Fun Activities Near You That Actually Help You Connect

Alone this weekend? Feeling a bit restless? Need something to do? Or just new to town? If you are looking for some fun activities near you, this guide is for you.

For the days when you just want something to look forward to. Not a big plan or a packed schedule. Just a simple thing to do. A reason to step outside, meet someone around you, or just feel a little more like yourself again.  

But you don’t know what to do or with whom. You read through countless blogs and guides, and now you are more confused than you were at the beginning. It’s frustrating, we know.

So, we gathered ideas that are easy to say yes to. You can explore any of them through Bunchups. Join a local activity that you find interesting, or just set up your own. They are low-key, interest-based activities you can do with someone local, without it being awkward or intimidating.

Creative & Expressive Activities

Whether you are a seasoned artist, slightly artistically inclined, or just feeling a little creative this week, you might want to try these.

These are not just things to do. They are ways to share a part of yourself with someone nearby, even if it is just over a sketch, a playlist, or a quiet page. You do not need a big group or big plans to connect. Sometimes, one shared activity is enough to make a stranger feel familiar.

Here are a few simple shared-interest activities you can explore with someone to satisfy that artist in you.

1. Art and Drawing

Dust off your sketchbook, pick up your pencils and host an outdoor sketch session with an art circle near you. Or find a drawing partner for the day and swap prompts over coffee. You can even join a life drawing class or a painting workshop in your area. And who knows, it might turn into a weekly ritual.

2. Writing and Reading

If there’s a writer hidden in you somewhere, it might be time to let them out. You don’t have to be a Shakespeare or a Rumi, you can just be you and journal beside someone or write from shared prompts. Or even host a small book club, just a few people chatting about a story they love. These are some of the simplest and most meaningful shared-interest activities around.

3. Music and Singing

Bring your guitar to the park and see who joins you, or start a three-person jam circle in your backyard. If you already play, find someone to harmonise with. If you are still learning, find someone open to teaching, even just for the afternoon. Music is one of those local activities for adults that can be as simple or as silly as you want it to be.

4. Dance & Movement

Whether it is learning a simple routine from YouTube or free-styling in the kitchen, dancing with a partner is always more fun. Participate in a dance-along in the park or just stretch together while your favourite playlist runs in the background. And if you are a serious dancer, you can even find a tango, ballet or salsa partner near you.  

5. Crafts & Making Things

Think zine-making afternoons, scrapbooking bunchups, or collage nights where you sit across the table and cut up old magazines without needing to say much. Or trade hobbies, maybe you teach someone basic stitching, and they show you how to press dried flowers. These kinds of quiet, free activities near you can sometimes lead to the most unexpected friendships.

6. Theatre, Improv & Acting

Try a cold read of a script with another acting enthusiast, no stage, no audience, just the two of you swapping lines at the kitchen table. Start a short improv bunchup where you toss prompts into a jar and see where it goes. Or you can find a theatre and drama partner and re-enact a scene from your favourite play to let your inner actors shine. These kinds of shared-interest activities are less about performance and more about letting your guard down in the best way.

Creative activities have a way of opening people up, gently, quietly, without pressure. And through Bunchups, you can find someone close by to share that spark with, or simply start something of your own. It does not need to be perfect. It just needs to feel like you.

But if you are more athletic than creative, we have some ideas for you, too.

Physical & Movement-Based Activities

Not everyone wants to sit and chat. Sometimes connection happens best while you are moving, walking, stretching, doing something side by side that lets the conversation come and go naturally.  

Here are a few ways to get moving and connecting without needing a gym membership or a team jersey:

1. Walking and Running

If you love physical activity but hate small talk, find someone to walk with around a local lake or even a quiet street. Or find a running buddy to run laps around the local field. You can even join a local walking or running group, if shared rhythm feels easier than shared words.

2. Yoga, Stretching, or Pilates

Find a yoga buddy or a mate for a quiet morning stretch, or join a local Pilates group on Bunchups. You don’t even need to be flexible, just willing. These kinds of physical activities near you offer calm companionship without needing to talk the whole way through.

3. Hiking & Nature-Based Plans

If you prefer a bit of challenge, plan or join a local hike or nature trail. Bring water and snacks, and let the terrain set the pace for what could be a lasting connection.

4. Casual Movement & Sports

You do not need to join a league or wear a uniform. Pick up a sport you enjoy and find someone to play with. It could be an afternoon tennis match, a few rounds of badminton in the evening, or an early-morning frisbee toss in the park.  

Free activities like these often lead to the easiest, least awkward kind of connection.

And if you have a more refined taste, we have something for you, too.

Cultural Experiences

If you are new to the city or just someone who likes the finer things in life, here are some low-pressure activity ideas for you. These fun activities near you will not only bring you closer to culture but also help you find your people.

1. Museum or Gallery Visits

Spend an hour at a local gallery or museum with someone who shares your curiosity. Plan or join a bunchup at the NGV or the Art Gallery of NSW.  Take your time, swap reactions, or simply move through quietly together. Many of these activities near you have free entry.

2. Local Festivals & Events

Small-town markets or multicultural festivals, there are always some local activities for adults happening somewhere, if you know where to look. Invite a fellow lover of culture to the Brisbane Festival or the National Multicultural Festival and connect over your shared love of music, arts and culture.

3. Historical Walks or Landmarks

If you are both a history buff and enjoy walking, take someone with you on heritage walks like the Fremantle Discovery Trail. Or just explore your local town hall and cemeteries with someone who knows all the streets and all the stories.  

4. Language or Cultural Exchange

We live in a culturally diverse society, and that is something to lean into. If you are learning a new language, find someone in your area who speaks it natively and practise over coffee or a walk. Or simply get to know someone from a different background and exchange stories, food traditions, or everyday experiences. These kinds of slow, human conversations are a small but powerful way to connect across cultures.

Social Games and Shared Play

Play is often underestimated, but it can be one of the most natural ways to bond with new people. And if you are a little shy or even socially anxious, it might be a great way for you to make friends. Because it lowers the stakes, invites laughter, and gives you something to return to the next time you meet.

Here are a few shared-interest activities you can try with someone local:

1. Board Games & Card Nights

Join a casual game night bunchup and try classics like Codenames, Uno, Pathfinder, D&D, Monopoly or Settlers of Catan. You can host at a local café, library, or even a picnic table in the park. Low cost, high connection.

2. Trivia Nights & Pub Quizzes

If you enjoy knowing random facts or shouting out song lyrics from the '90s, start or join a trivia bunchup at your nearest local. Many pubs across Australia run weekly quiz nights, it is easy to bring someone along and even easier to make new friends once you are there.

3. Video Games & Console Swaps

Prefer digital play? Find someone nearby who’s into Mario Kart, co-op platformers, or chill multiplayer games. Swap controllers or set up a relaxed bunchup where everyone brings a device and takes turns.

4. Tabletop Roleplay or Story Games

Try short-form RPGs or narrative games like Fiasco or Ten Candles. You do not need a large group, even two or three is enough to share a story and a few laughs.

And if games are not your thing, maybe slowing down is.  Let’s look at ways to connect that are a little more calm and a lot more grounding.

Mindfulness and Wellness

Feeling too stressed or burnt out? Why not try some wellness activities near you?

Wellness does not have to mean going off the grid or signing up for a program. Sometimes it is just about showing up for yourself, alongside someone who wants the same. These kinds of low-pressure activities can be a grounding way to connect with others, without needing to perform or impress.

Here are a few free activities to try near you:

1. Meditation & Breathwork Outdoors

Sometimes all you need is to take a breath. A quiet breathwork or a guided meditation session in the park, even just for five minutes, can do more than you expect. Join a meditation bunchup or host one where two or three of you can just sit beside each other and breathe. Phones off, eyes closed, just a shared moment of calm.

2. Digital Detox Weekends

The best way to shut the noise is to shut your phone. Find an accountability partner on Bunchups and meet them every Saturday for a screen-free day. You could journal together at a café, bring a book, take a walk or just let the silence stretch for a while. It is an underrated way to feel present with someone new.

3. Sound Baths & Gentle Movement

Find someone nearby to join a local sound bath or plan your own with a playlist and quiet corner. You can also try yin yoga, mobility work, or low-impact stretching to create space in your body and your mind.

4. Community Garden Visits or Urban Foraging

Tending to something, a herb, a flower bed, even just helping someone else water plants, can be quietly grounding. Look for a community garden or urban greening project near you, or join someone who already knows where to go.

5. Mindful Arts & Reflection Swaps

Bring along a sketchbook, some paints, or even just a pen. Sit beside someone and create quietly, then share what you made, if you want. Or swap reflective questions: “What grounded you this week?” “What surprised you?” These moments do not need to be big to be real.

Takeaway: Fun Activities Near You Can Lead to Something Real

It starts with something small: a sketchpad, a trivia night, a walk, a shared playlist. These are not just ways to pass the time. They are small, intentional acts of connection.

Because when you meet someone through something you both enjoy, the pressure fades. The silences feel easier. The conversation flows more naturally. And you are not just filling hours, you are building something.

At Bunchups, we believe real connection does not have to come from big events or perfect plans. It can come from a shared interest, a nearby moment, and a handful of people who show up just as they are.

So if you are looking for fun activities near you that feel like something more - more grounded, more meaningful, more human, you are already in the right place.