Can Node use Symbols for the name of an Event? I'd say yep...

symbol_for_event_name.js

'use strict';
const util = require('util');
const EventEmitter = require('events');

function MyEventEmitter() {
  EventEmitter.call(this);
}

// Inherit functions from `EventEmitter`'s prototype
util.inherits(MyEventEmitter, EventEmitter);

const foo = new MyEventEmitter();

const symbol = Symbol('Hi, Bengie! Err... I mean, Bryan!');

foo.on(symbol, function () { console.log('symbol event fired!'); })

foo.emit(symbol);

Yep, but not any more special than they would be as property names:

let sym = Symbol(2)
let x = {'2': 42, [sym]: 43}

x[2] == 42

x['2'] == 42

x[sym] == 43

x[Symbol(2)] == undefined

3 years later...

let event = Symbol('event')
let EventEmitter = require('events')
let x = new EventEmitter()
x.on(event, console.log)

console.log('emit with symbol:')
x.emit(event, 1)

console.log('emit with string:')
x.emit('event', 1)

console.log('emit with symbol.toString:')
x.emit(event.toString(), 1)

The output will be:

emit with symbol:
1
emit with string:
emit with symbol.toString:

So maybe symbols are not coerced into strings after all / anymore?