Discover Orlando’s top Black History Month events and more ways to celebrate all year long.
Updated Jan. 16, 2025
February is Black History Month, and Orlando is ready to help you celebrate with live music, festivals, events and exhibitions. Discover some of our top Black History Month must-do’s, then keep the festivities going all year long with Black-owned restaurants, historic sites and permanent museums celebrating African American culture and heritage. Trust us: You won’t want to miss a moment of this spirited celebration.
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ZORA!® Festival Season Events (Jan. 7 – Feb. 20, 2025)
Twenty-five minutes north of Orlando in the historic Town of Eatonville, the annual ZORA! Festival honors African American writer Zora Neale Hurston, author of Their Eyes Were Watching God and other classic pieces of literature. The celebration includes museum exhibitions, historical tours, stage performances, a three-day Outdoor Festival of the Arts and more, with additional events throughout the year.
Discover: ZORA! Festival Season
Mandi Jo John: Broadway My Way (Jan. 23 – 26, 2025)
In Loch Haven Park near downtown Orlando, the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre will continue its popular concert series with the Broadway stylings of Mandi Jo John. The University of Central Florida-trained actor and singer is also the executive director of Black Theatre Girl Magic, a local nonprofit that promotes inclusion in the arts.
Discover: Orlando Arts & Entertainment
MLK Gospel Concert: Until I Reach My Home, It’s Gonna Take a Village (Jan. 26, 2025)
Presented in partnership with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and the Mayor’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, this free gospel concert at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts features Central Florida vocalists, actors, dancers and more honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It’s directed by Grammy Award winner Dr. Jefferey Redding.
Additional events celebrating Dr. King in the leadup to Black History Month include the 23rd Annual Unity Heritage Festival, a holiday parade, candlelight vigil, a community celebration and more in mid-to-late January.
Spirituals + Sopranos (Jan. 30, 2025)
Opera Orlando will present a thrilling preview of Treemonisha in partnership with the historically significant town of Eatonville. Arrive early for a community meet and greet in the garden, followed by the musical stylings of former Opera Orlando Studio Artist Kyaunee Richardson.
Black History Month at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts (Select Dates, Jan. 31 – Feb. 11, 2025)
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts will host a variety of African American artists throughout Black History Month, including Grammy Award winners and musical innovators spanning multiple genres. They’ll also host MJ: The Musical, a Tony Award-winning play about Michael Jackson and the making of his 1992 Dangerous World Tour, in early March.
- Jan. 31: Yolanda Adams in Concert: Hope Ignited!
- Feb. 2: Babatunde HipHopera
- Feb. 6: Bilal
- Feb. 7: Voices of Freedom: An Evening of Spoken Word
- Feb. 7 – 8: Selwyn Birchwood
- Feb. 11: April Brown & After 5
- Feb. 12: Robert Callender's "Le Musée de L'Impressionnisme" 50th Anniversary Concert
- Feb. 15: Songs of the Heart: Stories of the Soul
Black History Month at DISNEY SPRINGS® (Feb 1 – 28, 2025)
Celebrate Soulfully throughout Black History Month at Disney Springs®, part of Walt Disney World® Resort. Enjoy special food and beverage options like Black Panther Petit Cake at Amorette's Patisserie, Soulful Pralines at The Ganachery and Pork Belly Diri Kolepwana from MICHELIN Recommended The Polite Pig. Plus, shop for merchandise inspired by Princess Tiana, Black Panther, Joe Gardner from Soul, and more favorite characters. A new mural will also be unveiled along the Disney Springs Art Walk, an outdoor series that currently includes murals from three Black artists.
Black History Month Events at Winter Park Library (Select Dates, Feb 1 – 22, 2025)
The Winter Park Library will host a variety of events honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. throughout Black History Month. They include a virtual reality tour through key locations in King’s life, an inspirational lecture inspired by MLK’s teachings and social justice work, a screening of the 1998 animated film Our Friend Martin, and A Feast for King featuring favorite flavors and stories from Dr. King’s life.
Discover: Things to Do in Winter Park
Then, join The Harlem Renaissance: A Celebration of Black Culture. This immersive and multisensory experience will blend art, music, literature and fashion in a tribute to this historic cultural explosion of African American creativity.
Timucua Amplifies Black Voices Concert Series (Select Dates, Feb. 7 – 15, 2025)
In Orlando’s SODO District, Timucua Arts Foundation will host an electrifying range of jazz, soul and contemporary classical performances as part of the Timucua Amplifies Black Voices concert series. The intimate concert space is home to some of the most diverse, inclusive and accessible performances in Orlando, with a one-of-a-kind acoustic control system to match. Enjoy unforgettable performances from John Lumpkin and the Covenant, The 904 Jazz Organ Trio, Gerald Law II & The Clutch, and EarthTonez Music Collective throughout the week.
Discover: Inside Timucua Arts Foundation
Sanford Jazz Ensemble: Salute to Black History Month (Feb. 9, 2025)
Sanford Jazz Ensemble will present their annual Salute to Black History Month concert at The Ritz Theater in Sanford, featuring musical tributes to iconic American entertainers Louis Armstrong, Wynton Marsalis, Marvin Gaye and Thelonious Monk. Sanford is about 30 minutes north of downtown Orlando, with plenty to do and see before the show.
Black History Month: Orlando Magic vs. Atlanta Hawks (Feb. 10, 2025)
Cheer for the Orlando Magic as they take on Atlanta Hawks at downtown Orlando’s Kia Center, then enjoy special Black History Month celebrations as part of the big game. Past editions have featured live music, celebrity guests and more special surprises. Stop by to see what’s in store for 2025.
City of Orlando’s Black History Month Community Celebration (Feb. 11, 2025)
Join Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer for a Black History Month celebration honoring the lasting contributions and positive influence of African Americans in our community. Hosted at The New Covenant Church of Orlando, the festivities will include a screening of the GOSPEL docuseries, live entertainment, delicious food, and a special performance by City Beautiful Voices, a choir featuring city employees.
Big Band Spirituals (Feb. 13, 2025)
The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park will present Big Band Spirituals, a unique concert blending soulful African American spirituals with vibrant big band jazz at the stunning Knowles Memorial Chapel in Winter Park. The one-night-only event features locally sourced talent under the direction of acclaimed jazz musician and Rollins College professor Chuck Archard.
Katt Williams: Heaven on Earth Tour (Feb. 14, 2025)
Fresh off his Netflix comedy special Woke Foke, actor and critically acclaimed comedian Katt Williams will bring his 2025 Heaven on Earth tour to Addition Financial Arena at the University of Central Florida. Williams’ stand-up style combines articulate and sharp dialogue rooted in conversations reflecting the American political landscape.
Dashon Burton: Brick by Brick — Changing America by Song (Feb. 18, 2025)
Experience more from the Bach Festival Society during the 90th Annual Bach Festival, including a performance from Grammy Award-winning artist Dashon Burton and pianist Lindsay Garritson. Brick by Brick is a captivating program of African spirituals that portrays the journey of African Americans with indomitable spirit and enduring hope.
Lineage & Legacy: Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha (Feb. 20, 2025)
In preparation for the Opera Orlando spring production of Treemonisha, the Orange County Regional History Center invites you to take a musical stroll through the past. Treemonisha is an opera about the Reconstruction Era African American experience written by Scott Joplin, who lived through this period himself. The full production of Treemonisha will take place in May at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
Hot 8 Brass Band (Feb. 28, 2025)
Grammy Award winners Hot 8 Brass Band will bring their Big Tuba Tour to The Abbey in downtown Orlando to close out Black History Month. The New Orleans-based octet will combine their traditional jazz heritage with elements of funk, hip hop, rap and bounce music for a toe-tapping good time.
Black History Month Exhibits
Reflection of Time III at Winter Garden City Hall (Weekdays, Jan. 9 – Feb. 28, 2025)
The popular Reflections of Time gallery will return to Winter Garden City Hall for a third year, highlighting the journey of African American artists from Winter Garden and surrounding Central Florida areas. Early birds can also enjoy an opening reception and gallery walk with curator Patrick Noze of Winter Park’s Crealdé School of Art on January 9.
Discover: Things to Do in Winter Garden
African Americans and Labor: Black History Month Gallery at Orlando City Hall (Jan. 31 – March 30, 2025)
The City of Orlando will host a Black History Month exhibition at the Terrace Gallery inside Orlando City Hall, featuring works by Central Florida visual artists. The 2025 gallery theme is “African Americans and Labor,” exploring the impact of paid and unpaid work, volunteer work and activism, and key figures and movements in Black labor history and the present day. Stay tuned for details on an official opening ceremony to be hosted the first week of February. The City will also host an opening reception on February 5 with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, City Commissioners Shan Rose and Bakari F. Burns, and the Orlando City Council.
Permanent Collections at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center
Step back in time to discover the hardships and triumphs of Winter Park’s African American community with The Heritage Collection, a permanent exhibition at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center in Winter Park. The exhibition includes personal photographs, stories and more from multiple generations of Hannibal Square residents, with experiences from the 1900s all the way to present day.
Discover: Orlando Museums & Art Galleries
Other permanent exhibitions at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center include a timeline of historic events as well as The Sage Project, which features oral histories and photographs of some of the neighborhood’s oldest residents.
Local African American Culture & History
Historic Eatonville
Just 25 minutes north of Orlando’s entertainment districts, the historic town of Eatonville was one of the first self-governing, all-Black municipalities in the U.S. — and the oldest still in existence today. Established two decades after the end of slavery in the United States, Eatonville served as a haven for newly emancipated African Americans with the motto, “The Town That Freedom Built.”
Discover: Things to Do in Eatonville
Kick off Black History Month at the annual ZORA! Festival, then visit the Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts or discover the town’s historic sights with year-round walking tours from the Association to Preserve Eatonville.
Parramore District & West Lakes Market Street District
The oldest and largest African American neighborhood in Orlando, the Parramore District is an area rich in culture, heritage and heart. Discover local history through a fascinating collection of African art and artifacts, displays of the Civil Rights movement, and memorabilia of Orlando’s African American community at the Wells’Built Museum of African American History and Culture, then explore the district to see how Parramore residents are creating their own modern legacies.
Discover: Things to Do in Orlando’s Parramore District
Nearby in the West Lakes Market Street District, Tinker Field History Plaza marks the former site of Tinker Field baseball stadium, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a moving Civil Rights speech in 1964. It’s located next to Camping World Stadium and the newly renovated Lake Lorne Doone Park.
Discover: Things to Do in Orlando’s West Lakes Market Street District
Hannibal Square
The historic Winter Park neighborhood of Hannibal Square began as a community of African American laborers and domestic workers, whose lives and contributions are now preserved at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center. Established in 2007 by the Crealdé School of Art, the center honors Winter Park’s African American heritage through a series of classes, festivals — including the annual Unity Heritage Festival and Hannibal Square Heritage Center Folk & Urban Art Festival — and exhibits dedicated to topics like the African American experience, Black heritage, cultural preservation and Southern folklore.
Discover: Hannibal Square Heritage Center
Black-Owned Restaurants & Businesses
Get a taste of Orlando’s rich culinary artistry at Black-owned restaurants throughout the city. Start at The District GastroBar, a modern gastropub with a seriously cool history in the Parramore District. The area once hosted legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles and Count Basie, while the restaurant itself was featured in The Green Book, an annual guidebook first published in 1936 to help African American travelers safely navigate a segregated country. Spot your favorite African American musical icons in mural form, then head inside for delicious flavors and vintage ambiance.
Discover: Black-Owned Restaurants in Orlando
Additional Black-owned restaurants in Orlando include Smokemade Meats + Eats, The Licking Orlando, Kalalou Bar & Grill, Kook’n With Kim (as seen on Netflix’s Somebody Feed Phil), Nile Ethiopian, Chicken Fire, Sister Honey’s, Virgin Island Thyme, Selam Ethiopian & Eitrean, Vitality Bowls Orlando, Oley’s Kitchen, Nikki’s Place, Brappin’ Crabs, and many more tasty picks throughout the destination.
Discover: Orlando Shopping
If it’s shopping you’re after, Three Masks in the West Lakes Market Street District sells one-of-a-kind art and goods sourced from Nigeria, Ghana and other parts of Africa. You can find more Black-owned businesses throughout Orlando, including natural beauty and wellness products from WENVIA, paper goods from Pretty Peacock Paperie, bath products from Naked Bar Soap Co., home good and gifts from Miscellaneous Market, and more.
Discover: Orlando Neighborhoods
African American history, arts and culture are key parts of Orlando’s rich tapestry, and there’s lots more to explore while you’re here. Take advantage of our free planning tools and other resources to unlock an Orlando getaway that’s perfect for your family!
Map of Black History Month Events & Exhibits
Use this interactive map to track down the Black History Month events and exhibitions featured in this blog.
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