Archive 2018-2021

Best Places to Meet Expats in Kyiv

13 January, 2017

Kyiv is a dynamic and modern megapolis. Big cities are crowded, competitive and challenging. People here lead busy lives and are always in a rush. For those who have recently moved to the new city or came for a short visit, finding a place to meet new people, socialize and network might be rather challenging. Our web tries to round up best places in Kyiv for meeting and greeting interesting international crowd to spend some quality time with.

MultiNations organization

man and woman having drinks at party Joining a MultiNations organization in Kyiv, might be a good idea for foreigners who have recently moved to Ukraine. MultiNations aims to become the second family for expat community in Ukraine. Its members gather almost every week to greet new people, business partners and have some good fun together. Expats are welcome to join MultiNations network of like-minded people within a community, connecting newcomers in the new place of residence. This community has a Facebook page.

InterNations community

people having fun at open air party near river There is also InterNations community all over the world and in Kyiv as well. InterNations members are all expats working for international companies, political and non-governmental organizations or diplomatic missions. The organization hosts monthly events aiming at networking and socializing to all the members. These events are usually held at upscale Kyiv locations and are perfect places for meeting new interesting people. Anyone can contact this community through the web internations.org.

Fryday Kyiv

people talking and having drinks at meeting Fryday is another community where expats and locals make new business contacts and meet friends. For somebody who has just moved abroad Fryday is a great opportunity to make new contacts, to go out, to get introduced to the entertainment scene. Fryday's events make it easy for foreigners to meet locals. The community’s meetings frequent down-town hotels, restaurants, bars and nightclubs where locals and expats can exchange business and culture experiences, practice language skills, build relationships, find friends and enjoy nightlife and party.

Fryday Kyiv is the branch of one of the largest networks of cosmopolitan professionals currently active in Eastern and Central Europe. This vibrant Kyiv community is the largest network of Ukrainian and foreign professionals. Fryday community members work in all kinds of professional spheres like banks, industry, farming, law, accounting, marketing, recruitment, government, politics, IT, outsourcing, sales, business associations, restaurants, night clubs, universities, embassies, PR agencies, retail etc. Fryday welcomes anyone who is open-minded and enjoys socializing. It offers superb networking time over well-mixed drinks.

There are also business style events in Kyiv where you can find new business contacts. British Chamber of Commerce and American Chamber of Commerce holds such events for top managers of foreign and Ukrainian companies, entrepreneurs as well as embassy staff in Kyiv approximately once a month.

Food and music festivals

hands holding glasses over served table with many dishes It’s also a good idea to visit one of many food and music festivals that take place in Kyiv these days. Kyiv festivals attract hip and interesting crowd. These are perfect locations to meet new people and enjoy vibrant atmosphere of the event. Our web destinations.com.ua suggests checking out «Ulichnaya Eda», the most popular Ukrainian street food festival.

Once a small, local food festival, now ‘Ulichnaya Eda’ has grown into a must visit event for all the local foodies and Kyiv guests. This is a perfect dating spot as well a place to meet up with a group of friends to for a bite and a drink or two. Previous summer editions of the festival gathered the unbelievable number of 35 thousand guests over a single weekend.

Atlas Weekend is one of the largest and most popular music festivals in Ukraine, which has been annually held in Kyiv since 2015. The main purposes of Atlas Weekend are to develop festival culture in Ukraine, to attract foreign tourists to the country and to popularize Ukrainian music in the world. That's why, Atlas is the perfect place to meet new people. In different years, line-up of Atlas Weekend included performances of numerous famous artists such as The Subways, Apocalyptica, Kasabian, The Prodigy, Röyksopp, John Newman, Three Days Grace, Nothing But Thieves, Alex Clare and others.

Sports events

Man on a street workout Many people living in Kyiv also meet new friends and acquaintances in a gym. After all, gyms gather not only hardcore sports fan but also people who like to keep fit while working a 9-to-5 job. Nowadays many gyms in Kyiv have English-speaking staff, that's why meeting a fellow expat there might be easy as ever. Some of the most popular gyms in Kyiv include SportLife, Body Art Fitness, Sky Fitness and others. They offer programs for various tastes from yoga and step workout to Cross Fit.

Sports events like WizzAir, Nova Poshta marathons or Chestnut Run that are organized each year also attract both native dwellers of Kyiv and expats. Those events usually support charitable causes, so taking part in those might not only help to find new acquaintances but also help the right cause. It might be helpful to consider signing up as a part of the company one works for - or as an individual participant.

Nightlife

People at the club The abundance of night clubs in Kyiv is another saving grace when it comes to finding new people to talk to. Kyiv is always brimming with parties and live music events no matter the season or time of the day. Rave parties, for example, are equally popular among expats, tourists and locals. Scheme (“Skhema”) parties are definitely at the top of the brightest rave happenings in Kyiv. This event, founded in 2014 by DJ Slava Lepsheyev, is often called the main rave of the post-revolutionary Ukraine. Scheme was mentioned in foreign mass media as “the new spirit of Ukrainian music scene”.

Closer is the most well-known underground nightclub of Kyiv, always surprising visitors with diversity and uniqueness of events. At the daytime, Closer is a co-working space and an antique furniture store, but in the evening it turns into a noisy party area with DJs and merry crowd. Visitors have fun on a dance floor or chill on soft sofas (some of them even sleep here). In summer, clubbers also hang out at open-air terrace.

Capital of Ukraine is famous with its luxury clubs, lounges, good bars and booming night life. If you are in Kyiv to rest, it’s better to discover new city nightlife in a company of some local guides. They can help with advice and some tips on peculiarities of behavior. As you can see there are a lot of places places to meet expats in Kyiv. You will not feel lonely here!

Photo: Shutterstock.com, unsplash.com.