Meeting people in a city is easier when you attend a recurring event: a run on Saturday, a games night on Friday, a language exchange on Tuesday. You see the same faces again, and a stranger quickly becomes someone you know. This guide only lists events we could confirm with a source from 2025 or 2026.
The options at a glance
| Name | City, venue | Format | When | Price (year) | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not-So-Fast Run Club | Geneva, Jardin Anglais | Run for people of all paces | Saturday 10 am | Not stated | Website in English |
| Practice French | Geneva, rue du Rhône | French conversation in a bar | Sunday 6 to 8 pm | Free entry, one drink (2026) | French |
| Joca | Geneva, Eaux-Vives | Board game nights for adults | Friday evenings, according to the calendar | Free (2026) | Website in French |
| Urban Sketchers | Geneva, venues vary | Drawing together outdoors | About once a month | Not stated | Announcement in English |
| DNH Hill Runners | Lausanne, Cité and Vidy | One-hour run, 18 and over, then a drink | Tuesday and Thursday 6:50 pm | Free; optional membership CHF 5 a year (2026) | Website in French |
| GoSocial Language Exchange | Lausanne, Perbacco!, Rôtillon | Language exchange in small groups | Tuesday and Thursday 6:30 pm | Free entry, one drink (2026) | Mostly French and English |
| Ch'piiL | Lausanne, bars and neighbourhood centres | Games night, someone explains the game to you | Several evenings a month | Free (2026) | Website in French |
| Draw&Drink Lausanne | Lausanne, Plateforme 10 | Drawing evening with drinks | Occasional dates | Free entry; drinks cost extra (2026) | Announcement in French |
| CreativeMornings Lausanne | Lausanne, venues vary | Breakfast with a talk | One Friday morning a month | Free (2026) | Not stated |
| Cérémonie d'accueil | Geneva, Victoria Hall | Welcome for new residents | Once a year | By invitation | Website in French |
| Soirée d'accueil | Lausanne, Palais de Beaulieu | Welcome for new residents | Once a year, in September (2026) | Online registration | Website in French |
"Not stated" means we found no price, not that it costs money.
Geneva
Not-So-Fast Run Club (Jardin Anglais)
A Geneva running club open to all levels, from beginners to experienced marathon runners. The Social Sat starts every Saturday at 10 am from the fountain in the Jardin Anglais, and you have a drink together afterwards. The club also organises events, such as a relay followed by a party in August 2026. The website gives no price for the Saturday run. not-so-fast.ch
Practice French (rue du Rhône)
Every Sunday from 6 to 8 pm, people of all nationalities meet at the bar of the Ruby Claire hotel, rue du Rhône, to speak only French, whatever your level, from beginner to advanced. Entry is free, and everyone has a drink. The group has nearly 3,000 members on Meetup, and the meet-ups take place every week. Practice French on Meetup
Joca (Eaux-Vives)
Board game nights for adults at the Eaux-Vives games library, rue du Nant 27, in collaboration with the City of Geneva and run by facilitators in red T-shirts. They take place on some Fridays at 8 pm, on the dates given for this venue in the calendar; other evenings are held at La Julienne, in Plan-les-Ouates. One October 2026 evening at Eaux-Vives was entirely free. joca.ch
Urban Sketchers (venues vary)
People who draw together outdoors, each with their own sketchbook and pencils. According to World Radio Switzerland (2025), the Geneva group meets once a month all year round; Urban Sketchers Switzerland, for example, announces an outing on a Saturday at 11 am at the cimetière des Rois. usk-switzerland.ch
Lausanne
DNH Hill Runners (Cité and Vidy)
A running group founded in 2012, with free sessions and no sign-up, for people aged 18 and over. On Tuesdays at 6:50 pm, from September to May, the start is at the bar Le XIIIe Siècle, in the Cité, and in summer at the Buvette Côté Lac; according to the club, you should be able to run for an hour without stopping. On Thursdays at 6:50 pm, there is interval training at the stade Pierre-de-Coubertin in Vidy, and you also need to be able to run for an hour. After the run, you have a drink. If you would like to support the association, you can become a member for a symbolic fee of CHF 5 a year. The sources do not all give the same starting points, so check the website before you go. dnhlausanne.ch
GoSocial Language Exchange (Rôtillon)
On Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30 pm, at Perbacco!, ruelle des Tanneurs, in the Rôtillon district, people talk in small groups, mostly in French and English, often also in German, Spanish or Italian. Entry is free; you have at least one drink at the bar. The City of Lausanne itself points to these evenings on its page listing multilingual activities. The group is now called Language Exchange - Connect Lausanne on Meetup and also organises outings and barbecues. Language Exchange on Meetup
Ch'piiL (bars and neighbourhood centres)
A board game association that organises evenings in bars and neighbourhood centres: you choose a game, someone explains it to you, and you play. The association announces several meet-ups a month at different venues, for example at La Mise en Bière, the Café du Loup and the neighbourhood centres of Chailly and la Pontaise: mostly evenings, from 6 pm, 6:30 pm or 8 pm depending on the date, and sometimes an afternoon, with no sign-up. Taking part is free; membership of the association is optional and costs CHF 20 a year. chpiil.ch
Draw&Drink Lausanne (Plateforme 10)
A drawing evening with drinks, no prior knowledge needed, with basic materials provided on site; you can also bring your own sketchbook. For example, a session is announced on a Thursday from 6 to 8 pm at the Café Lumen of Photo Elysée, at Plateforme 10, near the station; check the next date on the museum's page. Free entry, no sign-up; you pay for your own drinks. elysee.ch
CreativeMornings Lausanne (venues vary)
One Friday morning a month, a free breakfast and a talk, followed by time to chat with other curious and creative people. According to The Lausanne Guide, it took place in April 2026 at Gotham Lausanne and in May 2026 at the Cospire coworking space. Venues vary from one edition to the next; check the venue of the next one. The Lausanne Guide, May 2026
If you have just arrived
Cérémonie d'accueil, the City of Geneva's welcome ceremony (Victoria Hall)
Once a year, the City of Geneva welcomes its new residents at the Victoria Hall, with speeches, music, comedy, an apéro with the authorities and stands from the city's services. The 2026 edition took place in September; you attend by personal invitation. geneve.ch
Soirée d'accueil, the City of Lausanne's welcome evening (Palais de Beaulieu)
The City of Lausanne invites its new residents to an evening at the Palais de Beaulieu, with the municipal authorities, information stands from city services and an apéro. The 2026 edition took place in September; registration for the next one is online, and places are limited. lausanne.ch
How to choose
- Frequency: every week (Practice French, DNH, Language Exchange, Not-So-Fast) or now and then (Joca, Ch'piiL, Draw&Drink, Urban Sketchers)?
- Language: do you want to practise your French, speak English, or both?
- Timing: Saturday morning to run in Geneva, Tuesday and Thursday evenings in Lausanne, Friday morning for CreativeMornings.
- Price: several events are free; some ask you to order a drink. Check the conditions in each announcement.
- Signing up: Practice French and Language Exchange go through Meetup, the Lausanne welcome evening through online registration; for the rest, check the announcement.
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. At 8 pm everyone finds out at the same time who wants to see each other again, 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.