The Latino Celebration Banquet, one of the biggest events of Latino Heritage Month, will take place at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

The banquet will be a night filled with Latin-American food and salsa dancing.

The Latino Heritage Celebration will begin with a cocktail hour, which runs from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Eastern will cater dinner at 7 p.m. The food is a mixture of Latin-American cuisine inspired by different countries.

After dinner, Jesus “Chuy” Negrete will speak and present a slide show. Negrete is a Mexican-American folk singer as well as the founder and director of the Mexican Cultural Institute in Chicago.

Following dinner, anyone can participate in Latin-American inspired dancing. Dances like the salsa will be performed until the celebration is over.

The event is sponsored by the Latino Heritage Committee and the office of Minority Affairs. Latino Heritage Month lasts from Sept. 15 until Oct. 15.

Isabel Castro, chair of the Latino Heritage Committee, says that the ballroom is transformed for the celebration.

“It feels more festive than normal,” Castro said. The ballroom will be decorated with paper flowers, festive flags and lanterns, and other

Latin America-inspired decorations.

Members of Eastern’s faculty and students are expected to attend. Call Castro at 581-6692 for more information.