Malibu Resident, Akon To Host Music And Arts Festival For Charity

MALIBU, CA — A Malibu resident and Grammy-nominated musician are teaming up to host a two-day music and arts festival this weekend, and all proceeds will go to charity.

Malibu resident Joey Nittolo, from The Space Between, and multi-platinum artist Akon, are putting on Akon Lighting LA, a festival described as an "urban conscious music and art experience," is this Friday and Saturday at 3BLACKDOT in the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District. The event is completely donation-based, and all proceeds will go to charity.

The festival will feature SnoopDogg, Akon, J Brave and more, along with a local artisan gift shop, an art exhibit, yoga and mediation classes, and more.

Akon founded Akon Lighting LA with Nittolo to "connect with amazing people and make a positive impact on the planet," the event listing said.

The festival will benefit a few organizations, including Akon Lighting Africa, a project started in 2014 by Akon that aims to bring solar-powered electricity to millions of households across Africa. To date, the musician's organization has brought solar energy to more than 80 million homes in Africa, according to the promotional video for the event.

The festival will also benefit:

• DisclosureFest Foundation, best known for their annual free festival, mass meditations and their commitment to help L.A. with beach and river cleanups, tree plantings and homeless service events;
• ACISTE, the American Center for the Integration of Spiritually Transformative Experiences, which trains mental health professionals to identify and help people going through spiritual awakenings; and
• Agape International Spiritual Center.

Akon Lighting LA is a vegan event and is free for kids 13 and under.

For more information, visit the Eventbrite page.