At Remitly, our goal is to help you connect with the world in every way possible. From sending money to exploring new countries, we want to give you the resources needed to flourish no matter where you are. I’ve lived all over the world, from university in Paris, France, to teaching in Osan, South Korea, and with each move, I found myself excited and scared all at once.
Moving to a new country isn’t easy, and finding your community takes time. It was over a month before I felt confident enough to join the local meetup, much less order coffee in Korean at a nearby cafe. Even with all the technology available today, settling into a new country can sometimes feel like a puzzle.
That’s why we’ve created a 2025 guide to the best expat-friendly events—a starting point for connecting with the community, discovering local traditions, and building lasting friendships.
Why expats love local events
One of the best parts of being an expat is seeking out authentic experiences where you can make connections and lifelong friendships. There’s a lot to explore and learn when moving to a new country, and there’s no better way to do so than through people, both fellow immigrants and locals.
George Driscoll, writer at Remitly and former digital nomad, says “expat events can make settling into new cities so much easier. Immediately you can get a list of recommendations curated by people in a similar position to yourself. Also on a personal level, if you’re nervous, hearing people reaffirm your anxieties can help to remind you, you’re not alone in this new adventure.”
How expat events can benefit you
- Cultural exchange: Attending local festivals and fairs is not only a great place to observe but to get involved and immerse yourself in your new country’s culture.
- Networking opportunities: Expat networking events create spaces where newcomers can meet industry professionals, entrepreneurs, and people who share similar interests. If you love art, or craft beers, or needlework, or anything else, chances are you’ll be able to find groups that share your passion.
- Building a sense of belonging: Shared experiences form bonds. Expat events, no matter what they are, help create support networks that make adjusting to your new home easier. There’s a good chance you could meet people who have been through exactly the same experience and can give you some tips on how to make the best of your new home.
- Language exchange: If your local language skills are a little rusty, these meetups can be the perfect place to learn some key phrases and train your linguistic muscles again.
Grab your passport: 2025’s best expat-friendly events
In these digital-first days, we might have everything in the palm of our hands, but nothing will ever beat live, in-person community. There’s something about communing with others who’ve also just moved and sharing their struggles with the bank, funny stories from the supermarket, and understanding your new home’s utility bills, for example, that you won’t find online.
But how do you go about finding new friends and connections? Here’s a few tips to help you start discovering events in some of the world’s most diverse cities.
New York
The city that never sleeps absolutely thrives on a huge variety of immigrant communities.
It’s one of the easiest cities for an expat to meet people from around the world. You’ll quickly see how truly magical The Big Apple is—and if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.
Expat events to check out in New York
- The New York City Expat Meetup Group, with almost 4,000 members, this is one of the bigger expat meetup groups in the city. They often host parties, including things like Halloween balls, or Holiday themed dance nights.
- British Expats in New York – This meetup is angled towards Brits in the U.S. but also is open to those interested in British culture who want to speak to people who have moved from England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Admission is typically free, too!
- Ninth Avenue International Food Festival: A yearly event stretching across Ninth Avenue, you’ll have the chance to try cuisine from all over the world. While not an expat-specific event, immigrants are sure to check this out, making it the perfect place to meet new people.
- If you’re looking for people from your home country, try Facebook groups such as ‘Aussies in New York’ ot the ‘Big Apple Brits’. These groups are a great place to ask questions when making the move.
Pro tip: While New York is diverse, visiting neighborhoods like Jackson Heights or even Williamsburg, where many newcomers choose to settle when moving to the city, might help you make connections or find even more New York expat activities.
London
London’s multicultural makeup makes it one of the most expat-friendly cities in Europe. With many immigrants coming to live, study, or for work, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to meet new people in this historic city.
Expat-friendly events around London
- Fast Friending: Hosted by London Expats Culture & Social, they have weekly meetups to connect you with friends fast! If you’re unsure how to make that first connection in your new city, this might be the event for you.
- World Citizens’ Friday Social: Hosted by the group World Citizens on Eventbrite, this popular meetup’s secret venue is revealed each week through a lottery system. While spaces are limited, this is a fun and exciting way to get into one of the best-kept secrets in London!
- International Film Week: Film week in London attracts people from around the world, so if you’re a film buff it’s a great opportunity to meet people and talk all things movies. You can check out The Garden Cinema or Film Freeway for more details.
- When it comes to Facebook groups, London is a very active city for this type of expat group. There’s the ‘American Expats Living in London’, the broader ‘London Expats’ group, while continental neighbors may benefit from the 74k+ strong ‘Europeans in London’ chat.
What do expats think of these events in London? “I always meet very smart and interesting people from all around the whole world here.” says, Ai Ling Y, in a review left on the World Citizens’ Friday Social expat event in London.
If these aren’t your thing, or you’d prefer to attend with somebody else, you can reach out on both Meetup.com and Facebook to fellow attendees looking for someone to go with.
Tokyo
Tokyo is a city rich in tradition, but embracing the modern world at the same time. It’s an epicenter of both business and culinary culture, with a growing international community. So there’s no shortage of expat meetups and events.
Exciting expat-friendly events in Tokyo
- The Global Village Summer Festival: If you’re studying in Tokyo, you should definitely consider checking out this event, hosted by Global Village. It promotes cultural exchange between Japanese and international students. While the festival itself is a summer event, Global Village offers international students plenty of other opportunities throughout the year, too. They’re pretty varied, too, with events ranging from debate night to flower arranging as part of their Japanese culture series.
- Tokyo Expats Monthly Meetups: Hosted by Tokyo Expats, this is just one of many events they host for people to mingle and make new friends.
- Tokyo Expat Social Club: an active group of over 3,000 members that’s part of the Toky Expats organization, hosting multiple events throughout the month. From bowling to talks on culture and work-life balance, there’s something for everyone.
- For more active comments, posts, and chats, people moving to Tokyo should consider the ‘For Foreigners Living in Japan’ group, as well as the active ‘Expats in Tokyo’ community.
There are more events across the city, too; join Tokyo’s international community on Facebook to learn about gatherings and festivals happening throughout the year.
Berlin
Berlin is a city rich in history and culture, boasting an unrivaled nightlife with many people lining up for clubbing even in the middle of the day.
Berlin has almost too much to offer as a hub for international professionals and artists alike, so we’ve narrowed it down to some highlights to get you started.
Berlin expat events
- Karneval der Kulturen: A yearly festival and parade that brings together the international community in Berlin and aims to fight against discrimination while doing so. A great way to meet others, learn about different cultures, and support an important cause.
- English Comedy: This expat meetup isn’t free, but it’s a great way to meet people and have a laugh. Here, you’ll find hilarious stories about settling in Berlin and living abroad.
- Expat Freelancer Networking Event: Being a freelancer can be a very solitary experience, especially if you’re new to a city or country. This monthly event, hosted by Expat Freelancer Berlin, can help you get out of your house and away from your computer, giving you the chance to meet other expats in your field.
- There are numerous expat groups for those in Berlin, but the most active ones tend to be ‘Berlin Expats’ and the separate ‘berlin EXPATS’. When it comes to socializing, the ‘International Friends Berlin’ group can be a good place to start.
One thing’s for sure in Berlin—you certainly won’t be the only expat; some 23% of the city’s population are from overseas. Check out our guide to settling in this great city for more advice and information.
Sydney
Sun and surf aren’t the only things you’ll find Down Under, and Sydney continues to attract a large expat community. From beautiful beaches to the Downtown Sydney Annual Summer Street Festival, there are more things to do than there are days in the year.
Exciting expat events in Sydney:
- Multicultural Meetups: What’s On has a ton of events to choose from, from crocheting groups to social dances, and even a social group for Chinese-speaking seniors.
- Internations Events: These meetups are held by Internations.org and range from newcomer socials to an immersive VR event.
- Meet & Chat: This event is just one of many hosted by The International New in Sydney for ALL Ambitious People Meetup, allowing newcomers to the city to meet, network, and make long-lasting connections.
- Facebook groups: Of course, there’s Facebook groups available to chat and ask questions. For Brits in Australia, try ‘Poms in Sydney’, adults aged 25+ can benefit from this ‘Sydney Expats’ group, while Americans can find a group specific to them here, as well as South Africans too.
Look out for the Great Sydney Multicultural Festival, too—details for next year’s edition will be available soon. Meanwhile, if you love the outdoors, consider joining a club where you can meet other like-minded and adventurous individuals, such as SPAN.
How to find more expat-friendly events
Choosing which cities to highlight definitely wasn’t easy, since all around the world—from Seoul to Cape Town—there are events worth mentioning. So, if your city wasn’t featured, don’t worry! There are plenty of ways to find expat networking events near you.
Even in smaller cities you’ll find a wealth of opportunities to meet other expats navigating the same journey!
Expat groups and where to look:
- Social media platforms: Facebook groups like “Expats in [enter city]” or “[Enter city] International Friends” often post weekly event updates and share local and general information about your new city.
- Niche groups: On Facebook, or sometimes Instagram, you can find groups/pages for niche interests, such as ‘London Vegan Meetup’ or ‘Hiking in London’. Every city will have similar groups and while they’re not specific to expats, you’ll often find lots of people in your position going to such events to mingle with expats and locals alike.
- Event websites: Eventbrite.com and Meetup.com are two sites where you can search for events not just by city, but by interest and profession, too.
- Expat blogs and organizations: Internations.org, Expat.com, and right here at Remitly, you’ll find regularly curated information about events, guides, and resources to meet fellow expats, along with practical resources about your new home.
- Speak to other expats: sometimes there are WhatsApp groups which are invite-only so you might need to know someone to get in. You can try the above groups to start, or simply spark up a conversation on a walking tour or at a cafe. You never know what you might learn from someone.
Consider subscribing to any newsletters available at organizations like these so you don’t miss out on early-bird invitations or events in your area.
Tips for making the most of expat events
It’s common to be a little nervous when joining new groups and meeting new people, so you’re not alone if you feel that way. While these tips may seem obvious, sometimes our nerves get the better of us so these should help.
- Prepare and don’t be late: Arriving early and being prepared can go a long way. If you’re going to a networking event, it might be a good idea to arrive first. By arriving early, you can ensure you get a good seat or ease into conversations more comfortably, rather than showing up after everyone else has arrived. If you’re early you can usually speak to the organizers too who will be more used to speaking to strangers than other new joiners.
- Jump into conversations: Once you’re settled, engaging with others and keeping an open mind are great steps to making those desired connections. You’re not just experiencing a new city, you’re getting to see a whole new world filled with people with different experiences and worldviews. So expect things to be a bit different from what you’re used to.
- Be curious: Asking questions and showing interest can open doors and perhaps teach you something new. And if you connect with one or more people, follow up with them! Send a Facebook/Instagram request, a text, or even a LinkedIn invite. Don’t let the connection flounder once you’ve left the event.
Questions to ask at an expat event:
- What do you like most about living in [city]?
- Have you lived anywhere else?
- Can you recommend any other events for expats?
- Do you have any hidden gems to recommend?
- What made you want to move here?
- I love [cuisine], do you have any recommendations?
Expats often have lots of recommendations and fun stories from living elsewhere. Don’t be afraid to dig into the details and remember to share your own stories too so it isn’t one way.
New friends and new adventures await!
Building community and friendships takes time and commitment, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t walk away from the very first event with a new group of friends.
In Madrid, it took me only a couple of weeks to meet friends and have a blossoming social life, but in South Korea, it was well over a month before I finally started making connections.
Everyone’s journey is different, but I can also tell you that if I hadn’t shown up to expat events and put myself out there, I would never have made the lifelong friends I did.
Festivals, meetups, networking—it doesn’t matter what you choose, as long as you try. And if you’re in need of more resources, check out some of our posts on relocating or language learning as well.
FAQ
What is an expat-friendly event?
Expat-friendly events are where newcomers can engage with fellow immigrants, often focusing on cultural events and networking.
How can I find expat-friendly events near me?
Check out social media platforms like Facebook, Meetup, and Eventbrite for local expat-friendly events or networking opportunities.
Are there expat groups for specific interests?
Absolutely—hiking, running, book clubs, language, and even crocheting. Whatever you’re into, all you have to do is look, and if you can’t find a particular group that matches your interests, don’t be afraid to start one!
Are expat-friendly events affordable?
Many expat events are free or offer free admission, but you might need to buy a drink or some food. It really depends on the event, activity, or group, so it’s best to ask before joining.
What’s the best way to make connections at an expat event?
Being proactive is the best thing to do if you want to meet new people. Introduce yourself, follow up with those you made a connection with, and keep showing up!
Do you need an invite for expat events?
Most of the time you just need to put your name down on a sign up sheet, in person, or online. Unless the tickets are paid-for, you’re likely able to just turn up.
Are expat events used for dating?
It is not the norm for expat meetup events to be used for dating, they’re for socialising, meeting new people, and sharing tips and tricks. Having said that, you may find some expat groups host expat speed dating for example. Double check the description of the event if you are unsure.
Can I attend an expat event if I am not staying long-term?
If you’re someone who’s only in the city for a few months you can still attend expat events. Due to the nature of living and working abroad, many people will only attend for a matter of weeks/months and then move on. It’s totally acceptable and you won’t be judged for this.