I’ve never gone to one but I have a friend that highly recommends fuck up nights (https://en.fuckupnights.com/).
Apparently it’s a group that like meets up and like tells each other how they fucked up at work/in life/whatever. Kind of works like a support group but also helps to develop public speaking in a super judgement free environment.
Not totally my cup of tea but it sounds super interesting.
Dancing. There could be many different styles - see what seems interesting for you.
Boardgame events.
Sporty/exercise events (like, walk with others from X to Y).
Libraries tend to have bulletin boards filled with upcoming community events. Plus then you’re already at the library so you can grab a book or a movie or something too
Go to meetup.com, look for subjects you’re interested in, and find a local meetup to join. Can be almost anything - wine tasting, board games, gardening, whatever. Pretty much any hobby or professional interest. I met my D&D game group that way before COVID and we’re still playing weekly. There are even meetups just to hang out in a group.
Chess, book clubs, group running.
Great question! I use Meetup and Bumble BFF. I’m old though…
Meetup used to be great, but seems to be enshittifying more with every passing day.
Are there good alternatives or other ways to find groups to join?
Not that I know of
Board Games!
War (crimes) you’ll be bonded for live threw trauma
Fighting games. There’s a reason the FGC still puts so much emphasis on offline play. Go to your locals, go to majors, don’t just sit there playing ranked at home!
Bank Robbery seem quite fun, I highly recommend it
And you geht cool bonding experience for the next 5-20 years!
Volunteering or similar work, like lending a hand at small local theater or sports events. Depending on the work they might involve some downtime when you can chat with others and get to know them.
Another one I have not read in this thread yet: seek out (or organize) activities in your neighbourhood.
Larping works great for me.
You could try DND open play events at gobby shops.
Rock climbing, go to your local climbing gym (if you have one) and take an intro class and then go hang out once you understand the basics. It’s such a welcoming community and people are really friendly and helpful towards beginners. Gyms also have new climber nights depending on the gym and those are great chances to meet people.
I second this. Bouldering especially since the climbs are quicker.
Yeah, except that it’s $20 per visit. Ridiculous.
The membership at my local is still $60/mo (and is about to increase) so it’s not much better.
Lots of gyms have need-based discounts, or will hire you to work, like, 2 shifts per month in return for a free membership. If you already have friends at the gym, they can often give you a guest pass. And some gyms give out free days for meetup groups, or classes that happen at the gym.
Unfortunately, more and more we are in the age of the corporate climbing gym, where they jack up prices but brag about “diversity”. The grungy old gyms where a lot of the real community building in climbing happened are slowly fading away.
Luckily I belong to the grungy old type of gym
