Daily Inspiration: Meet Ais York Almahdi

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ais York Almahdi. Them and their team share their story with us below:

​Hospitality consultant and restaurant guru Ais York Almahdi is tackling the mental health crisis, evident in many Atlanta and other communities, using soul healing festivals that offer one stop for one-on-one sessions with licensed mental health therapists and a panel of mental health experts who provide yoga to life and spiritual coaching experience.

Ais has found success in the business of restaurant and bar ownership, consulting, and operations. Mr. Almahdi has touched ownership and start-ups of various restaurants and bars in major cities around the U.S. Utilizing his operations, marketing and promotions strengths, as well as his entertainment industry relationships for over 30 years, Ais has now delved into the festival space by launching a very successful first annual Atlanta R&B Soul Picnic, held at Piedmont Park in midtown Atlanta, bringing in over 15k people in two days. In addition, it was followed shortly by the Jollof Music & Food Festival that brought in over 9k people in one day, and the Atlanta’s Art Festival with an outcome of over 5k people in two days. The common theme of all of his festivals are to bring attention to and tackle the mental health crisis plaguing many communities today. Patrons who attend the festivals would have access to free sessions with licensed mental health therapists and experts. Ais is using his festival platforms to address mental health and wellness throughout many Atlanta communities, with plans to continue throughout several cities across the United States, such as New York City, Miami, LA, and Albany. The journey doesn’t stop there, as plans are in place to expand even beyond the U.S. borders to international destinations in the UK, Canada, and the Caribbean.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Transitioning from small-scale hospitality ventures to large-scale festivals catering to thousands of people at a time is certainly a valuable learning experience. Adding to that, mental health can often be an overlooked or even stigmatized topic in our communities. Being able to create a space focused on wellness and healing involves acknowledging that it is something that needs to be addressed while fostering an environment that people feel comfortable and even happy to attend.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
The R&B Soul Picnic is Ais’s flagship festival vehicle, with its strong focus on community wellness and healing. His concept creates a fun festival atmosphere that includes a Dj lineup playing all of the best Soul and RnB music, licensed therapists, yoga instructors, wellness instructors, speakers, etc., all within an environment enriched by R&B and Soul music bringing the community together with fun and good vibrations.

The Jollof Music & Food Festival is a cultural celebration of West African heritage here in the USA, where people of the African diaspora can explore cultural heritage and kinship ties through the joy of Afro-Caribbean cuisine, invigorating music of Afrobeats, dancing, and good times with the attempt to answer the age-old question: “Who really makes the best Jollof rice?” As yet another endeavor from Ais to support community wellness, the Jollof Festival does this through cultural connection and connectivity.

Rounding out the major festivals conceptualized by Ais is The Arts: Atlanta. This is the celebration and showcasing of all forms of artistic endeavors in the Atlanta area. In a city rich with culture and individual expression, Ais is determined to bring it all together under one roof – at the historic Underground. This event features not only music, visual arts, and spoken word, but film, body art, culinary art, virtual experiences, and other means of promoting wellness through artistic experience and expression.

Among these festivals are many other smaller and more localized events that Ais will be implementing in the Atlanta area and beyond. Each of them are a means of addressing mental health in the community and giving back to the community through culture, art and celebration.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://yorkpromotions.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yorkpromotions/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@yorkpromotions2528