until March 1. Additional information on this event and events in the future can be found on the Beaufort Town Center website (www.beauforttowncenter.com) and Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/BeaufortTownCenter).