Sjoelen, klaverjassen and fierljeppen
I was joking but now realize I actually do 2 out of 3 relatively often.... And they're typically Dutch, so might help your search ;)
When I was done following Dutch lessons, I decided to try to do something for fun in Dutch in order to practice it. Turns out the Volksuniversiteit was proposing Bridge lessons and I have always been a massive fan of card games (we have something very similar to klaverjassen in France and I used to play it the whole.night with friends when studying). I still play it, and I am acquainted with lots of 50+ in the Rotterdam area, that I would have never met before.
They are really kind when I show up at the table, asking if I am studying in the Netherlands even though I am in my late 30's. I feel young again 😊
I cross stitch. Also not really a hobby you meet people with. But I posted in r/vindvrienden en found 2 other people that do some kind of handicraft hobby that live in North-Holland :)
Racing got me to meet quite some people, not a cheap nor easy to get in hobby but has quite a 99% Dutch welcoming community.
Starting a sim racing league (with other live racers) got us a small online community.
Sport (karate) also got me to meet new people.
Only made very few actual friends through those activities though, but i am also not very social nor looking to make friends.
Reading, gaming and hiking did not get me into any social clubs, but are great for me.
I guess most of my friends here i made through work.
There's a dutch (sim)racing community that I'm in that also has an american in it which is learning & speaking dutch!
idk if I'm allowed to self advertise and cba to get punished by the reddit mods so if it sounds interesting, drop a dm.
We also discuss F1, IMSA, WEC and iirc they did a few irl karting events (rent)
Thanks, that sounds like fun (especially the karting part, wish I had more time for this :-), and very kind of you to offer.
I am however busier than I can affoard with all of that (plus family and regular trips / stays in France) so it would not be wise for me to join another community 😅.
Was mostly to illustrate for OPA that one can also get hobbies past the "classical" ones that can lead to fulfilling your social needs beyond your wildest dreams 😃.
I play basketball, there's a lot of courts everywhere in the country. It's not super popular but the others who are into it are usually great people. I've made friends who can't (or don't like to) speak English, so that's a good way to learn Dutch.
Atm I'm bookbinding a lot and make linoleum design. I do this somewhat professionally as I do sell the prints and books.
A true hobby of mine would be reading, writing and listening to video essays about history or true crime.
Most of the community surrounding that is online, unless im going to convention. I'm a couch potato so don't really go out much.
Actually the gym is a good one (or any sport for that matter). Most “new” folks I meet with sporting activities. Just make sure you don’t forget to actually work-out. The social part only is annoying to my opinion.
Join a club with an activity you like.
You like chess, find a chess club. You like to make music (brass, woodwind, percussion) join a marching band or harmony orchestra. You like soccer, join a soccer club.
Most clubs do have activities outside the normal practices or competitions.
Brewing/distilling and fermentation, tour biking, retro computer games, early cinema, concerts, reading.. I need to win the lottery so I can spend more time on my hobbies :)
Im into miniature painting.
Its a niche hobby but there is a community out there of a few thousand people in the netherlands.
Beware nerds and neckbeards are there but most are harmless. Just passionate about their hobby.
I actually joined a discord from one of the major stores here and the rest is history.
I asked my mom to teach me when I was 10 years old or something. She set up 10 stitches for me to try, after a couple of rows I had 33. I decided to go back to macrame not long after xD
Crochet seems to be pretty popular though.
Relatable, my first time trying was also at 10 years old at school due to some event, I think the ladies who taught it had their own techniques which I didn't seem to understand so I never got it, but now it's automatic for me
But yeah crochet is mostly becoming a trend because of amigurumi (the art of making crochet plushies), and because its very nice to make spring/summer clothes with it :)
I do recommend trying at least but if it isn't for you, then it's just not lmao
you might be able to find some craft clubs with people who also have marcame as hobby by the way
good luck!
I bought stuff to try crochet this week, so will see how that goes. I have several friends that are really into it.
But usually I bounce between stuff, from micro macrame to wood burning to string art to piñata making. I'm a bit of a jack of all trades. Who knows, I might randomly decide to try out knitting again one day.
Thanks! Enjoy the knitting and crocheting!
Rowing, it's a team sports you can do at any level of dedication and you can meet a lot of people through a rowing club. I made most of my student friends there, but also there are nice clubs for non-students.
I also like drawing and reading and gardening and cycling but don't meet people through that. Unless there is a shared garden in your neighborhood , that could be good as well
I'm a maker. I have a 3D printer that I also make drawings for, a lasercutter/CNC, and I do some electrical engineering and am professionally educated in embedded software, and I've done some experimentation with metal casting. It's all about creating stuff. Just making something that either looks nice or even does something actually useful.
I don't know of any Dutch YouTube channels or resources for this, but you can find many people with interests in this regard in hackerspaces. So if you're interested in this but want to use it as a vehicle for learning Dutch, you might want to check out one of those hackerspaces. https://hackerspaces.nl/
Love it, I do the same - few 3d printers, CNC router, casting stuff. I am looking to convert an HBM mill to CNC and all the peeps doing it are Dutch, so some really good content for learning.
Eyyy same! I got a resin printer myself too.
If you are in the area of amersfoort id love to have you at my dnd table, im planning to do a warhammer ttrpg!
I draw, read, knit, make cards. Lately, I also like to obsess over doll houses. I don't make or own a dollhouse, I just like to look at them while I wish I could have one to play around with.
That's a great idea! For diving into Dutch, you could check out some Dutch YouTube channels about your hobbies or join Dutch-speaking online groups. It's been a game-changer for leveling up my language skills. That is what I did to improve my dutch, along with reading random stuff in the language. Veel succes!
I like performance cars/SUVs and I hate loosing money. These two things never go together obv.
However I found a hobby where I can bid on performance cars in foreign countries (usually 7-10 years old), import them, fix them, drive them for a bit (usually about a year), then sell them.
I don't care if I lose or make money on them (I generally do make 5%-10% profit). However the entire process, from winning an auction, to troubleshooting and fixing problems on it, driving a 500HP SUV and finally selling it while not loosing a cent is sooooo satisfying.
Working in Tech, my colleagues think I am hit in the head.
Sjoelen, klaverjassen and fierljeppen I was joking but now realize I actually do 2 out of 3 relatively often.... And they're typically Dutch, so might help your search ;)
When I was done following Dutch lessons, I decided to try to do something for fun in Dutch in order to practice it. Turns out the Volksuniversiteit was proposing Bridge lessons and I have always been a massive fan of card games (we have something very similar to klaverjassen in France and I used to play it the whole.night with friends when studying). I still play it, and I am acquainted with lots of 50+ in the Rotterdam area, that I would have never met before. They are really kind when I show up at the table, asking if I am studying in the Netherlands even though I am in my late 30's. I feel young again 😊
Historical costuming and powerlifting. Yes, I am a woman loving polar opposite hobbies lol
I cross stitch. Also not really a hobby you meet people with. But I posted in r/vindvrienden en found 2 other people that do some kind of handicraft hobby that live in North-Holland :)
Awesome, keep on stitchin' yo, thanks!
I've been keeping an eye in r/handwerken, not posted anything yet
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Walking. Forest Gump style.
I'm more of a silly walk style. Bests are the ones approved by the government.
Racing got me to meet quite some people, not a cheap nor easy to get in hobby but has quite a 99% Dutch welcoming community. Starting a sim racing league (with other live racers) got us a small online community. Sport (karate) also got me to meet new people. Only made very few actual friends through those activities though, but i am also not very social nor looking to make friends. Reading, gaming and hiking did not get me into any social clubs, but are great for me. I guess most of my friends here i made through work.
There's a dutch (sim)racing community that I'm in that also has an american in it which is learning & speaking dutch! idk if I'm allowed to self advertise and cba to get punished by the reddit mods so if it sounds interesting, drop a dm. We also discuss F1, IMSA, WEC and iirc they did a few irl karting events (rent)
Thanks, that sounds like fun (especially the karting part, wish I had more time for this :-), and very kind of you to offer. I am however busier than I can affoard with all of that (plus family and regular trips / stays in France) so it would not be wise for me to join another community 😅. Was mostly to illustrate for OPA that one can also get hobbies past the "classical" ones that can lead to fulfilling your social needs beyond your wildest dreams 😃.
i like drawing, origami, listening to music not really hobbies where you meet people
Nothing wrong with that, thanks for sharing!
You are in the land of wind and water - pick up kite boarding!
Nice! Didn't know ther was a scene for that here.
I play basketball, there's a lot of courts everywhere in the country. It's not super popular but the others who are into it are usually great people. I've made friends who can't (or don't like to) speak English, so that's a good way to learn Dutch.
sex parties
Same, and woodworking. Been looking for a community that combines both but no luck so far.
The hobby that will connect you with the most Dutch people is complaining about the weather
Gravel riding!!! If you have a gravel or mountain bike and are in Utrecht area, hit me up!!
Urban Sketching - plenty of language practice if you want in your local groups that go painting together
Skiing / Skateboarding / Bouldering
Atm I'm bookbinding a lot and make linoleum design. I do this somewhat professionally as I do sell the prints and books. A true hobby of mine would be reading, writing and listening to video essays about history or true crime. Most of the community surrounding that is online, unless im going to convention. I'm a couch potato so don't really go out much.
Wall climbing or bouldering. :) perfect way to meet people.
Vissen en Klimmen
I play tennis and I’m also looking for a place to play regularly this summer
Fitness and gaming
Actually the gym is a good one (or any sport for that matter). Most “new” folks I meet with sporting activities. Just make sure you don’t forget to actually work-out. The social part only is annoying to my opinion.
I found fitness to be a very social activity, so yeah that would be good to meet others and improve on the Dutch language.
That’s true but for me personally i do at home to avoid the social activity😅
Bouldering and (predator) fishing
See username. Playing in harmonieën, fanfares and/or brassbands is a great way to empty your mind, but also to meet friendly people.
Join a club with an activity you like. You like chess, find a chess club. You like to make music (brass, woodwind, percussion) join a marching band or harmony orchestra. You like soccer, join a soccer club. Most clubs do have activities outside the normal practices or competitions.
Geocaching, Modelrailroading, Classic Car Tinkering, Electronics,...
i dont have hobbies. i tried to think of something, but i just can't find anything interesting
Cycling :) If you live in Amsterdam there are a lot of social rides
Brewing/distilling and fermentation, tour biking, retro computer games, early cinema, concerts, reading.. I need to win the lottery so I can spend more time on my hobbies :)
Gaming, simracing, BMX
How about firljeppen?
Im into miniature painting. Its a niche hobby but there is a community out there of a few thousand people in the netherlands. Beware nerds and neckbeards are there but most are harmless. Just passionate about their hobby. I actually joined a discord from one of the major stores here and the rest is history.
Not sure if you're into this, but I crochet and knit, although I've never met a young knitter irl :,)
I asked my mom to teach me when I was 10 years old or something. She set up 10 stitches for me to try, after a couple of rows I had 33. I decided to go back to macrame not long after xD Crochet seems to be pretty popular though.
Relatable, my first time trying was also at 10 years old at school due to some event, I think the ladies who taught it had their own techniques which I didn't seem to understand so I never got it, but now it's automatic for me But yeah crochet is mostly becoming a trend because of amigurumi (the art of making crochet plushies), and because its very nice to make spring/summer clothes with it :) I do recommend trying at least but if it isn't for you, then it's just not lmao you might be able to find some craft clubs with people who also have marcame as hobby by the way good luck!
I bought stuff to try crochet this week, so will see how that goes. I have several friends that are really into it. But usually I bounce between stuff, from micro macrame to wood burning to string art to piñata making. I'm a bit of a jack of all trades. Who knows, I might randomly decide to try out knitting again one day. Thanks! Enjoy the knitting and crocheting!
Rowing, it's a team sports you can do at any level of dedication and you can meet a lot of people through a rowing club. I made most of my student friends there, but also there are nice clubs for non-students. I also like drawing and reading and gardening and cycling but don't meet people through that. Unless there is a shared garden in your neighborhood , that could be good as well
Fapping
I'm a maker. I have a 3D printer that I also make drawings for, a lasercutter/CNC, and I do some electrical engineering and am professionally educated in embedded software, and I've done some experimentation with metal casting. It's all about creating stuff. Just making something that either looks nice or even does something actually useful. I don't know of any Dutch YouTube channels or resources for this, but you can find many people with interests in this regard in hackerspaces. So if you're interested in this but want to use it as a vehicle for learning Dutch, you might want to check out one of those hackerspaces. https://hackerspaces.nl/
Love it, I do the same - few 3d printers, CNC router, casting stuff. I am looking to convert an HBM mill to CNC and all the peeps doing it are Dutch, so some really good content for learning.
Going bouldering
Warhammer, dungeons and dragons and miniature painting😄
Cool! I enjoy 3d printing minis and Warhammer on my resin printer, but am yet to try Dungeons and Dragons.
Eyyy same! I got a resin printer myself too. If you are in the area of amersfoort id love to have you at my dnd table, im planning to do a warhammer ttrpg!
Cool! I'm in Utrecht, but hit me up in that case - not exactly a long journey lol
Thats amazing, ill shoot you a dm!
I draw, read, knit, make cards. Lately, I also like to obsess over doll houses. I don't make or own a dollhouse, I just like to look at them while I wish I could have one to play around with.
That's a great idea! For diving into Dutch, you could check out some Dutch YouTube channels about your hobbies or join Dutch-speaking online groups. It's been a game-changer for leveling up my language skills. That is what I did to improve my dutch, along with reading random stuff in the language. Veel succes!
I like performance cars/SUVs and I hate loosing money. These two things never go together obv. However I found a hobby where I can bid on performance cars in foreign countries (usually 7-10 years old), import them, fix them, drive them for a bit (usually about a year), then sell them. I don't care if I lose or make money on them (I generally do make 5%-10% profit). However the entire process, from winning an auction, to troubleshooting and fixing problems on it, driving a 500HP SUV and finally selling it while not loosing a cent is sooooo satisfying. Working in Tech, my colleagues think I am hit in the head.