Birding, silent book club, Mahjong and more: America's meetup explosion

Young people raised on swiping, DMing and streaming are doing something bold: going out.

Why it matters: Amid a loneliness epidemic, millennials and Gen Zers are craving IRL connection — enough to show up for meetups built around activities once considered solitary, or "grandma hobbies."

The latest: They're leaving the house to play chess, birdwatch and read in silence together.

• "It's very easy to sit inside and rot just by yourself," Cole Robinson, president of the Audubon on Campus Trinity University chapter, tells Axios San Antonio.
• But activities like birding can help you "feel a little less lonely," the 20-year-old says.

"Soft socializing" experiences — where you're with other people but networking is not the main focus — have taken off, per Eventbrite.

By the numbers: There were 151% more puzzle competitions from August 2024 to July 2025, compared to the preceding 12 months, according to Eventbrite numbers (separate from the below "singles" data) shared with Axios.

• And mahjong-focused events are up 94% earlier this year compared to last, according to Evite data shared with Axios.

The big picture: The trend extends to finding love, too. Americans are seeking romantic connection at so-called "meet-cute" events — settings meant to spark a sweet "How'd you meet?" story, away from apps.

• The meetups can revolve around trivia, Powerpoint presentations, crafts and even exercise.

Meanwhile, platonic dinner parties with strangers have also gained traction.

• Axios just launched our own dinner series, bringing readers together for our new Axios Social Club starting in Charlotte, Chicago, Kansas City and San Antonio.

"Everybody's been stuck behind their phones for the past two decades, and it's not good for humanity," writer Stuart Schuffman — who recently launched an IRL dinner club for his Broke-Ass Stuart readers — tells Axios San Francisco.

• People "want more connection and less doomscrolling," he says.