Things to do in Los Angeles This Weekend Where you can Meet New People [5.22-5.24]
A Romance Book Swap in LA
5.22 | 4 PM | Torrance
This casual book swap brings together romance, fantasy, and fiction readers for an afternoon of trading favorite reads, browsing the Fleuria romance book truck, and talking books over drinks. Guests bring gently used titles to swap from the community table, which makes conversations feel pretty easy from the start, especially once people begin comparing recommendations and debating their latest reads. A good low-pressure plan for anyone trying to meet fellow book people outside the internet.
LACMA Jazz Mahjong + Chess Picnic
5.22 | 4 PM | Mid-Wilshire
This laid-back community hang mixes beginner-friendly chess and Mahjong with live jazz, shared snacks, and the kind of afternoon where people drift in and stay longer than expected. Some guests come ready to learn the games, others post up in the sun with wine and conversation while music plays in the background. It’s low-pressure, easy to join solo, and built more around community than competition.
Ambiente Central at Melrose House
5.22 | 9 PM | East Hollywood
Ambiente Central brings its signature mix of Central American music, food, and community to Melrose House LA for the first time. Expect DJs pulling from sounds across the region, a packed dance floor, and a crowd that feels genuinely excited to be there from the moment doors open. It has the feeling of a cultural gathering as much as a party, with people showing up ready to dance, connect, and stay awhile.
A Girls Night at Townhouse Venice
5.22 | 10 PM | Venice
This Venice girls night is for the people who still want a real dance floor, strong drinks, and a reason to stay out later than expected. The crowd at Townhouse always leans social, with live music and DJs keeping things moving downstairs while groups spill between the bar and dance floor all night. Easy choice if your ideal night out involves dancing with your friends instead of yelling over a crowded table.
Intro to Ceramics Workshop
5.22 | 6:30 PM | West Hollywood
This handbuilding pottery class at Two Faced Ceramics is centered around making your own ceramic snack tray, picnic plate, or catch-all dish from scratch, no experience required. The pace stays relaxed and beginner-friendly, with people sketching ideas, shaping clay, and comparing glaze colors across the table as they work. A good option for a low-key creative date, solo outing, or afternoon with friends that ends with something you’ll actually use later.
Pickle N’ Wellness
5.23 | 9 AM | Brentwood
This Brentwood morning pairs yoga, matcha, and pickleball into one long wellness hang at the new Heroes courts. The setup includes a guided yoga flow, specialty matcha drinks, electrolyte refreshments, and two hours of beginner clinics, liveball, and open play across the courts. Expect a social, active crowd with plenty of people rotating between games, conversations, and post-match recovery in the sun.
Community Run & Cafecito
5.23 | 9 AM | Long Beach
This monthly run club brings together Latinas for a social morning of movement, cafecito, and meeting new people outside the usual nightlife rotation. There are walking and running pace groups for all levels, so whether you’re easing into fitness or already training regularly, it’s easy to find your people. After the run, everyone hangs around over coffee, which is usually where the conversations actually start.
Anti Social Knit Club
5.23 | 10 AM | Eagle Rock
This monthly stitch-and-hang brings together knitters, crocheters, and fiber artists for an afternoon that feels more like a backyard gathering than a formal workshop. People show up with works in progress, swap techniques, talk yarn, and slowly settle into conversation over a few hours on blankets in the sun. Especially good for anyone craving a creative hobby that also doubles as a low-pressure way to meet people.
Summer Smash: A Padel + Recovery Day
5.23 | 1 PM | East Hollywood
The Padel Courts is rolling out its new sauna and cold plunge setup with an afternoon that’s equal parts workout, social hang, and summer kickoff party. Expect open padel courts, DJs all day, cocktails from Broda Vodka, and a crowd moving between games, recovery sessions, and catching up in the sun. A good one for anyone trying to be outside, meet people, and stay busy for a few hours.
Tujunga Village Spring Music Festival
5.23 | 1 PM | Studio City
This Studio City block party turns Tujunga Village into a full day of live music, vintage cars, wine gardens, local vendors, and neighborhood wandering. Families, longtime locals, and groups of friends all spill through the closed-off street between sets, food stops, and outdoor hangs throughout the afternoon. It has the feel of an old-school community festival in the best way, especially once the sun starts going down and the music picks up.
Beachside Live Fire Cooking Workshop
5.23 | 2 PM | Dockweiler Beach
This beachside cooking workshop at Dockweiler turns live fire cooking into a full afternoon experience, with guests learning how to build, tend, and cook directly over an open flame alongside Chef Grace Buschke. The setup is hands-on but relaxed, with premium proteins, seasonal sides, ocean air, and a crowd that’s equally there for the food and the atmosphere. The night ends with a shared sunset dinner on the beach, which feels like the kind of plan people wish they knew about sooner.
Group Hike to Mount Wilson
5.24 | 5 AM | Mt. Wilson
This community hike with We Explore Earth is an early start, a serious climb, and a full day spent in the San Gabriels with people who genuinely love being outside. The route to Mt. Wilson covers nearly 14 miles and close to 5,000 feet of elevation gain, with experienced hike leaders guiding the group the entire way. Definitely built for experienced hikers or anyone ready for a challenge, but the group format makes the long miles feel a little more social along the way.
Circular Flea Market
5.24 | 11 AM | Venice
This circular flea market brings together vintage shopping, DIY customization stations, charm bars, patch sewing, upcycled fashion workshops, and drinks into one very social afternoon. People move between booths customizing hats, reworking old clothes, and trading ideas while DJs and conversations carry through the space. It’s especially good for anyone into sustainable fashion, creative projects, or meeting stylish people without the usual party scene.
MAINopoly: A Taste of Main Street
5.24 | 1 PM | Santa Monica
This Monopoly-inspired food crawl turns Main Street Santa Monica into a full afternoon of tastings, drinks, and wandering between more than 20 local restaurants, bars, and shops. Guests use “MAINopoly dollars” to redeem bites and cocktails as they make their way down the route, with DJs, beer gardens, and plenty of people lingering between stops. It’s part food festival, part neighborhood block party, and an easy way to spend a Sunday outside with friends.
A Sunset Dance Party on the LA River
5.24 | 4 PM | Frogtown
This Memorial Day weekend pop-up turns a stretch of the LA River into an open-air dance floor filled with disco, house, funk, R&B, dancehall, and whatever else keeps people moving until sunset. Some people show up ready to dance for hours, others post up with a blanket and friends while DJs soundtrack the entire afternoon. It’s relaxed, social, and one of those very LA gatherings that feels like you accidentally found the right place to be.
Swimsuits and Cowboy Boots
5.24 | 2 PM | Hollywood
This Wild West pool party kicks off Memorial Day weekend with country DJs, a Fleetwood Mac tribute set, cowboy cookout, and a crowd fully committing to the swimsuits-and-boots dress code. People spend the afternoon bouncing between the pool, dance floor, and trading post pop-up while country music plays poolside into the evening. Definitely one for anyone looking for a more social, slightly themed day party without it feeling overly serious.
A Silent Disco on the Beach at Sunset
5.24 | 5 PM | Hermosa Beach
This sunset silent disco takes over the sand near Hermosa Pier with multiple DJs spinning across different headphone channels all night long. People drift between disco, house, throwbacks, and crowd-requested playlists while dancing barefoot on the beach as the sun goes down. It’s social in a very easy way, whether you show up with friends or end up talking to whoever’s dancing to the same color channel as you.
Topanga Days: Memorial Day Weekend
5.23 - 5.25 | 10 AM | Topanga
Topanga Days returns for three days of live music, local artisans, food stands, dancing, and the kind of laid-back community atmosphere that feels increasingly rare around LA. The festival has a long-running, slightly bohemian reputation, with more than 30 bands performing across the weekend alongside parades, families, longtime locals, and people making a full day out of wandering the grounds. Definitely one for anyone craving an old-school California festival weekend without leaving the city behind completely.
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