KNWA | Little Rock–based Hairpins expands to Bentonville with monthly LGBTQ+ happy hours

February 23, 2026 at 8:00 AM

by Reagan Wynn

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Hairpins, a Little Rock–based queer-led events platform, will host Hairpins Happy Hours, a monthly public event at the Momentary in Bentonville targeted at lesbian, queer and gender-diverse attendees.

The first event is scheduled for March 11 from 5–9 p.m., with additional meetups occurring every second Wednesday of the month as part of the venue’s weekly 21+ RØDE House Happy Hour series.

The events are free and open to the public. Attendees can expect live music from local artists, drink specials and opportunities to connect with others in the LGBTQ+ community, according to a news release.

According to the group’s website, Hairpins launched in 2024 as a pop-up nightlife series in Little Rock for lesbian, queer and gender-diverse communities, with its first event selling out.

The Dropping Hairpins Project, Hairpins’ nonprofit arm, was formed to address what organizers describe as a long-term shortage of non-commercial, community-centered spaces. The group hosts programming across Arkansas and the region, including Hairpins Happy Hours.

“A lot of queer spaces are temporary or limited to nightlife,” said Viktoria Capek, co-founder and executive director of Dropping Hairpins Project, said. “Partnering with the Momentary gives us the chance to build a steady space people can count on, inside a place that already brings the community together.”

Sam Champasouk, adult programs museum educator at the Momentary, said in a news release that the partnership supports the venue’s mission to be Northwest Arkansas’s “living room,” where “all people feel invited to gather, connect and belong.”