Meeting People in New York: Where to Go
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Board games, trivia, language exchange, forró, dinner with strangers: eight regular meet-ups in New York to meet people offline. Where, when, how much.
Meeting people in a city is easier when you attend a recurring event: a board game night on Friday, a language exchange on a Thursday, trivia at a bar. You see the same faces again, and a stranger quickly becomes someone you know. This guide only lists events that the organizer describes on its own page.
The options at a glance
| Name | Neighborhood, venue | Format | When | Price (year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prospect Park Board Gaming Club | Park Slope, Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture | Board game night | Friday evening, usually every two weeks | $12 suggested donation (2026) |
| Games with Strangers | Brooklyn Heights, The Brooklyn Strategist | Board game meet-up | Saturday evening | $15 per person for walk-in play in the café's game library (2026) |
| NYC Trivia League | Bars in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens | Bar trivia | Six days a week, day and time by bar | Not stated |
| SpeakIt NYC | Astoria, Heart of Gold | Language exchange | Regularly on Thursday evenings, dates on Meetup | $2 suggested contribution (2026) |
| Nihongo Chat | Midtown, Japan Society; some sessions online | Japanese and English language exchange | Usually once a month | Free, RSVP required (2026) |
| We Speak NYC | South Hollis, Queens Public Library | English conversation class | Thursday 5:30 to 7:30 pm, while a course runs | Not stated |
| Forró New York | Manhattan, venue given for each date | Forró classes and open practice | Wednesday | $25 per class or $40 for the evening, plus fees (2026) |
| Timeleft | Restaurants in the West Village, the East Village and Midtown | Dinner with four to six strangers | Wednesday and Friday 7 pm | Membership, plus food and drinks (2026) |
"Not stated" means we found no price, not that it costs money.
Playing
Prospect Park Board Gaming Club (Park Slope)
A board game club that meets on Friday evenings, usually every two weeks, at the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture in Park Slope, Brooklyn. You RSVP on Meetup, but the club says you can also come in without an RSVP as long as there is room. The suggested donation is $12 (2026). Prospect Park Board Gaming Club on Meetup
Games with Strangers (The Brooklyn Strategist, Brooklyn Heights)
The Brooklyn Strategist is a games café whose website gives its address as 148 Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn. On Meetup it lists Games with Strangers: a weekly Saturday evening meet-up to play games and get to know new people. You can reserve or simply walk in at the café. The café's website gives $15 per person for walk-in play in its public game library (2026). Dates are on Meetup, the café's address and prices on thebrooklynstrategist.com.
NYC Trivia League (bars in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens)
A quiz company that runs trivia in bars six days a week, in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. Its weekly schedule lists venues such as Bleecker Street Bar in NoHo, Oliver's in Astoria and Gowanus Gardens in Brooklyn, each with its own day and time. The website gives no prices, and it does not say whether you can play on your own at a bar, so you may want to bring a friend or ask at the venue. nyctrivialeague.com
Talking
SpeakIt NYC (Heart of Gold, Astoria)
A language exchange group that meets regularly on Thursday evenings at Heart of Gold in Astoria, Queens; the current dates are on Meetup. People practice different languages, all languages and levels are welcome, and the organizer writes that you are welcome to come on your own. The suggested contribution is $2 (2026); you RSVP on Meetup. SpeakIt NYC on Meetup
Nihongo Chat (Japan Society, Midtown Manhattan)
A Japanese and English language exchange organized by the Japan Society. It runs regularly, usually once a month, sometimes at the Japan Society in Midtown Manhattan and sometimes online, so check whether a session is in person or online before you sign up. A recent in-person session in 2026 was free, required an RSVP in advance and was fully booked; participants needed basic conversational Japanese and had to be 18 or older. Nihongo Chat at the Japan Society
We Speak NYC (Queens Public Library, South Hollis)
We Speak NYC is the city's program of English conversation classes. At the Queens Public Library in South Hollis, a course meets on Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, and no registration is needed. The listing gives no level and no price, and it shows classes at other library branches too; check the dates of the current course there. We Speak NYC classes near you
Dancing
Forró New York (Manhattan, venue given for each date)
Forró New York is a project in New York City with classes and events for forró, a dance from Brazil. Its weekly series on Wednesdays has classes for beginners and more advanced dancers and an open practice, and you don't need to bring a partner. The venue is given for each date; in 2026, classes also took place outdoors, for example in City Hall Park. A single class costs $25, or $40 for the whole evening, plus fees, and you book a ticket online (2026). Weekly classes of Forró New York
Sharing a table with strangers
Timeleft (restaurants in Manhattan)
An app that brings you together with four to six people you don't know yet. In New York, dinners take place on Wednesdays and Fridays at 7 pm, in restaurants in the West Village, the East Village and Midtown. You book on your own, and the app tells you the venue twelve hours before. You need a membership, whose price depends on the plan you choose, and you pay for what you eat and drink (2026). timeleft.com/nyc
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 gives you something to talk about straight away: the game, the quiz question, the language you are practicing. At SpeakIt NYC, the organizer writes that you are welcome to come on your own, and at Timeleft everyone books on their own anyway.
Good openers are deliberately ordinary: "Is this your first time too?", "How did you find out about it?", "Have you played this game 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 next board game night?" or "I'm going to trivia on Tuesday, want to join our team?" 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 organizer'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.