How to find friends in Melbourne? And how to find dates in Melbourne…without using the apps?
The Plus Ones to the rescue! We’re all about meeting new people (it’s pratically in our name), and with more and more people leaving dating apps and craving in-person connections, there’s no better time to start going to one — or all – of these curated happenings.
Go solo, bring a mate — no matter what, you’ll have spent a night away from your screen and exploring the city. We call that a win-win!
FRIENDS
- Conscious Connections
https://www.ccdinners.com/booknow ($59)
‘play board games, have a chat and enjoy good food’
age range = 25 to 50
- Creative Lunch Club
https://www.creativelunchclub.com/ (€10 for 3 months – $16.50AUD) get matched with 2 creatives every month; arrange your own meetup
age range = appears to be 20s to 60s
- Dinner With Strangers
https://www.patreon.com/dinnerwithstrangers ($12.50)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dinner-with-strangers-sydney-tickets-946959660837
every Friday at 7pm (you pay for dinner)
age range = looks to be 20s & 30s
- TimeLeft
https://timeleft.com/ ($26/mo plus dinner [subscription], or $24 plus dinner. Get 25% off with code ‘ILOVETIMELEFT’)
‘meet 5 strangers over dinner, all matched by our personality algorithm’
age range = 18 to 70
Female Friendship Groups
- Friends On Purpose
https://linktr.ee/friendsonpurpose ($0-$50)
events like bead & sip, friend happy hours, Hot Girl Walk
age range = 18 to 35
- Girl Gone International
https://www.facebook.com/groups/GGIMelbourne/
‘a group for meeting friends and creating community’ – one of 200 groups worldwide
DATES
- Dear Pluto
https://www.dearpluto.com/ ($30)
queer and straight speed dating; need to bring a mixed-gender duo/group
age range = generally 25 to 35
- Human Love Quest
https://www.instagram.com/humanlovequest
https://linktr.ee/humanlovequest
‘an inclusive live onstage dating show’ - Merge Dating
https://www.instagram.com/merge.dating ($17)
‘no speed dating, no name tags, no apps’
age range = 25 to 60
- Thursday Dating
https://events.getthursday.com/ ($15-$40)
‘just a bar, everyone single’ – 200 singles
age range = not specified
SYDNEY
Heading north? Know some Sydneysiders who want to expand their circles? Check out our guide to the best of Sydney’s groups for dating/mating.
No matter which event/group you choose to attend, we know that you’ll come out of it with a renewed sense that we’re all in this together — and that it’s easier than you think to make connections IRL.
Best of luck, and enjoy meeting tons of cool new people!
– Theresa
Co-founder of The Plus Ones, Theresa hopes this guide will help you expand your social circle in the new year & beyond!
