Discover Eatonville\u2019s signature festival honoring its most famous daughter and much more.<\/em><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n More than half a century before Walt Disney World<\/em>\u00ae Resort came to town, celebrated author Zora Neale Hurston grew up in historic Eatonville<\/a>, just 30 minutes from Orlando\u2019s entertainment districts. One of the first self-governing African American communities in the U.S., Eatonville honors Hurston\u2019s memory with the Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts, aka The Hurston, and the annual ZORA!\u00ae Festival Season.<\/p>\n
Discover: <\/em><\/strong>African American Travel Guide<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
Eatonville\u2019s signature event includes the Outdoor Festival of the Arts<\/a> (Jan. 30 \u2013 Feb. 1, 2026), HATitude Cultural Flair<\/a> (Oct. 18, 2026) and many other ways to celebrate. Here\u2019s what you can expect from these celebrations of the arts, culture, history and education when they return.<\/p>\n
Orlando vacation planning made easy \u2014 and free.<\/em><\/strong> Make a complimentary appointment with Visit Orlando\u2019s Vacation Planners<\/a> at a time and date of your choosing for the latest insider advice, special offers and more ahead of your next visit.<\/em><\/p>\n
First presented in 1990, the ZORA! Festival Season is a multi-disciplinary, intergenerational series of public talks, conferences, movie screenings, arts education programming and more. Taking place in Eatonville and throughout Orange County, the season always kicks off on Hurston\u2019s birthday (Jan. 7), which will be commemorated with a virtual celebration<\/a> in 2026.<\/p>\n
Discover: <\/em><\/strong>Orlando Events<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
Several other events follow in January, including the season\u2019s signature celebration \u2014 the ZORA!\u00ae Outdoor Festival of the Arts \u2014 with still more programming scheduled through October. See what\u2019s coming and make plans now to join the fun!<\/p>\n
Held in the heart of Eatonville, the ZORA! Outdoor Festival of the Arts<\/a> is where you need to be for the ultimate cultural experience of 2026. From Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, the celebration will feature incredible live performances and much more. Immerse yourself in interactive art, shop from over 80 vendors, take a journey through history, and enjoy family-friendly STEM activities.<\/p>\n
The first day is always free and numerous ticket packages are available for Saturday and Sunday, including multiday and VIP options. Check back for more details as they become available.<\/p>\n
January 2026 programming will also include the following. Check with ZORAFestival.org for complete details.<\/p>\n
Celebrate Zora Neale Hurston\u2019s birthday in a global online tribute<\/a> featuring authors, artists and fans sharing stories, performances and reflections. It\u2019s your digital doorway into the 2026 ZORA! Festival Season. Pricing<\/em><\/strong>: Free with RSVP.<\/em><\/p>\n
Ideal for art lovers and cultural thinkers, this exhibition<\/a> will explore identity, resilience and heritage through contemporary mixed-media art. Pricing<\/em><\/strong>: Free with RSVP<\/em>.<\/p>\n
This enchanting revival<\/a> of Zora Neale Hurston\u2019s musical revue, From Sun to Sun<\/em>, will bring her storytelling and musical genius to life through live performance and song. Pricing<\/em><\/strong>: $25 per person.<\/em><\/p>\n
ZORA! Festival organizers and the Town of Eatonville keep the celebration going with other events throughout the year. Check back for more details as they become available.<\/p>\n
Engage in lively conversation around Hurston\u2019s literary works and timeless themes in this book club<\/a> for readers of all backgrounds. Pricing<\/em><\/strong>: Free with RSVP.<\/em><\/p>\n
Enjoy an intimate evening<\/a> with artist and curator Lonnie Graham offering fresh insights on Zora Neale Hurston\u2019s artistic and cultural impact. Pricing<\/em><\/strong>: Free with RSVP.<\/em><\/p>\n
This guided experience<\/a> will link Eatonville\u2019s and Maitland\u2019s most important cultural landmarks, walking through history, art and heritage. Pricing<\/em><\/strong>: $30 per person (includes transportation).<\/em><\/p>\n
Continue the dialogue on art, culture and legacy in an evening conversation<\/a> featuring guest artists and curators. Pricing<\/em><\/strong>: Free with RSVP.<\/em><\/p>\n
Don your best Zora Neale Hurston-style hat for HATitude Cultural Flair<\/a>. This fun event supports the ZORA! Festival\u2019s after-school and summer academic programs for K-12 students. Pricing<\/em><\/strong>: $95 general admission, $150 VIP table.<\/em><\/p>\n
If you can\u2019t make it to Orlando during ZORA! Festival, note that historic Eatonville and The Hurston are worth visiting whenever you\u2019re in Orlando. Downtown Orlando\u2019s Parramore District and the City of Winter Park also have much for anyone interested in Orlando\u2019s Black history.<\/p>\n
Discover: <\/em><\/strong>Local History<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
Eatonville was one of hundreds of communities founded by and for African Americans in the southern U.S. between the 1880s and 1930s, and one of a handful remaining. Encompassing about 20 acres, the town is home to several buildings that were constructed between 1882 and 1946.<\/p>\n
Discover: <\/em><\/strong>Black History Month Celebrations<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
In addition to honoring its namesake, The Hurston provides information about the community and displays work by legendary and emerging artists of African descent. Also available from the museum are tour brochures for the Zora Neale Hurston Trail, which ties Hurston\u2019s writing to 16 sites related to Hurston\u2019s life and 10 markers with her writing.<\/p>\n
Discover: <\/em><\/strong>Juneteenth Celebrations<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
Last but not least, Hannibal Square was originally designated as the African American section of Winter Park when it was founded in 1881 \u2014 and became the site of one of the country\u2019s earliest Civil Rights marches in 1887. You can explore the district\u2019s history and other African American milestones at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center<\/a>, which is operated by the adjacent Creald\u00e9 School of Art.<\/p>\n
Discover: <\/em><\/strong>Things to Do in Winter Park<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n
Discover more ways to celebrate local culture<\/a> in the Theme Park Capital of the World, and take advantage of our free planning resources<\/a> ahead of ZORA! Festival Season. We hope to see you there!<\/p>\n
\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.visitorlando.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Discover Eatonville\u2019s signature festival honoring its most famous daughter and much more.
More than half a century before Walt Disney World\u00ae Resort came to town, celebrated author Zora Neale Hurston grew up in historic Eatonville, just 30 minutes from Orlando\u2019s entertainment districts. One of the first self-governing African American communities in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2129946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2129945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ZORA-Festival-Season-Culture-Food-Music-Fun.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2129945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2129945"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2129945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2129947,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2129945\/revisions\/2129947"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2129946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2129945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2129945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2129945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\nZORA!\u00ae Festival Season<\/h2>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"vo-zora-festival-web-stills-83.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/assets.simpleviewinc.com\/simpleview\/image\/upload\/c_fill,f_jpg,h_800,q_65,w_1200\/v1\/clients\/orlandofl\/vo_zora_festival_web_stills_83_a3b4b977-ed90-4fbb-a03e-81f7cf594074.jpg\")
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\n\t<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nZORA!\u00ae Outdoor Festival of the Arts<\/h3>\n
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\n\t<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAdditional January Events<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nHappy Birthday, Zora! (Jan. 7, 2026)<\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\nOpening Exhibition: \u2018Value Test: Brown Bag\u2019 by Mary Graham (Jan. 24, 2026)<\/h4>\n
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\n\t<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nVignettes From Let the People Sing<\/em> (Jan. 29, 2026)<\/h4>\n
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\n\t<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nGathering & Gabbing: Zora Neale Hurston Book Club, A Readers\u2019 Choice Session (Feb. 15, 2026)<\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\nConversation With the Curator: Featuring Lonnie Graham (March 12, 2026)<\/h4>\n
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\n\t<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nProgressive Museum Tour (March 27, 2026)<\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\nConversation With the Curator: Spring Series (May 14, 2026)<\/h4>\n
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