Host Your Event

Thank you for including The Velvet Hippo on your short list of potential venues! We’re so glad to collaborate with you to see if our bar is the best fit for you and your guests. As everybody’s little getaway tucked right into the heart of Downtown Durham, The Velvet Hippo is, first and foremost, a neighborhood bar. We do not take reservations for groups under 20 people (just come on in!).

Because we prefer to keep our small staff freed up to focus on serving guests, we do require anyone wishing to host a planned event with reserved space to be on a single check together (which may be split evenly across up to 4 credit cards).

Like any true getaway, we’re all about a laid-back approach to entertaining. No logistical nightmares or wild rental fees. Tell us what you’re looking for, meet (virtually or in person) with our event manager, and we’ll handle the rest. Your answers to the questions in our event inquiry form below will ensure that we make things nice and easy right from the get-go. Once you click submit, you’ll hear from one of us within 3 business days. So let’s get started!

*Please note: we do not allow guests holding reservations with us to sell tickets to attend their event.

Event FAQs

  • Just fill out the Event Inquiry Form on this page and our events manager will be in touch!

    If you have any trouble with the form, you can also reach out to events@velvethippodurham.com with all of the relevant information.

  • Because our main objective is to be a neighborhood spot whose doors are always open to our regulars and newcomers alike, private events that require us to close to the public are few and far between. Typically our events are semi-private and take place in a reserved area during normal bar operations.

    We may be able to work out a way to host your event and still open afterward though, so let’s chat about it if you think that might work for your event!

  • We generally do not accept event bookings on Friday nights, Saturdays after 2pm, or any day when we have a special event already in house (Latin Night, Music Trivia Bingo, etc.) We are happy to host events most weeknights, Saturday before 2pm, or all day on Sunday.

  • To plan an event with our events coordinator and reserve space for your group, our minimum is 20 guests. If you have a smaller group, we always appreciate a heads up that you’re coming so we can staff appropriately! However we are only able to reserve space for parties of 20 or more.

  • Because we are primarily a bar, not an event venue, we look for ways to make hosting an event with us as accessible as possible in a way that still makes sense for us as a business. With that in mind, we do not charge a separate rental fee for our space. We set a single-check minimum spend for your party based on headcount, style of event, and what kind of service you’d like for your guests.

    When you’re ready to reserve your date, you will pay a $200 deposit, which will be applied to your final bill upon completion of your event.

  • Events are paid for on the day they take place. The whole party will be on one check, which we are able to split evenly across up to 4 cards if need be. Because we are a small business, we aren’t able to invoice after the event, and we must collect payment day-of.

    We do require a credit card on file to reserve your event, which will be charged a non-refundable $200 deposit when you’re ready to reserve your event. This amount will be applied to your final bill upon completion of your event.

    Please be aware that because we are a small business and have to bring in extra staff and supplies specifically for your group, we charge 30% of the agreed-upon event minimum for cancellation within 7 days of the event. For cancellations within 72 hours of the event, we charge 50% of the minimum, and for same-day cancellations (within 24 hours), you will be responsible for the full minimum. Your initial $200 deposit will be applied to any of these cancellation charges.

  • There are services we aren’t able to provide, and in those cases, we are happy to work with outside vendors! We do reserve the right to vet the vendors in advance before agreeing to have them in our space. They will be required to provide proof of their own off-site liability insurance.