Where to Meet New People in Leipzig Offline
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Language cafés, international evenings, board games, a pub quiz, running, West Coast Swing, improv theatre and drawing: real ways to meet people in Leipzig.
Leipzig has plenty of regular meet-ups, from a Tuesday language evening to improv theatre on Sundays, 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 café | Leipzig Sprachcafé | Friday 19:30 | Free, a drink is expected (2026) |
| International meet-up | Leipzig Expats Meet Up | Friday 19:00 | Not stated |
| Language evening | Soirée Polyglotte | Tuesday 19:00 to about 22:00 | Free entry, food and drinks extra (2026) |
| Practising German | Offener Deutschtreff | Thursday 17:00 to 19:00 | Free (2026) |
| German and Ukrainian | Tandem Café DE-UA | Wednesday 18:00 to 20:00 | Free ticket (2026) |
| Board games night | Leipziger Brettspielnächte | Last Saturday of the month, break in December and in July or August, 19:00 to 2:00 | €5 (2026) |
| Pub quiz | Nepomuk Quiznight | Wednesday 19:30 | Not stated |
| Running followed by a social gathering | Laufwerk Leipzig | Recurring, according to the calendar including Wednesdays | €10 (2026) |
| Dancing | West Coast Swing Leipzig | Practice on Tuesdays and Sundays, party on the first Friday of each month | Taster lesson free, open practice €5 for external dancers (2026) |
| Improv theatre in English | The Leipzig English Group | Sunday 18:00 | First time free, after that not stated (2026) |
| Drawing | Offener Illustrationstreff | Tuesday 19:00 to 22:00 | Not stated |
"Not stated" means we did not find a price, not that it costs money.
Options by type
Languages and international evenings
The Leipzig Sprachcafé meets every Friday at 19:30 at Café Wagner. According to its listing, people speak German, Spanish, English and other languages; the description on Meetup is in English. Attendance is free, and the group asks you to order at least one drink (2026).
At the Leipzig Expats Meet Up, people meet on Fridays at 19:00 at the Beyerhaus. The group is aimed at expats who are new to the city or looking for new connections; the listings are in English.
The Soirée Polyglotte, Leipzig's language evening at the VILLA café, runs on Tuesdays from 19:00 to about 22:00. There are tables for English, French, Spanish, Russian and other languages, and according to the page, you do not need to speak German well. Entry is free, and food and drinks are available to buy (2026).
The Offener Deutschtreff, an open German meet-up in the VILLA's media workshop, brings people together on Thursdays from 17:00 to 19:00 to practise German. According to the organiser, it is free (2026), and you do not need to register or speak German well.
At the Tandem Café DE-UA at Oseredok on Seeburgstraße, the conversation alternates between German and Ukrainian, on Wednesdays from 18:00 to 20:00. According to the association, it is for people aged 18 and over, with at most 30 places. The ticket is free (2026); according to the description, you can also just turn up, although the page also offers ticket booking.
Games and quizzes
At a games table you have something to do and talk about straight away. The Leipziger Brettspielnächte, run by the Sächsisches Spielezentrum, take place at the Ludothek, Klingenthaler Straße 14, in Thekla, on the last Saturday of the month from 19:00 to 2:00; there is a break in December and, depending on the holidays, in July or August. Entry costs €5 (2026). Tickets are limited and you buy them online in advance. On the door there are only remaining tickets if the night has not sold out online, so call the organiser first to check.
At the Nepomuk Quiznight, teams play on Wednesdays at 19:30 at Nepomuk in Plagwitz. You book a table through the Quizlabor calendar. Neither page gives a price or the language of the quiz.
Running and dancing
Laufwerk Leipzig hosts afterwork runs at the Innside by Meliá; the calendar lists individual runs, including on Wednesdays. The runs are 3 or 5 kilometres, and afterwards the group stays to chat. Tickets for the runs in the calendar cost €10 (2026), and you buy them in advance. Dates are announced one by one, so check the calendar before you go.
At West Coast Swing Leipzig, there is open practice on Tuesdays and Sundays at a dance studio. On the first Friday of each month there is a free taster lesson and a party, and you do not need to sign up. For external dancers, open practice costs €5 (2026).
Stage and drawing
The Leipzig English Group runs a Weekly Improv Theater Class on Sundays at 18:00 at Lortzingstraße 15. Newcomers are welcome, no experience is needed, and the class is in English. The first time is free (2026); the page does not say what it costs after that. You can see how many places are available for each session on Meetup.
The Offener Illustrationstreff, an open illustration meet-up in the VILLA's media workshop, runs on Tuesdays from 19:00 to 22:00. The meet-up welcomes amateur and professional illustrators, as well as anyone interested, to work on projects, share ideas and get to know each other. Bring your own materials. According to the page, the meet-up is in a trial phase, so check beforehand whether it is currently on.
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 game, the scene on stage.
Good openers are deliberately ordinary: "Is this your first time too?", "How did you find out about it?", "Have you been before?" 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 the language café again next Friday?" 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. 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.