New to London? Find group events to connect and make friends

If you’ve just arrived and you’re new to London, it can be a bit daunting making friends. A great way is to find people with similar passions and interests to yours. You’ll find literally thousands of people on Meetup, an online platform with information and listings about a multitude of groups with interests covering practically every subject under the sun.

You’re free to register and simply come along and join in at any of the future events posted. On any given day, there are hundreds of Meetup events all over London, which gives you loads to choose from.

Arts and crafts

The London Art Lovers Network is ideal for those with an artistic bent who’d like to connect with artists, art appreciators or anyone with a creative spirit and a desire to share it. One of this group’s enticing upcoming events is “Artists meet art lovers”, a great chance to find out about London artists’ life and work and talk to them about their ideas. Or you could find a pal who wants to check out iconic London arts scene the Tate Modern with you. You never know what you might discover or whom you might meet! If you want to get hands-on and express your own artistic skills, spend a Sunday afternoon mastering the intricacies of calligraphy with other budding scribes. Beginners are welcome – the main thing is to connect.

Gaming groups

Gaming is massive worldwide and it needs constant creativity, so a Meetup event on instant games might get you interested. There’s money to be made in game development and you don’t need to be a tech expert to get on board if you know the right people. Alternatively, if you fancy shaking real dice or shuffling real game cards, try the All-Day Bank Holiday Gaming day at Camden Lock. This charmingly retro approach to gaming is having quite a renaissance at the moment.

Cryptocurrency communities

There are lots of groups where you can get together over a drink and chat with virtual currency people about the ins and outs of cryptocurrency exchange, such how to buy bitcoin with PayPal to replenish your funds, along with other nuggets of knowledge about navigating this virtual money market.

For a recently-arrived visitor, one of the best and most welcoming of these communities is Coinscrum, an umbrella group which holds social and networking get-togethers, where you can meet lots of new people with the same interest in cryptocurrencies as you. They’ll update you with the low-down on the latest trends in bitcoin exchange and what tips and tricks to be aware of, and you’ll make some new friends into the bargain.

There’s a whole world of micro-communities waiting for you to join them in the cafes, pubs, clubs and bars of London. Whether it’s bitcoin or board games, why not kill two birds with one stone: satisfy your curiosity and meet people you might never have met otherwise. Listen, learn, speak, teach, connect… and enjoy the company while you’re at it!

The editorial unit