This Saturday, there’s an opportunity to involve the whole family in the Orlando-area arts scene with the Hannibal Square Heritage Center Folk and Urban Art Festival.
The event will feature more than 25 local artists, a mask workshop and parade for the kids, music, and delicious soul food. Admission is free.
Hannibal Square Heritage Center has been operating since 2007, and focuses on the past, present and future accomplishments of the African-American community in Winter Park.
The center is located at 642 W. New England Ave. in Winter Park; you can visit HannibalSquareHeritageCenter.org or call 407-539-2680 for more information about this or other events.
Exploring the Local Artisan Community
If your weekend is already booked, however, there’s still plenty to take advantage of on the local scene. In the last decade or so, there’s been a significant uptick in arts and food culture centering not on nearby theme parks, but on Orlando’s community itself.
Orlando’s growing artisan and food community even caught the attention of the Associated Press recently, with a March 16 article noting that “Orlando’s restaurant and performing arts scene has grown up in recent years, and it is starting to attract attention from national arbiters of taste.”
That article noted the East End market, housing a collection of top chefs and artisanal coffee joints. Americans love coffee — about 65% drink it with breakfast daily — but this isn’t the drip coffee of the past.
The diversity of the Orlando area, too, has been enriching the local food scene. The strong Southern influences show up in soul food restaurants, and a growing Hispanic population has brought an influx of Latin flavors.
Local growers and suppliers are included in this food revolution as well. Last year, more than 100 farmers, food writers and restaurant owners pledged to support farm-to-table concepts by signing a “Sunshine Plate” manifesto.
