Whether you’ve just touched down in Fayetteville or have been wanting to meet new people, The Sip Room has an answer to the often-cited difficulty of making new friends as an adult. The wine and champagne bar will be holding a Sip & Make Friends event on Thursday, Nov. 12 at their location on 106 Hay Street. The event will run from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., so feel free to slip in after work to mingle with like-minded people. No pre registration is required.
There’s no need to reserve a spot to participate; simply come as you are and keep your mind open to new connections. If mingling doesn’t come naturally to you, The Sip Room has you covered. They’ll have seat changes and conversation cards to ensure everyone gets acquainted with some new faces and has ample topics for conversation.
The Sip Room has held several events in the past where people come out by themselves and leave with new connections, such as their speed-dating events, so this friendship mixer is an organic continuation of that concept.
“I feel like The Sip Room is just one of the places where I have heard over time that a lot of people meet people, like kind of unexpectedly,” said Santina Epps-Thomas, one of the wine bar’s owners. “I was like, you know what would be kind of cool? To bring out people that usually come alone, that don’t really know anyone in the city or are new to the city.”
The Sip Room provides a comfortable, judgment-free zone for anyone looking to chill, have some drinks and meet new people in a relaxing environment — no pressure to perform. The Sip Room’s target age range tends to be 30 and above, but the venue is open to anyone 21 and up who wants to come out and enjoy themselves. This friendship mixer can also be a good relationship-building avenue for people who don’t want to do the more formal speed-dating.
Participants will receive a name tag and do an icebreaker activity to introduce themselves, so come prepared with an interesting fact or two about yourself.
“We’ll have a few games also laid out on the tables, and we’ll have a DJ out as well, so hopefully we can get people engaged that way just having activities for them,” said Epps-Thomas.
Attendees can order drink options such as beer and wine; specials will be offered for the wine bar’s flights and wine by the glass. Mocktails will also be available for anyone who doesn’t partake in alcohol but still wants to show up. It isn’t confirmed yet if light bites will also be available, so stay updated on the Sip & Make Friends event — and other upcoming celebrations — by following The Sip Room’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TheSipRoomFayetteville or their Instagram @thesiproom.
“I just want people to leave feeling good and feel like they walked out with new friendships,” said Epps-Thomas. “That’s what I really want to see from this event.”

(Photo: Friends gather at a mixer at the Sip Room. The wine bar has been creating events for members of the community to get to know each other. Photo  courtesy of the Sip Room)