Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Sip Cafe is hosting the Hats and Heels on the Hooch Derby on May 4 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET. The event celebrates the Kentucky Derby horse race and all the spectacle that goes with it.  

“We’re from Atlanta and in Atlanta, as well as a lot of other cities, there’s always a derby party where people dress up in fancy hats… So last year, I had the first hat and heels Derby,” said Tiffany Welch, the owner of Sip Cafe and Wine Bar.

After the success of the event last year, Welch decided to find a bigger outdoor venue and settled on the West Point Pavilion. Welch was surprised to discover such a beautiful venue in the area being underutilized.

Festivities will be at the Downtown River Park Pavilion in West Point. Attendees are encouraged to wear their best derby attire. There will be a best hat contest as an incentive. 

No Kentucky Derby party is complete without bourbon and mint juleps. Attendees will be treated to a Bourbon tasting as well as the signature derby drink. There will also be a wine-tasting and cigar lounge. For the younger attendees, they will also have food trucks and vendors. 

A group of musicians and entertainers will perform. Ray, an emcee from Montgomery will host the event. Musicians including Perrin “Doc” Alford, Hasan Green, I Am Unique Band, Kit + Char, Deitrick Lawson, Sr. will be there, as well as Pretty Tammi the DJ and comedian Tae Madden. 

Come May 4, Welch hopes to have the covered pavilion packed with people celebrating all things derby. There will be a live stream to watch the famous race along with the festivities. The event is funded by sponsors, which Welch said she would like to add more of. 

Sip Cafe is a wine bar located on 3rd Avenue in Downtown West Point. The bar and restaurant serve steak, seafood, and charcuterie along with its wine collection. It also acts as an event space, called Reunion at Sip Cafe, available for private events.

“We were trying to bring to the areas something new, something refreshing. We’re bringing a big city to a small community,” said Welch. “The goal is always [for West Point] to be a destination for various events.”

The cafe hopes to host more events in the future, including the yearly derby party.