Not only is it a tough time to gather together in-person, but it’s also become nearly impossible to enjoy the same cultural activities that may have filled your pre-pandemic days. Museums are either limiting entry or completely closed, theaters shuttered, and while your favorite wine bar may be open, that doesn’t mean you’re comfortable spending an extensive amount of time there with a large group. Meetup is proud to be a safe, affordable space for art lovers, bookworms, theater enthusiasts, and polyglots alike—an essential way to gather and grow your community.
Here are eight fun, engaging ways to connect with creative spirits of all kinds via memorable online events:
1. Take a “Tour” of a Museum
Meetup groups that once spent time touring the likes of the Louvre, Acropolis, and Smithsonian pre-pandemic can still enjoy these sacred spaces, if only in a slightly different context. One format we’ve noticed gaining popularity among Meetup’s art enthusiasts are crowdsourced “virtual tours” of museums. For each Meetup event the organizer will select a museum to “tour,” and then each participant will present a work of art that can be found in that museum’s collection. Whether it’s a piece they love or just find fascinating, members can explore what draws them to this piece, what they enjoy most about it, and any especially interesting facts about it. Take this format up a notch using Google Arts & Culture which has over 100,000 high-resolution scans of famous works of art. If you’re interested in a more “classic” museum tour, this tool also allows you to take a virtual stroll through these ten museums.
2. Read a Genre, Not a Book
Did you know that a common problem people are experiencing during the pandemic is trouble reading? Even the most hardened bibliophiles and devoted bookworms may find it difficult to read during this time of increased anxiety. Google “trouble reading during the pandemic” and you’ll find about a dozen results from publications such as Time, Vox, Vogue, WaPo, and Cosmo all exploring the potential root of this phenomenon. We’re not here to tell you why reading has become so tough for so many, but we can help our book club organizers navigate through this issue.
One way to make your Meetup book club more accessible for readers facing this challenge is to follow the example of the NYC-based group Fiction Addiction: Women Hooked on Books. Rather than assigning a specific book, set a theme or genre, allowing participants to read any book that fits within the assigned topic. Take it a step further by encouraging people to come even if they haven’t finished their book, or to present on books they’re looking forward to reading but haven’t had a chance to pick up yet. All this makes the space much more welcoming to those who are struggling to keep up with a weekly book club and makes it easier for the community to continue even during crises. If you host a book club with dwindling attendance or disengaged participants, try expanding the focus and loosening restrictions.
3. Enter Screen Left
Theaters worldwide have gone dark or have had to drastically reduce their audiences, leaving theater lovers largely isolated from the art and community they love. One way to keep your theater-loving community engaged despite shuttered venues is to virtually stream performances as a group. Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera, Broadway, The West End, the Royal Opera House, and more have all created digital stages available to the public for free. You can even catch select shows on this (completely legit) Youtube channel! Using one of the many plug-ins or sites that allow for syncing streaming with others, you can bring your drama-loving community together for all your favorite musicals, plays, ballets, and more. It may not be the same as seeing it live, but at least you can guarantee you won’t have an obstructed view or long line waiting for you at the bathroom during intermission.
4. Wine & Cheese, Please!
Do you miss meeting with your Meetup group to tour vineyards and wineries? Or maybe your group had a more low-key weekly hang at a local wine bar, comparing your favorite varietals and hunting for the best local charcuterie selection. A great way to keep your wine-loving community connected through COVID is to host virtual wine and cheese tastings. Assign a specific wine and cheese pairing, or keep it loose with a broader theme that allows each attendee to get creative with their choices. Compare favorite wines, compete for most creative pairings, and finally put that TikTok viewing to use to create dazzling charcuterie boards. What could be better than wine, food, and friends to get you through the next few months?
5. Get the Band Back Together
One of the communities that has the hardest time getting together as a result of COVID are musicians, particularly those who play wind instruments or sing. If you miss jamming out with your community, Meetup provides the perfect platform to get everyone back together playing (or singing) again safely. There are so many different ways to structure these events, whether playing together as a full group or having attendees perform individually. Go the extra mile and randomly place participants in breakout rooms to collaborate, then have them perform their new work for everyone at the end of the event. You can even make it a competition with prizes! Need inspiration? Look no further than So VIRTUAL Choir! based out of Leeds, UK, Virtual Music Hackathon based out of Boston, MA, or the Emerging Voices Open Mic Night based in Milford, PA.
6. Polyglots Assemble
While so many aspects of our daily lives are disrupted these days, it’s never been easier to practice language skills with global participants. In pre-pandemic days, Meetup’s language groups would gather locally at a cafe or bar to practice conversations casually. One distinct benefit of online Meetup events is the ability to get together with people all over the world. Get creative and partner with local groups globally to keep the event format fresh and learn more about cultures beyond just the language skills you’re looking to perfect. Find a cooking class in Rome or play mahjong with a group in Hong Kong. Don’t want to deal with continental scheduling woes? Have participants set a background photo that represents the language they’re looking to practice and as an icebreaker have people guess at each participant’s desired language, eventually placing everyone in breakout rooms organized by their language of choice.
7. Paint, Sip, & Stay in
Once a favorite of nights out with friends, Paint & Sip has successfully gone virtual! You can either collect a fee from event attendees and ship them the necessary supplies, or provide your community members with a list of what’s needed so they can gather it all on their own. If you want to leave even more room for creativity from your participants, instead of having everyone create the same painting, you can set a general theme and see where people’s creativity takes them. This Art & Sip group based in Tokyo recently hosted an online event where participants were asked to draw their own interpretation of the Amabie—a Japanese mythological creature that, according to legend, can prevent illness or cure those who see or distribute its image. Check out the fantastic results shown below!
8. 21st Century Salons
Okay, this one might take some explaining, but hear us out! One way we’ve seen Arts & Culture groups get really creative with a capital “C” is by hosting modern day virtual “salons” reminiscent of those found in 18th century France. As the organizer of the Storytelling Salons Meetup Group based in Paris puts it, these salons “were places for entertainment and intellectual discourse under the roof of an inspiring hostess.” This means the organizer will seek out performers whether they be artists, musicians, or actors who can “entertain, amuse, educate, enthrall, enlighten, or any combination thereof.” After the end of each event’s main performance, the group comes together to discuss what they just witnessed—hopefully inspired to create something magnificent of their own.
Just because it’s a tough time to meet in-person doesn’t mean you need to put your Arts & Culture community on hold. Use these unique and engaging formats to keep your creative community together during the pandemic.
Inspired? Connect with those who share your passion. Start your own arts and culture group in a few simple steps and keep those creative fires burning.
Meetup makes it easy to tap into the power of community. Read more to learn the ins and outs of hosting online events on Meetup, combating zoom fatigue, branding your group, creating a welcoming environment, using tools to drive engagement, and most importantly, finding community when connecting in cyberspace.
Last modified on November 15, 2023
