The Velvet Hippo

The Velvet Hippo is a third-floor bar and lounge at 119 W Orange St in downtown Durham. It calls itself "a neighborhood bar for everybody", and Discover Durham lists it among the city's LGBTQIA-owned businesses (August 2026). The calendar has regular queer nights: drag bingo, a Sunday Recovery Tea Dance and Saturday DJ dance parties. In March 2026 it hosted the Crape Myrtle Festival drag brunch, which raises money for LGBTQ+ and HIV causes. Google lists it open from 4pm on weekdays and from noon at weekends, until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. It scores 4.6 from about 400 reviews. The crowd is mixed; event nights are the queerest.