This Sunday in Mount Pleasant, the District will hold the second annual Mi Pequeño El Salvador Festival as part of the continuing celebration of National Immigrant Heritage Month.

The free event is being hosted by the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs to celebrate the culture and contributions that Salvadorans have brought to the District. It starts at 2 p.m. in Lamont Plaza and will feature live performances, legal services, and local vendors and artisans. There will also be free face painting for families and children.

In addition to recreational activities, MOLA will arrange for community members to have access to resources such as  information on rental assistance and immigration services.

“Mount Pleasant is one of the most emblematic neighborhoods where Salvadorans have been leaving their mark,” says Eduardo Perdomo, the interim director of MOLA. “It’s just to highlight the value [the Salvadoran diaspora] has brought to our city… their colors, their flavors, their culture.”

Festivities will kick off with musical performances and a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new mural by local artist Frida Elarios that highlights the neighborhood’s Salvadoran influences.

“They [Salvadorians] represent over 28% of the entire immigrant population in D.C.,” says Perdomo. “To me, it’s just such a privilege to be able to [work] from this position and knowing and understanding that we are making a difference.”

According to Perdomo, MOLA is also highlighting several “legacy” businesses in the neighborhood for their contributions to the local economy. He says it’s important to celebrate business owners who have paved the way for other immigrant entrepreneurs.

“Salvadorans have been helping that community in many ways, like creating jobs, diversifying our culture, and helping our economy and its growth,” says Perdomo.

Among those businesses being honored is Golden Scissors, a hair salon that’s served the neighborhood for nearly three decades, and the restaurants Haydee’s, Don Juan’s, and El Tamarindo. Alberto Ferrufino, the owner of Don Juan’s, says he’s honored to be included in the celebrations.

“I see Mount Pleasant like my home,” says Ferrufino, who came to D.C. in 1983 from El Salvador. “I’d like for people to come back to the festival and for people to have fun.”

Ferrufino says the neighborhood has changed a great deal with increased rents in recent years, but he’s glad the festival is once again being hosted in the heart of it.

Perdomo says that by highlighting Mount Pleasant’s long history of Salvadoran culture, immigrant businesses can continue thriving beyond Sunday’s festival.

“The way that we decide to spend our money has a direct impact in the quality of life of the people around us,” says Perdomo. “It’s not a one day thing. But it’s triggered by events like this where people can enjoy the culture and start acknowledging each other.”