Discover Eatonville’s signature festival honoring its most famous daughter and much more.

Updated Nov. 26, 2024

More than half a century before Walt Disney World® Resort came to town, celebrated author Zora Neale Hurston grew up in historic Eatonville, just 30 minutes from Orlando’s entertainment districts. One of the first self-governing African American communities in the U.S., Eatonville honors Hurston’s memory with the Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts, aka The Hurston, and the annual ZORA! Festival Season.

Discover: African American History & Culture

Eatonville’s signature event includes the Outdoor Festival of the Arts (Jan. 31 – Feb. 2, 2025), October’s HATitude Cultural Flair and many other ways to celebrate. Here’s what you can expect from these celebrations of the arts, culture and education when they return.

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ZORA!® Festival Season

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 primarily in Eatonville and throughout Orange County, the festival always kicks off on Hurston’s birthday (Jan. 7). That celebration is followed by other January events, many of which are free to attend, culminating with the ZORA!® Outdoor Festival of the Arts in the last weekend in January. Here is a look at what to expect in 2025.

Discover: Orlando Events

ZORA!® Outdoor Festival of the Arts

Held in the heart of Eatonville, the ZORA! Outdoor Festival of the Arts is where you need to be for the ultimate cultural experience of 2025.

From Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, Eatonville will come alive with incredible live performances from The LeVert Experience and The Bar-Kays. Immerse yourself in interactive art, shop from over 80 vendors, take a journey through history with a new virtual tour app called Historifi, and enjoy family-friendly STEM activities. There will even be a robot!

Plus, don’t miss the unforgettable R&B Tribute to the Legends, honoring talents such as Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye and Luther Vandross. This is more than a festival — it’s a celebration of Eatonville’s rich cultural heritage. Make plans now to be a part of it.

Eatonville Historifi Activation

In partnership with tech company Reality Trail, this year’s ZORA! Outdoor Festival of the Arts will make use of Historifi, a free app for mobile phones available from the Apple App Store and Google Play. Use it to explore a virtual map of Eatonville, navigate to key festival locations, and keep digital tour guides at your fingertips to answer questions and bring your experience to life.

After downloading Historifi, you’ll be invited to step into the lively world of 1937 Eatonville through the eyes of two vibrant characters: a mischievous and curious 10-year-old boy, James “Jimmy” Greene, and a thoughtful and driven 17-year-old high school student, Penelope “Penny” Morgan.

Jimmy serves as your primary guide through the town’s rich history, with his imagination and admiration for Zora Neale Hurston infusing his narration with youthful energy and a sense of wonder. Along the way you’ll meet Penny, who dreams of breaking societal expectations and pursuing a future inspired by Zora’s groundbreaking accomplishments.

Together, this dynamic duo offers an engaging and heartfelt exploration of Eatonville’s legacy, capturing its pride, challenges and the enduring impact of its cultural icons and providing a deeper appreciation for the town as a beacon of Black excellence and creativity. Download it ahead of this year’s festival to make the most of your experience.

Additional January Events

January 2025 programming will also include the following, most of which are free to attend. Check with ZORAFestival.org for details.

• A Walking Tour of Historic Eatonville (Jan. 7, Eatonville) — $45 Per Person
• Exhibition: Jerushia Graham and Her Art (Jan. 25, Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts) — Free
• Academic Conference (Jan. 29 – 31, Various Locations) — Free
• Introducing Scott Joplin’s Opera Treemonisha: A Collaborative Program with Opera Orlando (Jan. 30, Broadway United Methodist Church) — Free

More ZORA!® Festival Season Events

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.

Rent Party (Feb. 1, 2025)

Party with a purpose and help "pay the rent" for the Hurston Museum. Enjoy card games, board games, music through the decades, a fashion stroll, cash bar and much more. Pricing: $25 per person.

HATitude Cultural Flair (Oct. 18, 2025)

Don your best Zora Neale Hurston-style hat for HATitude Cultural Flair. This fun event supports the ZORA! Festival’s after-school and summer academic programs for K-12 students. Pricing: TBD.

Eatonville and The Hurston Museum

If you can’t make it to Orlando during ZORA! Festival, note that historic Eatonville and The Hurston are worth visiting whenever you’re in Orlando.

Discover: Local History

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.

Discover: Black History Month Celebrations

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’s writing to 16 sites related to Hurston’s life and 10 markers with her writing.

Discover: Juneteenth Celebrations

Orlando for All

Discover more ways to celebrate culture and diversity in the Theme Park Capital of the World, and take advantage of our free planning resources ahead of ZORA! Festival Season. We hope to see you there!

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