In 2006, when the first Fiesta del Sol was held in the streets of Sherman Heights, organizers said that they wanted it to become a festival where people could have fun while learning about available resources.

As this year’s 8th Annual Fiesta del Sol San Diego 2013 takes place on Saturday and Sunday, July 20th and 21st, that goal has been reached.

“Fiesta del Sol has been in the community for eight years and every year it grows with resources and leaders,” said spokesperson Armando Rodriguez. “We feel that within time Fiesta del Sol can become an important celebration due to it bringing issues that are relevant to the Latino community especially in the area of health and civic engagement this year.”

Since it was founded, Fiesta del Sol has always been a perfect balance between entertainment and social issues, where people can have fun while finding help for their problems, whether it is immigration, health, or education. This time it is no different.

“A balance in community events such as Fiesta del Sol is key to having a great event,” Rodriguez said. “Part of the effort comes from recruiting the non-profit agencies that assist the Latino community with issues that plague our community especially this year with the comprehensive immigration reform being a hot issue. The other part is in recruiting entertainment to give the artist themselves exposure but also to showcase to our community the tremendous talent within our people.”

In the social aspect of the alcohol and tobacco-free festival, people will be able to find information they can use, to improve the quality of their lives.

“Our staff is working diligently and having all areas of the festival to be active with resources on informing our community on immigration reform,” Rodriguez said. “Another part is in the Health pavilion where we will be having a number of non-profits promoting healthy living as well as some resources regarding diabetes, which is a disease that affects our community.”

Organizers expect up to 40,000 people to show up this year over the two-day free festival.

“The music, food, and interactive pavilion areas within Fiesta are a fun and safe environment for everyone to be at,” Rodriguez said. “There is something here for every member of the family, to the little ones to the youth to the parent wanting to know more about resources in their community. The entertainment line up is also very diverse to appease every member of the family to the very young to the young at heart.”

Among the musical and cultural acts that will perform this year is Danza Mexi’cayotl, a local Aztec dance group that is celebrating more than 30 years of empowering the community in San Diego.

Its director, Mario Aguilar, said that danza offers a positive alternative for youth.

“The ancestral roots of each culture are an important part of the American experience,” he said. “When our youth learn to respect, value, and defend their roots, they’re less likely to join gangs, use drugs, or go through other self-destructive paths that are presented as attractive by the media.”

Los Angeles bilingual band La Santa Cecilia will also perform at Fiesta del Sol. The band released its album “Treinta días” earlier this year to great acclaim. In their songs, La Santa Cecilia pays tribute to immigrants.

“These songs are inspired by our families, by our people,” said lead singer, La Marisoul. “What we sing is very familiar to us. We want to tell the stories of our people, of our family, of our friends. This is something important for us because we have lived through it.”

Organized by the nonprofit Justice Overcoming Boundaries-San Diego, Fiesta del Sol-San Diego is modeled after Fiesta del Sol-Chicago.

Fiesta del Sol 2013 will be on Saturday July 20th & Sunday July 21st, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on both days on Historic Logan Ave., between S. Evans St. and S. 26th St., in San Diego.