We Met at Vizcaya Village: Reconnect, Recreate, Recycle

Transform scrap paper into art and strangers into friends!

We Met in Miami is back at the Vizcaya Village Night Market on Thursday, Oct. 16, with this free unique experience for adults 21+ that centers connection and sustainability.

Recycled paper making

At We Met in Miami, we do our best to repurpose materials and supplies. But paper waste is a reality of running a nonprofit.

So we’re taking our old name tags, signs and correspondence and throwing them in the shredder. Then we’ll soak the shreds and blend them into a pulpy mess. That’s where you come in: Get your hands in the pulp and help us make new paper.

Our recycled creations will be the centerpiece of an upcoming We Met in Miami event (stay tuned!).

Speed connecting

Simultaneously, we’ll host multiple rounds of speed connecting. Conversation prompts will be provided, focusing on the topics of recycling, sustainability and environmentalism!

This isn’t speed dating or speed friending — it’s both!

We Met in Miami wristbands make it easy to signal your intentions: Wear green if you’re looking for love, blue for friendship and rainbow for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. (Yes, you can wear more than one!)

We hosted our first-ever speed connecting event at the Vizcaya Village Night Market last May, and it was our best turnout yet! The small tables in the Vizcaya Village Cafe courtyard offer the perfect setup for facilitating a series of short one-on-one conversations. Let's reonnect!

Looking for a new friend or romantic spark?

At We Met in Miami events, we wear wristbands that show others who we are and what we’re looking for (choose one, two or all three):

💚 green for love

💙 blue for friendship

🌈 rainbow for members of the LGBTQIA+ community

💌 if you meet someone special, we’ll help you reconnect after the event

Come early to enjoy the market! Experience the golden hour magic of the market as it opens at 5 p.m. You’ll find us at the entrance, where you’ll check in and get your wristbands and name tags.

Bring your appetite. The market has got your dinner (and dessert) plans covered: Local vendors are offering up everything from arepas to pasta bolognese to grape leaves to Korean fried chicken to nutella waffles. Come hungry!

Free parking is plentiful at Vizcaya Village. The village is across the street from the Main House & Gardens.

Here’s what to expect:

5 p.m. Market opens. Enjoy live music, check out the vendors, and grab dinner. Stop by the We Met in Miami booth near the entrance. Grab your wristbands and name tags. Then our volunteers will direct you to the Vizcaya Village Cafe courtyard.

5:30 p.m. Recycled paper making activity begins. We’ll have tables set up on the lawn in the courtyard with the materials for our recycled paper making activity, led by local art teacher Svetlana Astafurova. This will be ongoing throughout the event.

6:15 p.m. Speed connecting kicks off in the Cafe Courtyard. We'll facilitate three sessions of speed connecting on a first-come, first-served basis.

9 p.m. Market closes. Meet someone cool? Fill out a Connection Card! If you match, we’ll reconnect you after the event.

Learn more:

About : A nonprofit event series facilitating love and friendship for adults 21+ through community service, civic engagement and the arts, our mission is to overcome loneliness, foster connection and create spaces for community to thrive in Miami. Sign up for email updates here and follow us on Instagram.

About : Sheltered under large banyan trees, the Vizcaya Village features 11 architecturally significant buildings on 12 acres. Built in 1916 to make Vizcaya self-sufficient, the Village included staff quarters, a garage and workshops, barns, and greenhouses and fields that supplied fresh flowers, fruits and vegetables.

Host or Publisher We Met in Miami