Where to Meet New People in Basel Offline

Basel has plenty of regular meet-ups, from a Monday evening dance session to a Thursday language evening, and if you go regularly, you can see the same people again. This guide sorts the options by type, with concrete examples. We only list what the organisers describe on their own pages. Times change, so check the organiser's own page before you go.

The options at a glance

Option	Example	When	Rough cost
Language evening	BlaBla Basel	Thursday 19:30, venue in the Telegram channel	Free ticket, plus your own drink (2026)
Meet-ups for newcomers and locals	Basel Circle	Individual meet-ups, dates on Meetup	Depends on the meet-up, your own order at the café meet-up (2026)
International community	Basel Together	Various meet-ups through the year	Depends on the meet-up, some cost money (2026)
Open dance session	Community Dance Training, Tanzhaus Basel	Monday 18:00, not in school holidays	Voluntary contribution of CHF 10 to 20 (2026)
Open choir	singsieme	Thursday 18:30 to 19:30, not in school holidays	Not stated
Neighbourhood choir	Erlenmatt-Chor	Tuesday 19:30 to 21:00, not in school holidays	Free taster, then CHF 230 per semester (2026)
Karaoke	Mr. Pickwick Pub Basel	Friday from 21:00	Not stated
Pub quiz	ManaBar Weekly Pub Quiz	Wednesday 19:30 to 21:30	Not stated
Game evening	Kaffi ELCH	A few Friday evenings a year, 19:15 to 22:00, see the flyer	Free (2026)

"Not stated" means we did not find a price, not that it costs money.

Options by type

Languages and international meet-ups

At BlaBla Basel, people meet on Thursdays to speak languages and meet new people, at 19:30 according to the latest announcements. The meeting point changes, sometimes the Unternehmen Mitte, Gerbergasse 30, sometimes the Rhine; the time and place are posted in BlaBla's public Telegram channel. According to the organiser, conversations are usually in English and the local language; other languages are possible if you ask or find people who speak them. The ticket is free, you can make a voluntary contribution on the platform, and you order a drink when you arrive (2026).

Basel Circle brings locals and newcomers together in cafés, parks and cultural spaces, in German or English. According to its group page, you are explicitly welcome to come on your own. Its latest meet-up was at Xocolatl, Marktgasse 6, where everyone ordered and paid for themselves (2026). The dates are on Meetup, and its own site baselcircle.ch links to the calendar.

Basel Together is an international community for expats and locals, with various meet-ups through the year, including walks and talks, karaoke and dance evenings. Check each Meetup listing for the date, venue and possible costs; not every listing states the language and price, and some meet-ups cost money (2026). More about the association is on baseltogether.ch.

Dancing and singing

At the Community Dance Training at the Tanzhaus Basel, people dance and move together on Mondays at 18:00, except in the school holidays, at Magazin 2, Horburgstrasse 103. You can come with or without dance experience. You can sign up or simply turn up. The contribution is voluntary, CHF 10 to 20 (2026).

The choir singsieme, run by insieme Basel, is open to everyone according to the association's page, and meets on Thursdays from 18:30 to 19:30, except in the school holidays, at the Quartiertreffpunkt Breite, Zürcherstrasse 149. You can come along for a taster session at any time and sign up on the association's page. The page does not give a price. The dates are on the association's page, so check them before your first visit.

The Erlenmatt-Chor is a neighbourhood choir for everyone at the Treffpunkt Gleis 58 in Erlenmatt. You don't need to read music: you simply come along and sing, and you can join at any time. It meets every Tuesday from 19:30 to 21:00, except in the school holidays, in the Sääli 2 at Erlkönigweg 30, entrance 2. Trying it out is free; after that it costs CHF 230 per semester (2026).

At the Mr. Pickwick Pub Basel, Steinenvorstadt 13, Friday Night Karaoke takes place every Friday from 21:00. Reservations are welcome before 20:30. The pub's page does not give a price.

Pub quiz and game evenings

At the ManaBar Weekly Pub Quiz, teams of up to five play on Wednesdays from 19:30 to 21:30 at the ManaBar, Güterstrasse 99, by Basel SBB station. The bar does not state the language or a price; the details are given for each date in its events listing. The date page shows when registration opens before the evening; if you want to come alone, ask the bar beforehand how you can join a team.

The Quartiertreffpunkt ELCH invites you to game evenings at the Kaffi ELCH, Schorenweg 33, in Hirzbrunnen. On five evenings a year, you play with other people who enjoy games, and each evening introduces you to games on a different theme. The evenings are on Fridays from 19:15 to 22:00, and taking part is free (2026). Sign up by the day before. The dates are in the game evenings flyer, so check it before you go.

Going alone

Pick one format and go three times before you judge it. The first evening is often the most awkward, and every time you return, you are more likely to see familiar faces. A shared activity can make it easier to start a conversation by giving you something to talk about: the language, the dance, the song, the game, the quiz question.

Good openers are deliberately ordinary: "Is this your first time too?", "How did you find out about it?", "Which language are you practising?" Ask one follow-up question and listen to the answer.

Making plans to meet again

A good conversation does not turn into a second meeting on its own. Before you leave, suggest something concrete: "Are you coming to dance again next Monday?" or "I'm going to the quiz on Wednesday, want to come?" A specific suggestion is easier to answer than "We should do something sometime".

Try it this week

• Pick one format from the table above
• Put the date in your calendar and check it on the organiser's page
• Arrive five minutes early and talk to one person
• Before you leave, suggest a specific plan to meet again

For organisers

If you host evenings like these, you know the moment: people get on well and then lose touch. before is a web app for organisers. Guests check in at the door with a QR code in their browser, without installing an app, and anyone who likes takes a selfie. The day after, the afterparty is open from 10 am to 8 pm. Anyone who shared a selfie sees everyone else who shared one there and can press the button for meeting again for up to five people. From 8 pm each guest sees in the app whether their wish is mutual, and only then does a chat open. One-sided wishes stay invisible, and nobody receives a rejection. Nobody needs a profile. More on the page before for organisers.