Zora Festival

Zora! Zora! Zora!

The Sunshine State throws a celebration for her books.

ZORA! There’s a reason for the caps and exclamation point, we promise. Celebrated writer Zora Neale Hurston wrote the acclaimed novel Their Eyes Were Watching God back in 1937, later adapted by Oprah Winfrey into the 2006 made-for-TV movie starring Halle Berry.

Today Hurston’s legacy endures—especially in January, the month she was born. That’s when Eatonville, Florida—about five miles from Orlando—throws the annual Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities.

The 20th anniversary celebration runs from Jan. 20th through the 25th. Eatonville’s main drag of East Kennedy Boulevard will become a bustling marketplace of food, art, crafts, and music. Fans of Hurston’s work will also find poetry readings, films, lectures, and a guided Museum Hop taking place at venues located throughout Orange County. Most of the events are free to the public, though a black-tie gala featuring guest poet Maya Angelou will set you back $100.