Social clubs in New York.
19 clubs, and when they meet. Most meet on weekday evenings, around Central Park, Midtown, West Village. Most are free to join. The ones without a fixed day are listed below, linked to where they announce. Subscribe to this calendar →
What to expect.
Social clubs are the groups that exist to meet people, where the activity is the excuse: a walk, a coffee, a board game, a language swap, a volunteer shift. If you are new to New York or your friends have moved on, this is the page most people are looking for when they search for ways to make friends here.
Each listing says when the group meets, where, and what it costs. Most are free and most are drop-in. Go once. Nobody there expects you to know anyone.
All 19 social clubs in New York.
A to Z, in each club's own words. Every one links to the club, and every day and time is the one the club publishes.
Monthly accessibility and inclusive-design talk night at 72 Spring St, also streamed; speakers from product, engineering and disability communities.
Monthly, a weekday evening 7:30pm at 72 Spring St · Soho · Free · meetup.com →Sunday late-morning Spanish conversation at Débutea bubble-tea cafe on Smith St for beginners through fluent speakers. Free; buy a drink to thank the cafe.
Sundays, 11:30am · Free · meetup.com →Wednesday evening run and wellness talk leaving from a dispensary on Broadway in Bushwick; runners and walkers welcome, 21+ only.
Wednesdays, 6pm · Bushwick · Free · eventbrite.com →Free guided neighbourhood walks of 3-5 miles covering history and architecture, several times a month, often paired with a museum stop or outdoor concert. Voluntary donations.
Several walks a month, mostly weekends; announced on Meetup · Free · meetup.com →Saturday morning conversational-pace run from Abingdon Square for founders, investors and startup people, followed by coffee and networking. Anyone can join.
Saturdays, 9am · West Village · Free · eventbrite.com →Queer-led social run (group name on Heylo is Great Day) that meets roughly twice a month on a Tuesday evening, alternating between Manhattan and Brooklyn, and ends at a gay bar. Everyone welcome.
Monthly, second Tuesday and fourth Tuesday · Free · heylo.com →Women-only coffee walks that start from a neighbourhood cafe (Bed-Stuy, Bay Ridge, West Village and so on) and wander for an hour or two. Walks are free; the group's indoor socials are ticketed.
Weekly coffee walks, neighbourhood rotates (often Sunday 11am); announced on Meetup · Free · meetup.com →Long-running monthly iOS engineering meetup: two 20-minute technical talks with Q&A, food and networking, hosted at a different company office each time. For engineers, students and mobile designers; recruiters are turned away.
Roughly monthly weekday evening 6pm; host office changes, announced on Meetup · Midtown · Free · meetup.com →Weekend language exchange that meets Saturdays on the NYPL steps at Bryant Park and Sundays at Washington Commons bar in Prospect Heights; find the table for your language and talk.
Saturdays and Sundays, time varies · $1 · meetup.com →Night-time music-led bootcamp runs and party runs across the city, part of the global Midnight Runners network. Dates and meeting spots are posted on Heylo.
Announced on Heylo; evening runs and pop-ups · Free · heylo.com →First-Tuesday Russian-language social at Phebe's on the Bowery for any level, from beginners to native speakers. Small cover charge.
Monthly, first Tuesday · East Village · $5 · meetup.com →Fortnightly Tuesday-evening discussion night at the Brookfield Place atrium: a theme is set, people are split into tables of six and talk for two hours. Free and unaffiliated.
Every other tuesdays, 7pm · Financial District · Free · meetup.com →Free early-morning workout crew: a Wednesday 6:28am mix of running and bodyweight exercises at Bethesda Fountain, rain or shine, plus a First Friday session in rotating spots.
Wednesdays, 6:28am · Central Park · Free · november-project.com →Volunteer-led club with several walks and hikes a week, all reached by public transit: urban walks like Bay Ridge to Coney Island alongside day hikes out of Grand Central. Non-members pay a small per-event fee.
Several walks and hikes a week, mostly weekends; listed on Meetup · $5 · meetup.com →Sunday-evening small-group discussion of one everyday-life philosophy topic in the Olympic Tower public atrium on 5th Ave: arrive 6pm, intro 6:15, groups until 7:30, then hang around. Donations optional.
Sundays, 6pm · Midtown · Free · meetup.com →Volunteer club mixing several weekly Central Park runs (a 5:30am club, Tuesday evening, Saturday and Sunday fun runs) with socials and volunteering.
Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, time varies · Central Park · Free · heylo.com →TMIRCE: a very large, very casual free club. Monday speed work at McCarren track, Thursday tempo from Alphabet City Beer Co, and a Saturday run-plus-brunch from Time Out Market Union Square.
Mondays and Thursdays, 7pm · Free · nyc-informalrunning.com →Social run club with a Wednesday evening run, a Saturday long run and Monday morning miles, usually ending at an Upper West Side bar or coffee shop.
Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, time varies · Upper West Side · Free · heylo.com →Early Monday run along the Hudson River Greenway from Pier 46, all paces, with coffee afterwards. Run by The Athletic Clubs; dress code is all black.
Mondays, 6:55am · West Village · Free · eventbrite.com →
Questions people actually ask.
I don't know anyone. Is that a problem?
It is the point. Social clubs assume you are arriving alone, and most build the first ten minutes around introductions. Pick a weekday evening for your first visit, when the regulars are relaxed and the crowd is smaller.
What's the difference between a social club and a meetup?
Nothing you need to worry about. We list any group that meets in person on a repeating basis and that a stranger can walk into. Some call themselves clubs, some meetups, some just a name and a day.
Do these cost anything?
Most do not. Some ask you to buy a drink or cover a venue fee, and a few charge a small annual membership. Whatever it is, it is in the listing before you go.
Is there an age range?
Rarely a strict one. Where a group is for a specific age, like 20s and 30s or over 50s, its listing says so. Everything else is mixed.
Every listing links straight to the club. Know a social club in New York we don’t? Add it.