Moving to a new city/country is an exciting thing, but it always helps to make a few friends in order to help settle yourself in a little bit quicker. It might not always be super easy stepping out of your comfort zone and meeting new friends, but there are a number of English-speaking clubs and expat meetups around the city of Düsseldorf that will help you meet a few people without feeling like a newbie or the odd one out. Of course, if you’re up to the challenge, download a language app or take a course and start going to some German-speaking events too! It’s the best way to learn, right?
So when you’re not renting a car, packing your bags, and exploring all the beautiful sights to see in Germany, you can use this list to find some cool people to hang out with in Düsseldorf.
There are meetups to get you started, meetups for creatives, meetups for business leaders, meetups for sports fans, and meetups just for ladies. Why not take your pick and get on out there?
Expat Meetups to Get Started
The Düsseldorf Expat Meetup Group
The Düsseldorf Expat Meetup Group is the ultimate group to join when you first arrive in the city. What better way to meet new friends than by heading to an English pub, grabbing some beers, and chatting?! They offer a relaxed way to get to know one another and also allow others to create and host their own events within the Facebook group. During special events and holidays, the admin team puts together awesome events to make sure that we all feel at home here in our new city.
Internations
Internations is quite often known as the more formal meetup in Düsseldorf. There is an entry fee at the door (or an annual membership fee), but all the events offer quite a mixed range of expats, both young and old, that are interested in making new friends or business partners.
Düsseldorfer Toastmasters
Toastmasters is a great club to join if you’re looking for ways to break out of your shell. Their main focus is to help you rid that fear of public speaking. You have the chance to join their open mic nights and get up on that stage to just talk, tell them your story, chat about your passion, etc.
Sprachenstammtische Düsseldorf
At the Sprachenstammtische Düsseldorf, it doesn’t matter what language you speak! Everyone comes together to meet up and bonds are made by mixing languages and making friends from all around the world. It can be challenging at first, but you’ll soon realize how much fun it is to interact with one another!
Social Melting Pot
One of the newest expat meet-ups in the city takes place every Thursday at Kurzer and it doesn’t matter what language you speak. The language stickers on your t-shirt will tell everyone what languages you’re prepared to speak in order to make conversation and get to know some new friends!
Expat Meetups for the Business Leaders
StartupDorf – The Startup Hub Düsseldorf
Similarly, StartupDorf is a big international community of entrepreneurs in the startup world around Düsseldorf. You’ll find that most of their events won’t be hosted in English, but they’re always open to English chats after the presentations.
British Business Club Dusseldorf
The BBCD isn’t just all about business, it’s a social networking club for internationals around Düsseldorf (not just for British expats). They usually host monthly business networking events, dinner evenings, and tons of other activities around the city. They haven’t been active recently, but things could change moving forward.
Expat Meetups for the Ladies
Girl Gone International Düsseldorf
Girl Gone International is a great group to check out if you’re new to town and looking to make a few new girlfriends. There are a number of events hosted each month, many of which allow you to both, explore the city and meet new people. They host picnics, runs, breakfasts, cocktail nights, clothing swaps, and more! Plus, they’re always open to new ideas for meetups.
American Women’s Club
You don’t need to be an American to join the AIWCD, it is an international community formed for those interested in giving back, meeting new people, and receiving monthly updates and event information. There is an annual membership fee to be a part of this club.
The British Women’s Club
The British Women’s Club is a group of British and Commonwealth women who have come together to build a sense of community and fun. Newcomers find this group especially helpful when it comes to getting settled into the city (registering, finding schools, apartments, etc.) They host monthly and weekly events exploring all around NRW to help internationals get a better feel for their new city. There is an annual membership fee to be a part of this club.
Expat Meetups for the Creatives
Düsseldorf Creative Writers
For those of you who love writing stories or poetry, this group is for you! There’s no such thing as a beginner or expert, this group simply comes together to celebrate the love of creativity. Here you’ll find wonderful friends and a group of supportive individuals who can help you build your creative projects.
Expatimprov Düsseldorf
Whether you seek a regular class, an advanced session, or the chance to showcase your talents before an audience, Expatimprov invites you to join them on a journey of self-exploration and amusement. They’ve got workshops, masterclasses, and open stages in Cologne and Düsseldorf.
Düsseldorf Book Club
It’s exactly what you think it is – a book club where they meet every Saturday at the International English Library on Mecumstrasse to chat about the book that was last selected to read by the group. Events are usually followed with social chats and a couple of drinks.
The Düsseldorf Boardgamers Meetup Group
If you love playing games (board games, card games, etc.) and meeting up with new people, this is the place for you. They host many amazing events but also invite their members to host their own board game meetups within the group.
Expat Meetups for the Sports Fans
Düsseldorf International Football Club (INDOOR & OUTDOOR)
Need we say more? This is a group for soccer/football lovers. They host weekly pick-up football matches (both indoor and outdoor) and can also arrange tournaments when there are enough interested players. Although, if you’re ready to join an actual club, there are a number in Düsseldorf that also speak English!
Düsseldorf Grafenberg Jogging Meetups
If jogging and chatting are your thing, this group gets together weekly (often on weekends) to run through the Grafenberg forest (around 10 KM).
Expat Meetups of Families
Düsseldorf International Family Forum
While the admins of this group don’t actually host events themselves, there are a number of families asking if others would like to meet up in the community for some family fun. If you’d like to make your own event, you are also more than welcome to create one in the Facebook group itself.
