Meet new people in Berlin

- text by Jenny Radeiski -

To meet new people through social media groups help everyone these days and is the easiest way to get to know each other. This attracts not only newcomers in Berlin, but also the “Berliner” themselves. Make friends for life or just get to know someone for the moment - How do I get to know new people in Berlin? - this main question should be followed here and gives some tips.

You have changed professionally and moved to Berlin and finally you rented an apartment. Now your friends are hundreds, if not thousands of kilometers away from you. Or you has followed your big love to Berlin and the soap bubble has burst. Or you simply want to experience the special lifestyle of Berlin. It can happen quickly that you suddenly feel quite lonely in middle of the 3.4 million Berliners. Especially for everyone who is new in the city arises on one point the question: How do I get to know new people? The answer is actually quite simple: find like-minded people. The international club of Freie Universität in Berlin (www.internationalerclub.de), for example, offers an attractive and comprehensive range of events, also non-students are welcome at any time.

Newcomers from abroad are best connected in the first step through a private language group. In Berlin live almost 4,000 registered Swedes that means they are registered in Berlin as their main residence and that means they have permanently rented or bought an apartment in Berlin. So you can assume that you might also meet Swedes with an interest for Berlin. The international club of Freie Universität is not only an opportunity to meet people or to learn German also to get to know new people.

Other leisure activities in social media such as Facebook are promoting: running, discussing, screwing oldtimers (http://www.die-oldtimer-garage.de), cooking or having breakfast together. However, Berlin would not be Berlin, if there would not be a club or meet up for every exotic hobby. How about a visit to the monthly meeting of the Berlin “Vogelspinnenverein” - tarantulas club (www.berlinspinnen.de)? If this is not your interest, maybe it may be more like the Tolkiengemeinde (www.tolkien-berlin.de) which is literary society and you find like-minded people. Or you enjoy to invent and the inventors’ club (www.erfinderclub-berlin.de) might be a club you want to join and perhaps you use the opportunity to invent at the same time a whole new table. Personally I find www.meetup.com a suitable social platform to get to know new people and you can easily connect with your own interests or create a very own group if you do not find your interest there.

Facebook group “Neu in Berlin” (screeshot from 2017-09-27)

What are other social media possibilities to meet people for real? So you can easily get to know new people in the Facebook group “Neu in Berlin” (new in Berlin). There you find the old stager, they are in the group since ever and always stop by from time to time and then there are still the newcomers, which are actually new in Berlin, and those who settle somewhere in between. The “Stammtisch” group (“Stammtisch” describes in German a group of people who meet on regular basis) is not the only activity that almost 30,000 group members are looking for, also they are looking for company for concerts, sports and dance partners, someone to meet up for brunch or boulder (www.brunchamsonntag.de) and most frequently: People to celebrate with - sometimes with two, sometimes with thirty together.

The Facebook group “Neu in Berlin” is one of the largest groups in the German-speaking world and is administrated by nine administrators. The reason why it is so successful in getting to know new people is that there are clear rules to follow. For example, postings that contain housing or job searches, partner advertisements or advertising are strictly prohibited. The purpose of the group is to get to know new people and the agreement of common leisure activities which works out well according to the experience. The only challenge here might be the language itself as you need at least to understand or be willed to learn German. I think the best way to integrate in the Berlin society is to learn German as you can through language get to know real locals and insiders, but that is also a matter of opinion.

Should all your efforts to get to know someone be without success, there is still the chance to get to know someone by chance: the acquaintance on the deli counter or the cash counter in the supermarket. Small tip: Most singles go shopping just before the store is closing if you are in the flirting mood. Or as in Sweden itself, start a sport and join a sports club or volunteer for an organization you are interested in e.g. Amnesty International (www.amnesty-bb.de).

pic by: https://www.berliner-akzente.de/_assets/flirten_supermarkt.jpg (last access on 2017-09-27)

Personally, as a former citizen of Berlin, I think it is very easy to meet and to get to know new people. Because of the open mentality you find in the most mindsets from people you meet in Berlin and a simple “Hallo wie geht’s” can be a good starting point and social media are a good way to connect with in the reality. Whether it is for just a brief moment in a bar or you make even new friendships for life through common interests. In the end counts your own interest and your open mindset to get to know new people. This should be easy for all those who already decided to relocate to Berlin and who already rented an apartment in Berlin. There is no reason not to get to know new people in Berlin. The possibilities to get to know new people are as big and varied as the city Berlin itself. I wish you many beautiful new enriching meetings and I am sure you find everything from interesting new people just for the moment or it even leads to friends for life.

Related articles:
Tips of bars in Berlin
What to do in Berlin