How To Meet People In San Francisco, California

Want to meet people in San Francisco, California, and start making friends? This article is for you. The city where the Golden Gates welcome all is rich in both history and diversity, this unique city has no shortage of opportunities to find your “tribe” and make some lasting friendships.

Where & How To Meet People In San Francisco & Start Making Friends

1. Most Popular Meetup Groups

Here are a few of San Francisco’s most popular meetup groups:

Find more of your favorite meetup opportunities here: https://www.meetup.com/cities/us/ca/san_francisco/

Social Groups & Clubs You Can Join:

  • Wingtip / Amador: Wingtip, also known as Amador, boasts a bar, a game room, and parlor rooms, among others. It is membered by some of the finest residents of San Francisco. Join the club and be one of them!
  • Modernist: While it is a relatively young club, the Modernist has built a fantastic community in San Francisco. They promote building relationships and sharing life experiences. It’s a place where friendships blossom.
  • Metropolitan Club: The Metropolitan Club is a women’s only club that sits in the heart of San Francisco. It is a place where the city’s brightest and most ambitious women converge as they enjoy the club’s luxurious benefits.
  • The City Club of San Francisco: The City Club’s home is a historic building. It takes pride in offering an elegant and culturally relevant space where people can meet others and build new relationships in San Francisco.
  • NextDoor San Francisco: A community-centric online hub where San Francisco locals can engage in neighborhood activities, exchange useful information, and forge friendships with those nearby.
  • Internations San Francisco: A welcoming environment in San Francisco where local citizens and international residents can connect, participate in shared interests, and enrich their social circle.
  • Ellevate San Francisco: A dynamic community in San Francisco for women professionals to engage in meaningful conversations, attend events, and build strong business relationships.
  • ZogSports San Francisco: In San Francisco, ZogSports is the go-to destination for adults wanting to join sports leagues that combine the thrill of the game with socializing and making new connections.
  • Rotary Club of San Francisco: In San Francisco, this club brings together influential leaders and professionals to collaborate on impactful service projects, both locally and globally, enhancing community welfare.
  • Lions Club San Francisco: In San Francisco, this club is a beacon for community service, bringing together compassionate individuals committed to making a tangible impact in their local area and beyond.
  • San Francisco Elks Lodge: In San Francisco, the Elks Lodge is recognized for its charitable work and family-oriented environment, aligned with ethical and national values.
  • BNI San Francisco: Offers a unique opportunity in San Francisco for members to join and benefit from a diverse network of professionals committed to helping each other succeed in business through referrals.

2. Join an Athletic League

meet people who like sports with zogsports san francisco

San Francisco is into adult sports leagues. Whether or not you’re any good at soccer or softball, joining a team is an easy and quick way to make fast friends. ZogSports is a social sports community that offers myriad opportunities to find a league that fits your fancy, helping you make connections along the way.

3. Feed the Hungry, Make Some Friends

volunteer, help the poor and make friends in san francisco

GLIDE’s Feed the Hungry program is the only one in San Francisco to provide 3 nutritious meals a day, 364 days a year, to the city’s poor, homeless, and hungry. Serving a meal as a volunteer is a transformative experience. This program requires 85 volunteers each day to fill the breakfast, prep, lunch, and dinner shifts, 364 days a year. Be prepared to roll up your sleeves, meet people, and start making friends in San Francisco.

4. Try Your Hand at College

take classes, and meet new people in sfcc san francisco city college

SFCC classes are cheap and eclectic, which is an ideal combination when it comes to striking up a conversation with a potential friend. You can test out classes like self-defense or ceramics and find like-minded and creative souls to study with.

5. Help Preserve the Golden Gate

meet people at the FOGG Trail Mixer @ the Golden Gate, in san francisco

Kick back and experience your national park sites in an exclusive way! Join FOGG on the first Thursday of every month as they meet new friends, sip on local beer courtesy of Fort Point Beer Co., and learn about the uniqueness of the park with a ranger or REI staff-led activity. Enjoy small eats and fresh air at a different park site every month, all while admiring the Bay Area’s most breathtaking views.

6. Psychedelic Cycling

soulcycle san francisco is a great place to meet people and make friends

The most cult-like workout class in San Francisco, SoulCycle is 45 minutes of spinning set to dance music in a dark, packed room.  The bikes are close together, so if you’re not afraid to sweat dangerously close to your neighbor, grab a bike and get ready to work.

7. Board the Magic Bus

The Magic Bus is an entirely one-of-a-kind experience. This magical tour bus transforms into a traveling movie theater, light show, and rocket ship while showing you the San Francisco of yesterday and today. What a unique way to mingle with groovy new friends.

8. Jump Into New Friendships!

meet people at house of air san francisco

House of Air is an indoor Adrenaline Park. This athletic and recreational facility hosts open trampoline jump time, aerial and physical training on trampolines, trampoline dodgeball, fitness classes, and other recreation activities.  Forget the gym where everyone is buried in their iPod… take a fun class and meet other adventurous souls.

9. Cruise for Your Dinner

consider San Francisco Supper Club Cruises for meeting new people

All aboard… enjoy a sophisticated fun evening on the San Francisco Bay. Various small-plate food stations and tasty desserts make the Supper Club Cruise perfect for meeting new friends. Local DJs spin Top-40 hits, or you can always step outside to take in the breathtaking views of San Francisco and enjoy conversation with potential cohorts.

10. Try a Season of Running

SF Run Club, a great place to meet new friends

Join fitness-minded folks downtown, in Golden Gate Park, or in the Marina for workouts, boot camps, and running. You can try it out by signing up for one season at a time. The SF Run Club meets at the store, A Runner’s Mind, in Presidio Heights on weekend mornings, providing a perfect opportunity for socializing before hitting the pavement. This is another way to meet people in San Francisco, and it’s a way to mix a healthy activity with making friends.

11. Trivia Pub Nights

brainstormer trivia, a great way to meet new people

The Irish-born founder of Brainstormer.com brought the tradition of trivia pub nights to the Bay Area. They now draw lively crowds on various weeknights in San Francisco venues. Questions are a perfect mix of pop culture, sports trivia, Shakespeare, general knowledge, current affairs, and more. You can create a profile online to connect with other quizzers to start, but the magic is in the meet-ups – form a team or join one and put your useless knowledge to work.

12. Everyone is Welcome at the Jewish Community Center

meet people at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco

From art to Zen meditation, the Jewish Community Center offers a wide variety of instructor-led adult classes, fitness, and sports leagues throughout the year. Sign up to learn Spanish, urban gardening, dancing, pilates, aquatics, and ceramics, or even take a group overnight trip to a cultural event. What a nice way to meet people in San Francisco! To guarantee meeting others, why not volunteer as an usher to assist JCCSF staff with the greeting and seating of guests before an event and during intermission before you enjoy the program?

13. There’s an App for That

hey vina is another app to make friends in sf

Hey! VINA is an app that operates a lot like Tinder, but is aimed at meeting people in San Francisco (it’s only for women, but that might change as is the case with many apps). It’s for other females who share the same interests, and who have compatible personalities. The founders said they started building the app because of a personal pain point. They often moved and traveled for work and wanted a better way to meet new girlfriends in the area. Apps and online friendships can be a great starting point, as long as it leads to real-life activities, which simply can’t be substituted in the virtual world.

14. Wine Country Tour with Gourmet Lunch

vine-to-wine-napa-and-sonoma-day-trip-with-tastings-and-organic-in-san-francisco-160872_20170908170312617

Although touted as a tourist event with hotel pick-up, a wine country tour is also a great way to spend the day with strangers and end up with friends. Combine a visit to Northern California wine country with a Muir Woods experience for a truly fabulous day out. You’ll begin with a walk through Muir Woods National Monument, visit three wineries, with wine-tasting included, and cross the Golden Gate Bridge, ending on Sonoma Plaza to buy lunch with your new posse.

15. Paint and Play

painting class san francisco

Bottle & Bottega offers a variety of fun and exciting painting classes for adults. Options include trendy paint and wine classes, plein air classes conducted in a variety of outdoor environments, and abstract painting classes. Dare to be unique and flex your creative muscles with some potential new friends.

16. Snap Your Way to New Friends

harveymilkphotocenter is a good place to meet photo enthusiasts

The Harvey Milk Photo Center is San Francisco’s premier dark room and digital facility. As part of the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, it is open to members and the community. Meet people in San Francisco and make some new friends. You can do that while attending photography lectures, and exhibitions. In addition, there is also a wide variety of digital and film classes for all skill levels.

17. That’s How We Roll (Sushi, that is)

Sushi Cooking Class where you can meet new people thanks to CozyMeal

Experience a sushi-making class! Learn the basics of making your own rolls and nigiri, as well as some unique creations. Among them are the Lion King Roll and the Valentine’s Day Roll. You can start by learning to simply cut fish for nigiri to set up beautiful plates. As a result, you’ll get one step closer to becoming a sushi master, meeting some new people while you learn. Because there is rarely an easier way to make friends than a cooking class, we really recommend you check this out.

18. People Watching on Hippie Hill

Hippie Hill is an interesting place to meet people at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park

Hippie Hill is an interesting place to enjoy the sights and sounds of a sunny day at Golden Gate Park. The colorful cast of characters l is never-ending, and there is something somewhat magical about visiting a place that at one time attracted the likes of Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead. Spark up a conversation with some eclectic new friends. On the weekends, drum circles commonly happen, and that’s another great way to meet people in San Francisco.

19. Travel Through Time at The Penny Arcade

meet new people in san francisco's musee mecanique

Musée Mécanique is one of the world’s largest privately owned collections of coin-operated mechanical musical instruments and antique arcade machines in their original working condition. Located on Pier 45 at the foot of Taylor Street in San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, you can meet new friends while enjoying a journey from turn-of-the-century hand-cranked music boxes to modern video arcade games. Yes, you can actually play the games!

20. Tee Time

meet people at sfrecpark san francisco recreational park golf

The San Francisco Parks & Rec maintains a sterling array of six public golf courses. Golden Gate Park is perfect for the beginning golfer, Sharp Park, and Lincoln Park boast panoramic views, and Gleneagles is considered one of the most challenging nine holes of golf in America.  With a course for every player, it’s easy to meet other golf enthusiasts no matter what your skill level is.

21. Consider a Fitness Social Group

Np San Fransisco

If you’re a fitness lover, or you’d like to work out or go for a run but not alone, then consider joining a San Francisco social group that’s about fitness. This could be a great way to meet new motivated friends.

When joining a social group of this sort, be sure to make conversation about a variety of subjects. Don’t get stuck talking about fitness or working out only. Venture into other subjects to get to know the people better. This will create a more solid base for creating friendships. They need to see you as a potential friend instead of just a “workout friend” they meet only to work out together.

Consider November Project’s San Francisco Social Group.

It might seem overwhelming to meet people in San Francisco and find the right friends. What you can do is focus on the niches and the sub-cultures you’re more likely to find the people with whom you can get along and hopefully keep for the long run. If you want to be equipped with the right techniques, social skills, and principles to help accelerate your social life, we invite you to check out our training.

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