Yohan Marley Set to Bring Conscious Vibes at Livity Haven Arts & Culture Festival

Update: Due to the weather, the Livity Haven Arts & Culture Festival has been postponed.

Miami is getting more mindful. Set to take place Saturday, March 23, at Historic Virginia Key Beach, the inaugural Livity Haven Arts & Culture Festival will celebrate Afro-Caribbean culture and promote conscious living with various workshops and experiences. A stacked lineup includes performances from reggae-R&B singer Kaylan Arnold, "Good Energy" rapper Young Wylin, Grammy and Emmy-nominated dancehall artist Tessellated, and headlining reggae sensations Jesse Royal and Yohan Marley.

Founder Yemani Mason says he came up with the idea for the festival about three years ago and named it after the Rastafari term used to describe living in divinity. It took finding the right venue and team to finally curate the experience he envisioned. The result is a family-oriented experience that combines mindfulness, music, and movement to teach attendees how to live a holistic lifestyle.

"There are so many things vying for our attention," Mason tells New Times. There are so many distractions, atrocities, and noise that blind us from ourselves. It isn't until you're able to take a deep breath and connect with your true self that you're able to transcend that and find peace and harmony in your life."

An official event of the World Happiness Festival, Livity Haven will offer a slew of panels and activities like breathwork, sound baths, yoga, drum circles, and a dub-style dance session. Local organizations and practitioners, including the Green Haven Project, a virtual-reality meditation experience by LUVR, Ashley Mullen's curated kids' workshop, and a healing oasis by Arc Assembly, will curate free and affordable workshops throughout the day while a designated kids' zone will offer meditative classes as well as African storytelling and drum circles. An all-vegan food truck lineup, such as Karelyn's Vegan and Things Vegetarian, will serve a healthier spin on soul food and Caribbean staples.

The night will culminate with reggae performances from reggae scion Yohan Marley and Grammy-nominated artist Jesse Royal. The longtime collaborators will perform their latest single, "Blessings," and set the vibe with their classic hits.

Yohan Marley, the grandson of Bob Marley and son of Stephen "Ragga" Marley, was tapped to perform by Mason, a family friend who says the festival's ethos resonates with his ideology.

"It's all about love at the end of the day," Yohan says. "It's about bringing people together for a greater good, and I'm always with that."

Since collaborating with his late brother Jo Mersa Marley on reggae-R&B tracks like "Brickell (When Tears Fall)," he's crafted a unique reggae fusion sound that pays homage to his roots while encompassing multiple genres.

In a recent interview with Jamaica Observer, he described his style as "bringing my own flavor, like hip-hop and reggae. I like Afrobeats, and I sing a lot of girl songs. Love is my lane; anything to do with positivity."

His grandfather's recent biopic, Bob Marley: One Love, detailed the legacy that still resonates with Yohan when he records music and performs.

"I am his seed. I'm trying to be Yohan at the end of the day, but there are things I do that just come naturally, and I can't fight it. It's an honor personally," he adds.

Mason echoed Marley's perspective. "Reggae is the perfect music to unite people, and you see that embodied in Yohan's grandfather, the great Bob Marley. You see that in everything he stood for and did, and there's a reason why he was the first third-world superstar," Mason explains.

Jesse Royal will close out the festival, but Mason hinted that attendees may be in for a few guest performances during Yohan and Royal's set.

Mason intends to partner with the City of Miami and the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust to make the festival a free quarterly event for the South Florida community. The nonprofit event will serve as a space to unite like-minded people through music and meditation. His mission is to affect change by "changing the narrative and helping to rebirth our collective consciousness into a new awakening," he says.

Whether attendees are new to meditation or have adapted to it as a lifestyle, the festival will have something to offer everyone across the spectrum. A grounding escape from life's whirlwind, the experience will harness the power of peace and harmony.

"The impact is across the spectrum as far as bringing unity to the community, especially the Afro-Caribbean community," Mason says. "We're looking to bring healing to our modern-day society, and that's where we want to leave our lasting imprint."

Livity Haven Arts & Culture Festival. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, March 23, at Virginia Key Beach Park, 4020 Virginia Beach Dr., Miami; livityhaven.com.Tickets cost $44 via eventbrite.com.