Come Alone by Meet & Mint Events you can go to on your own

Not a date · Berlin

Meet people in Berlin without a dating app.

Meeting people does not have to be a profile. In Berlin we list 12 upcoming events built around an activity, so conversation starts with the activity.

See this week's picks How to go alone

Picks

Tonight and this week in Berlin nobody on a date

Six upcoming events, soonest first, free ones preferred and a mix of categories. Check the official page before you go.

Thu22Oct
Free
LearningBerlin
18:00–21:00

Queer and Jewish in the «Third Reich»: talks evening, Mitte Museum

Mitte Museum

An evening of four talks and a conversation at the Mitte Museum in Berlin-Gesundbrunnen about Jewish-queer life stories. Holocaust research has usually placed persecuted queer people in one category and Jewish victims in another; this event presents lives that were both, from the painter Gertrude Sandmann, who survived in Berlin, to the realities of gay and lesbian Jews in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Speakers include Paige Harouse and Hani Esther Indictor Portner, who talks about Karl M. Baer, the first trans man known to have had gender-affirming surgery. The museum lists admission as free. A second evening follows on 5 November. The talks are in German. «Queer und jüdisch im "Dritten Reich" und darüber hinaus: Vier Vorträge und ein Gespräch» Starts 18:00, ends about 21:00. Source: kulturdaten.berlin (Technologiestiftung Berlin), checked on the organiser's own event page.

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Fri23Oct
Free
LearningBerlin
15:30–16:30

Behind-the-scenes tour of the Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek, Berlin

Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek

New to the Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek, or not been for a long while? The ZLB offers a one-hour tour that shows how to find your way around, whom to ask when you have a question, and corners of the building you may not know. In the second half the guide reveals the story behind the mysterious shelf location that often appears in catalogue searches: the library's stacks. The tour is open to everyone and is given in German; sign up through the link on the organiser's page. A relaxed Friday-afternoon way to see one of Berlin's best-known libraries from the inside, whether you are a new member or just curious. «Der Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek auf den Grund gehen» Starts 15:30, ends about 16:30. Source: kulturdaten.berlin (Technologiestiftung Berlin), checked on the organiser's own event page.

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Fri23Oct
Free
CultureBerlin
18:30–20:30

Berlin in Books: Nell Zink reads «Sister Europe», Berlin

Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek — PopUp Saal

The reading series «Berlin in Books» puts the city at the centre: authors whose writing is bound up with Berlin present their work and talk about how the city shows up in their lives. This evening the American novelist Nell Zink reads from «Sister Europe», a witty, wild fable set in the Berlin night of late February 2013, moving between Grunewald villas, a faded grand hotel and the Tiergarten. She talks with Elisabeth R. Hager about the role of Berlin in her work. In the PopUp hall of the Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek on a Friday evening; listed as free in the Berlin culture data, and the page has a contact address for questions. «Berlin in Books | Nell Zink» Starts 18:30, ends about 20:30. Source: kulturdaten.berlin (Technologiestiftung Berlin), checked on the organiser's own event page.

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Fri23Oct
Free
SocialBerlin
19:30–22:00

EU Quiz Night with a focus on Ireland, Kulturbrauerei, Berlin

Alte Kantine, Kulturbrauerei

Quiz Night #591 is a general-knowledge quiz about the European Union, with a focus on Ireland this time, in the Alte Kantine of the Kulturbrauerei in Prenzlauer Berg. Doors open at 6:30pm and the quiz starts at 7:30pm. Entry is free, but the organisers say a reservation is strongly needed, so book through the organiser's page before you go. It is easy to join alone: arrive early, ask to be seated with a team that has a free place and play for the fun of it. The organiser's page is in German, and the end time given here is an estimate. «Save the date: EU-Quiznight-Show in der Kulturbrauerei, Fokus Irland» Starts 19:30, ends about 22:00. Source: kulturdaten.berlin (Technologiestiftung Berlin), checked on the organiser's own event page.

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Sun25Oct
MusicBerlin
16:00–17:20

Berlin–Paris: a musical time travel, Schloss Britz

Kulturstall, Gutshof Schloss Britz

A Sunday afternoon concert in the Kulturstall of the Gutshof Schloss Britz in south Berlin. The saxophonist Detlef Bensmann and the Consortium Artis introduce seven wind and five string instruments with familiar melodies from Peter and the Wolf, Carnival of the Animals and other works, plus pieces by Ursula Mamlok, Adolf Busch and Alexander Glazunov, and the audience joins in singing the canon Bruder Jakob. Music from the 1930s takes the listeners on a journey between romantic sounds and jazz. The concert is aimed at all ages, and young guests are invited to paint pictures during the music. Tickets are €10 (€7 reduced; children up to 12 free). It lasts about 80 minutes and is in German. «Berlin–Paris | Eine musikalische Zeitreise» Starts 16:00, ends about 17:20. Source: kulturdaten.berlin (Technologiestiftung Berlin), checked on the organiser's own event page.

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Sun1Nov
OutdoorsBerlin
14:00–15:30

Archaeology walk in Berlin-Mitte from PETRI Berlin

PETRI Berlin

A public guided walk along the Archaeological Path in Berlin's historic centre, starting at PETRI Berlin on Sunday 1 November. The route leads through the old neighbourhood of Alt-Cölln and past lost ways of life, forgotten places and original traces between PETRI Berlin and the Humboldt Forum. It is run by the State Museums of Berlin and the Museum of Pre- and Early History, lasts an hour and a half and costs €10, including entry to the PETRI exhibition. Further dates follow on 15 November, 29 November and 6 December. A walk in a small group is a natural way to meet people, as the guide gives you something to talk about. The tour is in German. «Spaziergang durch die Zeit(en): Archäologie in Berlin-Mitte» Starts 14:00, ends about 15:30. Source: kulturdaten.berlin (Technologiestiftung Berlin), checked on the organiser's own event page.

Official page ↗See who's going in Meet & Mint

Formats

Where you talk without pressure

These formats give you a task or a topic, so you never have to open with small talk. Pages for Berlin:

How to go alone

Five steps for your first time

  1. Choose a single event with a clear start time and a host. "Queer and Jewish in the «Third Reich»: talks evening, Mitte Museum" is a good candidate.
  2. Read the official page first: date, price, language and whether a place has to be reserved.
  3. Arrive ten minutes early and tell the host you came alone. Hosts usually seat or introduce newcomers.
  4. Ask people how they found the event. Stay for the first hour, then leave or stay as you like.
  5. Return to the same group once more before deciding; regulars make it easier, and Meet & Mint shows who plans to attend.

Alternatives to dating apps

What actually works, compared

A neutral comparison of five ways to meet people through shared activities. None needs a profile; the last column shows what we list for Berlin.

FormatWhy conversation startsWorks well if youTypical costCommitmentIn Berlin now
Dinners with strangersA shared table and a host who seats youLike longer one-to-one conversationThe price of a mealOne evening, often booked ahead1 listed
Run clubsYou move at the same pace and talk on the movePrefer doing something active to small talkOften free or low costWeekly; talking is optionalnone in our data yet
Language cafésEveryone is practising, so starting a chat is expectedWant a ready-made reason to talkFree or the cost of a coffeeDrop-in5 listed
Game nightsThe game provides the topic and something to doEnjoy light competition or puzzlesFree or a small table feeDrop-in, two to three hours7 listed
VolunteeringA shared task and a teamWant to meet people with similar valuesFreeRegular shifts matter more than one visitnone in our data yet

Questions people ask

How do I meet people in Berlin without a dating app?

Go to a hosted group activity where the activity does the introducing. We list 12 upcoming events in Berlin (culture, learning, social); the soonest include "Queer and Jewish in the «Third Reich»: talks evening, Mitte Museum" and "Behind-the-scenes tour of the Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek, Berlin".

Will I be the only one on my own at events in Berlin?

Not at all. At hosted events many people come alone, which is why the formats work. Arrive early, mention to the host that you are new, and you will be placed at a table or in a group.

Is this a way to find a partner?

No, they are ordinary group activities where nobody is on a date. That is the point: pressure is low, and if a connection happens it grows out of shared interest, not out of a profile.

Are there free things to do alone in Berlin?

Yes. 7 of the 12 upcoming events we list in Berlin are free, including 7 in the next 30 days. Language cafés, library programmes and many walks cost nothing.

What if I'm shy or new to Berlin?

Choose a format with a task: a game, a class, a walk. You can talk about the task, and silence is fine. Stay for an hour, then decide. Meet & Mint lets you see who is going and say hello in the group chat first.

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How it works

Meet & Mint in Berlin: how it works

  1. Find an event on Come Alone or in the Meet & Mint map and open the official page for the details.
  2. Join alone in the app: you see how many people are going and can read the group chat.
  3. Say hello before in the chat, so the first minutes at the venue are with names you know.
  4. Meet at the event and decide afterwards whether to go again. Nobody is on a date.

Meet & Mint

See who's going, then go together

Meet & Mint shows events and people near you on one map. Join an event alone, chat with the group, meet at the event. Free on iPhone and Android.

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