In Facebook groups for internationally minded people and expats, I have often seen this question: "I am new, what to do and where to go?". Or, to be more exact, how can I find exciting events? In this post, I will walk you through some ways how to meet new friends and make your calendar full of diverse events.
1. Meetup app - it is an app and a website for meetups, and it works throughout the world. It determines your location to make suggestions of events for you. You can joing groups that host events, see suggested events, save certain events and track events you are going to. In Helsinki, variety of meetups includes meetups for IT-minded people, sports events, women-only meetups, and, of course, general meetups uniting all internationally minded people. Some events have quota, usually due to technical restrictions, such as capacity of venues - keep a close eye on descriptions of events you are interested in!
2. Notice boards. In a digital era where you feel overloaded with information so easily, notice boards of university campuses, libraries, culture centres and even local shops can be a valuable source of information about upcoming concerts, workshops and cultural events. If you see "vapaa pääsy", it means "free entrance".
3. Facebook Events section. If you are not a fan of social media, you may feel like sacrificing your principles in favour of Facebook, as it allows to keep track of all events recommended to your based on your location and/or likes left by your Facebook friends. You can also events linked to groups and pages. I was positively surprised, how Finnish libraries are active on social media. For example, my local library in Iso Omena, Espoo hosts language cafes, hand-made workshops and even monthly robotics workshops. Actually, when it comes to Finnish language cafes - events lasting for several hours where you can speak Finnish for free with native speakers and other persons who learn Finnish, they are actually hosted on regular basis in libraries in different parts of Helsinki, and, I believe, Finland in general. Also, you may find Facebook groups uniting people based on nationality, spoken language, profession, and hobbies (especially, when it comes to programming).
Interested in googling more events? Some vocabulary may help:
Tapahtuma - event (tapahtumat - events)
Tapahtumahaku - event search
Tapahtumakalenteri - event calendar
Markkina(t) - market(s)
Urheilu - sports
Teatteri - theater
Näyttely - exhibition
Elokuva - movie
Musiikki - music
Konsertti - concert
Keikka - music gig
Kielikahvila - language cafe
Vapaa pääsy - free entrance
Pääsylippu - ticket
K-18 - events for those over 18
Avoimet ovet - open doors