There’s a loneliness epidemic in the United States across generations so if you’re feeling alone, ironically, you’re not the only one.
People are consistently moving to San Diego for its amazing year-round weather, gorgeous nature like beaches and hiking trails, and an exciting culinary and beverage scene that has some of the nation’s best ramen, Mexican food, and craft beer. Since 2023, San Diego metro got a 0.78% increase, with the trend moving upwards from year to year. But what’s all that if you don’t have anyone to explore it with?
Whether your friends have just moved away due to increasing rent prices or you’ve just moved to San Diego because it’s one of the most exciting cities in California, this guide is for you. We’ve listed out some of our favorite tips for making new friend as well as a few cool meet ups and initiatives we found around the city that are active.
1. Have an open mind
You may be an introvert or have known the same group of people since high school, but making new friends requires branching out, having an open mind, and meeting people you share a space with. Have you ever heard of “locationships?” These are friendships that are formed between people because they’re living in the same place at the same time, so even if your co-workers aren’t the type of people you usually connect with, being flexible in your connections is a key way to making friends more easily.
2. Look for creative ways to connect
You can connect with people in so many different ways if you think outside the box. Social media is helping to connect more people than ever before, with things like Discord, Reddit, and the usual TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook being reliable ways to meet others. Dating apps like Bumble have a friendship side (Bumble BFF) while more apps are being released to help people cope with our loneliness problems.
So next time you see someone online who lives in San Diego and has similar hobbies as you, don’t be afraid to reach out.
3. Frequent spots that encourage friendship
There’s also the “exposure effect” where a friendship is formed just because you see them multiple times. Clubs and meetups are effective for this reason. When you go to a meet up or group or class, try to be the first to initiate a conversation and if the vibe’s are right, it’s totally fine to ask if they’d like to grab a coffee afterwards to keep it going.
4. Ask your friends to introduce you to their friends
Let’s say you’re interested in meeting more people in your field of work or who share your hobbies. You can ask your friends if they know anyone who shares those same interests and is looking for more friends to hang out with. Or, if you’re new to San Diego, announce to your network that you’ve just moved and ask them if they know anyone they can introduce you to. Another fun way to do this is to host a party but require that everyone bring a plus one, so, by proxy, you’re meeting new people.
5. Start your own meetup or event
If there’s a lack of meetups in your city that fit your interests and you’re brave, we’d encourage you to come up with your own event or group. It doesn’t require anything except an idea and a channel to announce it, whether that’s a page like Eventbrite or Meetup, your personal social media account, or, if you’re working with a venue, their social media account.
With all that being said, here are some local clubs and meetups that sounded interesting to us and that host frequent activities.
6. San Diego WOC Creative Club
San Diego WOC Creative Club has just launched but they’ve already gotten a great response from their community, with returning members and friendships having formed from attending. When we asked “We’ve been able to form more in depth relationships and we often explore conversations on a deeper level. A big part of our club is creativity, collaboration and lifting each other.” Any women in their 20-30s can sign up for their ceramic mugs workshop on Feb. 24th.
7. Mike Hess Brewing
Breweries have been great for community building since they’re boom across America in the early 2000s, and Mike Hess Brewing has a few select events that you can attend on different parts of the week from Mario Kart Mondays, to BYOBoardgames on Tuesdays and Trivia every Thursday.
Breweries are often hosting events so ask your favorite brewery if they have a calendar of events or if they can give you some insider tips.
8. Ladies Fun Times No Booze or Ladies With No Babies
These are 2 groups that cater to different, yet niche demographics. Women who want to explore health, sober living, or try activities that don’t revolve around drinking can join Ladies Fun Times No Booze’s frequent meetings. They do a wide variety of activities like pottery class, boozeless brunch, or comedy shows. Ladies With No Babies also caters towards a certain demographic of people who identify as woman and don’t have nor want children. Their San Diego chapter has virtual and in-person meetings from book clubs to happy hours around the city.
9. Coronado Paint and Sip
Paint and Sips have been a longstanding cultural activity for several years now. The concept is simple: You head to a location, enjoy wine and everyone paints the same photo. Most of the time the location offers supplies but definitely check before heading out. The one at Coronado hosts them at Emerald C Gallery and tickets costs $48. They offer lots of classes so you’ll likely run into the same people more than once.
10. Soundwaves, a Scuba Diving Club
Probably the most interesting club on our list and one that screams San Diego, Soundwaves is a Scuba Diving Club that combines scuba diving with soundscapes and guided meditation. Their next meeting is Saturday, February 17th but they meet monthly on the third Saturday of every month at 11am. The group encourages professionsl and curious new divers alike (higher levels like divemasters and up can participate for free) and if you don’t have gear, you can purchase rental gear.