Food, Recent Posts, The Frugalista Life

Orlando Black History Month celebrates with tributes, art, and events

by Alexandria Ebron

Black History Month events in Orlando begin in late January and continue throughout February, featuring a phenomenal lineup of commemorations and celebrations honoring Black history. From limited-time exhibitions and live performances to year-round cultural attractions, historic tours and a thriving community of Black-owned businesses, Orlando offers myriad meaningful ways for both visitors and locals to celebrate the city’s Black heritage during Black History Month and beyond. 

ORLANDO BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVENTS 

Central Florida locals and visitors can pay tribute to African American culture through exclusive musical performances, art exhibits and more.  

  • During the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts (Jan. 16 – Feb. 2), guests can discover works created in honor of Black History Month, featuring unique interpretations of beloved Disney scenes and characters. The celebration includes a musical component, with DISNEY ON BROADWAY stars performing songs they helped make famous, like The Lion King’s Jelani Remy and Kissy Simmons, Tarzan’s Anastacia McCleskey and Aladdin’s James Monroe Iglehart.
  • The annual ZORA! Outdoor Festival of the Arts, (Jan. 30 – Feb. 1) is a three-day cultural celebration that transforms Historic Eatonville, the first African American incorporated municipality in the United States, into a vibrant open-air museum of creativity, history, and community. Visitors can enjoy live performances, an international marketplace, arts and craft booths and more.
  • Acclaimed vocalist Brandon Martin will present Lift Every Voice and Sing! (Feb. 3), a stirring and uplifting portrait of the African American experience, at the intimate Judson’s Live venue at The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Visitors can enjoy other performances from the free MLK Gospel Concert (Feb. 22), hip-hop DJ and Grammy Award-winning producer Pete Rock (Feb. 20), New Orleans-style jazz group Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (Feb. 21) and jazz vibraphonist Joel Ross (Feb. 26). 
  • The African Americans and the Arts Exhibition (Feb. 3 – March 31) at the Terrace Gallery at Orlando City Hall presents an opportunity for local artists to showcase African American history and celebrate the many iconic contributions Black Americans have had on visual arts, performing arts, literature, film, music and cultural movements. This year’s exhibition showcases 48 works by 28 local visual artists, inspired by the 2026 national Black History Month theme, “A Century of Black History Commemorations. 
  • The Orlando Magic (Feb. 5) honors the history, achievements and resilience of the Black community with special performances and recognitions during their upcoming game against the Brooklyn Nets at Kia Center.
  • The Orange County Regional History Center’s Black History Month commemoration will include History Alive: Soul of the Sunshine State (Feb. 7), a special tribute to the Black residents who shaped the Central Florida region; Brechner Speaker Series (Feb. 8), tracing the Nightingale family’s journey; and Sensory Sunday (Feb. 15), celebrating Black animators and storytellers through sensory-friendly activities. 
  • Orlando Family Stage presents Tiara’s Hat Parade (select dates, Feb. 7-22), a family-friendly production celebrating Black culture and innovation based on the children’s book, which tells the tale of young Tiara, who uses kindness, creativity, artistry and community to help her mother to revive her hat-making business.
  • Timucua Amplifies Black Voices is a four-day event (Feb. 13-14, 20-21) at the Timucua Arts Foundation in Orlando’s SoDo District that offers performances by a variety of Black American artists, including jazz musicians, R&B singers, classical music groups and a resident visual artist. 

YEAR-ROUND AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL ATTRACTIONS 

Beyond Black History Month, Orlando offers events to explore African American culture and local history throughout the year. 

  • Just outside the tourism districts, the historic town of Eatonville, home to celebrated author Zora Neale Hurston, was one of the country’s first self-governing African American communities. Today, it honors Hurston’s memory with the Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts and the annual ZORA! Festival (Jan. 7 – Feb. 1) with other events throughout the year, including HATitude Cultural Flair (Oct. 17). The Hurston also displays work by legendary and emerging artists of African descent.
  • Parramore, the only Commercial National Registered Historic District in Orlando, is the city’s oldest and largest African American neighborhood with a diverse collection of historic buildings like the Wells’ Built Hotel, now the Wells’ Built Museum of African American History and Culture, dedicated to preserving the memory of Orlando’s African American heritage with Civil Rights artifacts and memorabilia.
  • The Orange County Regional History Center features a permanent African American history exhibit highlighting the triumphs and tragedies of African Americans in Central Florida’s past, along with luminous paintings of Florida’s Highwaymen, a group of acclaimed African American landscape artists.
  • Historic Hannibal Square, a community founded for black families in 1881, is home to the Hannibal Square Heritage Center, which welcomes visitors to explore the district’s origins and guided walking tours of the historic landmarks of “West Winter Park.” Visitors can also experience small-business shopping, free yoga, food and music during the SOKO Marketplace every Saturday morning, where proceeds support the development of culturally relevant programming for Hannibal Square. Also at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center is the permanent home for the Heritage Collection: Photographs and Oral Histories of Winter Park, which documents the lives, hardships and triumphs of the city’s African American community through archival photos and recorded interviews.
  • Visitors and locals can join Juneteenth (June 19) celebrations throughout Orlando, particularly in Eatonville and Hannibal Square. Also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day and Emancipation Day, Juneteenth commemorates the official end of slavery in the United States. 

BLACK-OWNED RESTAURANTS AND BUSINESSES AROUND ORLANDO 

Orlando’s exploding food scene is home to a multitude of Black-owned restaurants offering flavors across various cuisines:

Additional information on Orlando’s Black History Month programming and year-round cultural experiences can be found at VisitOrlando.com.