Zora! Fest headliner performances pushed back to June due to COVID concerns

Guests can enjoy virtual events this month as well

Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities

EATONVILLE, Fla.The 2022 Zora! Fest’s Outdoor Festival of the Arts has been pushed back to June due to COVID-19 concerns, according to The Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community (P.E.C.).

Musical headliners George Clinton and The Parliament Funkadelic, jazz artist Kim Waters and trumpeter Tom Browne were originally set to perform at the end of January, but have now been rescheduled to perform on Saturday, June 4 and Sunday, June 5, respectively.

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The outdoor festival was rescheduled following a surge of COVID-19 cases in the area.

“After extensive consultation with the festival’s stakeholders, community leaders and Mrs. N.Y. Nathiri, P.E.C.’s Executive Director, our Board has chosen to reschedule the Outdoor Festival of the Arts to June 4-5, due to the surge in COVID infections in Central Florida,” Winfred Chad McKendrick, president of P.E.C.’s governing board, said in an email. “While we looked forward to this year’s celebrations with great anticipation, we know that the health of our festival attendees and our community is of paramount importance.”

McKendrick also mentions how the concert series is a perfect way to celebrate Black Music Month in June and the “musical genius of people of African ancestry.”

Tickets bought for the January performances will be honored in June and those wishing to refund tickets should follow the prompts here. Those interested in purchasing tickets for the outdoor concert can find them at Eventbrite.com.

“While the Outdoor Festival of the Arts has been rescheduled, the 2022 ZORA! Festival Season, with the 33rd Annual ZORA! Festival is presenting a rich array of virtual programming that is attracting a global audience. In the week coming up, we see the power of that programming in full display,” P.E.C.’s Executive Director N.Y. Nathiri said in the email.

Individual tickets for events range from free to $75. Weekend packages, which bundle tickets to the festival’s musical headliners, start at $30 and go up to $400 for those who want exclusive lodging. For more information, visit ZoraFestival.org.