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

Not a date · New York

Meet people in New York without a dating app.

Swiping can feel like a second job. 20 events in New York over the coming weeks ask for none of it: you arrive, join in, and nobody is on a date.

See this week's picks How to go alone

Picks

Tonight and this week in New York nobody on a date

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

Wed21Oct
Free
OutdoorsNew York
17:30–19:30

Native Plant Planting Day at Bay 84th Street Garden, Queens

Bay 84th Street Community Garden

Bay 84th Street Community Garden invites neighbours to a planting evening, putting native plants in the ground around the garden. The plants are provided by Plant by Plant, and the listing says all are welcome, so you do not need gardening experience or your own tools in order to join in and leave a small mark on the place. It happens on a Wednesday early evening, two hours after work, and it is the kind of volunteer session where the conversation comes easily because everyone is busy with the same job. Wear shoes that can get muddy and layers for the October dusk. «Native Plant Planting Day!» Starts 17:30, ends about 19:30. Source: NYC Parks — NYC Open Data (Parks Public Events).

Official page ↗See who's going in Meet & Mint
Wed21Oct
Free
SocialNew York
18:30–19:15

Latin Dance Fitness at Sonia Sotomayor Community Center, Bronx

Sonia Sotomayor Community Center

A free evening dance-fitness class at the Sonia Sotomayor Community Center in the Bronx, danced to a mix of salsa, bachata, merengue and hits from the 1980s and 1990s. All are welcome, and the listing is bilingual, in English and Spanish. The one practical thing to know is that first-timers should arrive 15 minutes early to fill in a one-time Beacon Membership form before the first class. After that you simply turn up. It lasts 45 minutes on a Wednesday evening, which makes it an easy social outing after work: you move in a room full of other people and nobody expects you to bring a partner. «Latin Dance Fitness» Starts 18:30, ends about 19:15. Source: NYC Parks — NYC Open Data (Parks Public Events).

Official page ↗See who's going in Meet & Mint
Fri23Oct
Free
OutdoorsNew York
10:00–11:00

Beginner-friendly Running Group, Dyckman Fields, Inwood Hill Park

Dyckman Fields, Inwood Hill Park

A welcoming, beginner-friendly running group meets at Dyckman Fields in Inwood Hill Park. It uses walk and run intervals to build endurance and confidence gradually, and each session adds a little more running at a comfortable pace, step by step towards completing a 5K. It is part of the free Shape Up NYC programme run by NYC Parks and lasts an hour on a Friday morning. If you have been meaning to start running but do not want to go out alone the first few times, this is a gentle place to begin, with other people at the same level and a set structure so nobody is left guessing what to do. «Running Group» Starts 10:00, ends about 11:00. Source: NYC Parks — NYC Open Data (Parks Public Events).

Official page ↗See who's going in Meet & Mint
Fri23Oct
Free
SocialNew York
15:00–17:00

Pumpkin Painting and Fall Festivities, Fantasy Garden

Fantasy Garden

Fantasy Garden, a well-loved green space in Brooklyn, welcomes everyone to an afternoon of free fall festivities. A limited number of pumpkins are available for painting, there are harvest-themed crafts such as DIY scarecrows, and you can simply enjoy the garden, chat with neighbours and find out how to get involved in looking after it. Supplies are limited and are given out while they last, so arriving early on the Friday afternoon is the safest plan. It is a friendly, low-key way to meet people who live nearby, and you can come on your own: painting a pumpkin gives everyone something to talk about. «Pumpkin Painting & Fall Festivities» Starts 15:00, ends about 17:00. Source: NYC Parks — NYC Open Data (Parks Public Events).

Official page ↗See who's going in Meet & Mint
Sat24Oct
Free
LearningNew York
14:00–16:00

Seed Harvest workshop at Clayton Williams Garden, Harlem

Clayton Williams Garden

Come to Clayton Williams Community Garden in Harlem to harvest seeds from the summer plants and learn how to save them for next season. Participants collect flower, herb and vegetable seeds and take away the know-how for doing it at home: which pods to pick, when a seed is ready, and how to keep it. The workshop is listed as an accessible activity and runs for two hours on a Saturday afternoon, so it suits first-timers as well as people who already grow something on a windowsill. It is free, hands-on and outdoors, which makes it an easy way to meet other gardeners in the neighbourhood without needing to know anyone beforehand. «Seed Harvest» Starts 14:00, ends about 16:00. Source: NYC Parks — NYC Open Data (Parks Public Events).

Official page ↗See who's going in Meet & Mint
Sun25Oct
Free
CultureNew York
10:30–13:30

Art in the Garden: Spooky Season Decor, Patchen Square

Patchen Community Square Garden

A drop-in artmaking morning at Patchen Community Square Garden in Brooklyn. The monthly session has a new theme each time, and October's is Spooky Season Decor. No experience is needed, all skill levels and ages are welcome, and the organisers provide supplies, prompts and guidance, so you can walk in any time between 10:30 and 13:30 and start making something. While you are there you can look at what is growing in the garden, borrow a book from the little free library or simply hang out and meet your neighbours. A low-pressure Sunday way to spend a few hours with other people, with nothing to book and nothing to bring. «Art in the Garden: Spooky Season Decor» Starts 10:30, ends about 13:30. Source: NYC Parks — NYC Open Data (Parks Public Events).

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 New York:

  • Language cafés in New York: The topic is built in: everyone is there to practise, so asking a stranger a question is the point.
  • Game nights: The game gives your hands something to do and everyone something to talk about. (all cities; nothing for New York yet)
  • Padel and pickleball: Doubles games where partners rotate, so one session puts you on court with several different people. (all cities; nothing for New York yet)
  • Walk and talk in New York: Walking side by side is easier than sitting face to face.
  • Book clubs and silent reading: Either you discuss one book, or nobody has to talk at all. (all cities; nothing for New York yet)
  • Library nights: Free, low-key programmes in a place where it is normal to be alone. (all cities; nothing for New York yet)
  • New in town guide: A practical first-weeks guide with events for newcomers.
  • Answers for New York: short answers to common questions about going out alone, with names and dates.

How to go alone

Five steps for your first time

  1. Pick one event, not five. Choose something with a host and a start time, such as "Native Plant Planting Day at Bay 84th Street Garden, Queens".
  2. Open the official page and check the date, price, language and whether you need to book.
  3. Be early. Say to the host that you are new; introducing newcomers is part of their job.
  4. Keep one simple question ready ("Have you been before?") and commit to staying for an hour before you judge it.
  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 New York.

FormatWhy conversation startsWorks well if youTypical costCommitmentIn New York 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 optional3 listed
Language cafésEveryone is practising, so starting a chat is expectedWant a ready-made reason to talkFree or the cost of a coffeeDrop-in3 listed
Game nightsThe game provides the topic and something to doEnjoy light competition or puzzlesFree or a small table feeDrop-in, two to three hoursnone in our data yet
VolunteeringA shared task and a teamWant to meet people with similar valuesFreeRegular shifts matter more than one visit2 listed

Questions people ask

Where do people in New York meet without swiping?

Pick an activity rather than a venue. New York has 20 listed events (outdoors, social, learning); start with "Native Plant Planting Day at Bay 84th Street Garden, Queens" and "Latin Dance Fitness at Sonia Sotomayor Community Center, Bronx" and go twice.

Is it normal to turn up alone in New York?

It is common. Drop-in formats assume that most people arrive solo, and organisers are used to seating newcomers.

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.

Does meeting people in New York cost money?

Yes, all 20 events we list for New York are free, 20 of them in the next 30 days. Some still need a sign-up on the official page.

What if I'm shy or new to New York?

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 New York: 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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