THE town centre will be heating up next month when a taste of Latin America comes to the town.

St Helens Chilli Village Fiesta – run by Chilli Fest UK and supported by St Helens Council – will be back in Church Square next month. It will see a variety of chilli producers from around the country showing off their products.

New to this year’s event is the introduction of Clash of the Titan, a nationally run and recognised competition – which involves 10 people battling it out to be crowned Chilli Titan Champion by eating some of the hottest chillies around.

To add to the occasion, a ‘Boogie Wondervan’ will be parked up in Church Square, where a DJ will play Latin music and perform the bongos.

Speaking ahead of the event, organiser Alexander Mustang of Chilli Fest UK said: “Following last year’s successful St Helens Chilli Village Fiesta, which attracted over 2,000 over the course of the day, we’re very much looking forward to returning to St Helens for an event which promises to be

even bigger and better than the last.

“We’ve heard all about how competitive the people of St Helens can be so if that’s anything to go by – our Clash of the Titan competition should be very interesting indeed.

“This is day you don't want to miss, so get ready for a day of chilli reckoning.”

Town centre manager, Gary Maddock, added: “Working in partnership with the private sector is critical to the development of the town centre and borough.

“With the recent announcement of the town centre development strategy, these are really exciting times for the borough as we look to bring together a town centre that the people of St Helens can be proud of.

“Whether you fancy yourself as a hot food conqueror or not, we welcome you to join us for a day that promises to be entertaining from start to finish.”

If you think you can handle the heat, St Helens Chilli Village Fiesta will take place in Church Square on Saturday, September 23 from 10.30am to 5.30pm. Entrance is free.

Clash of the Titan competitors must be over 18 years of age, have no medical conditions, and will be asked to sign a waiver before taking part.

For more information, please visit chillifest.net, or follow @chilli_festival and @chillititan on Twitter.