By: Sarah FinkelBy: Sarah Finkel|August 24, 2023|Culture, Food & Drink, Entertainment,
Miami’s cultural entertainment scene is ever-evolving, with several new community hubs popping up nearly every season. The opening of Little Haiti-based music venue ZeyZey is a little bit different this time—it’s a pop-up with an expiration date, but with robust plans to change the cultural and local landscape through a trusted circle of celebrated food vendors, vinyl programming, hometown DJ acts and live performances in categories ranging from Afro-Cuban Funk to Brazilian Disco.
ZeyZey (“happiness” in Iku) is a community-driven collaboration between Grassfed Culture Hospitality, the operators behind Krüs and Michelin Star-rated Los Félix, and Miami-based independent record label Tigre Sounds. While Miami sees an uptick in members clubs, the ZeyZey team hopes to keep the doors open to all, promising a cohesive experience that bridges together global sounds, innovative food and beverage and a bustling atmosphere for mingling. It’s somewhat like stumbling into a neighborhood block party.
The 15,000-square-foot space envelops three main areas: an outdoor stage anchored by a sprawling banyan tree, a vinyl listening room consisting of over 3,000 constantly evolving records and a bungalow space for DJs to do their thing in a psycho-tropic inspired space. Every Friday and Saturday, ZeyZey hosts outdoor live performances, vinyl DJs and electronic dance parties, while Thursday evenings are reserved for special events.
With a beverage program spearheaded by globally recognized personality and recipe developer Esther Merino, the venue is well-equipped to please the pickiest of imbibers and offers special happy hour options from 5 to 7 p.m. On the food front, partner and executive chef Sebastian Vargas leads the culinary team, including several of Miami’s local hospitality mavens at The Maiz Project, Mana Table and Dale Street Food. In the spirit of collaboration, each dish prepared is intended to be shareable and enjoyed in a community setting akin to a backyard.
“ZeyZey is a place of community and creative integration for both musicians and chefs, it’s a beautiful place to constantly be serving new ideas as the season changes,” Vargas said in a release.