By Sukriti Wahi Entertainment 31.05.2026

Sick of ‘Catch-up Culture’? Here are 7 Ideas to Make Your Next Friend Meet-Up More Meaningful

These might save your friendships in the long run.

Folks, I fear we have been caught in a vicious cycle of never-ending catch-ups.

Now, the good news: it would seem many of us have caught on and are sick of it – and ready to do something about it.

But what am I referring to, exactly? The ‘catch-up trap’ or ‘catch-up culture’, as it has been dubbed online, is a pithy moniker for a phenomenon that has been plaguing friendships across the globe for some time now:

We make a plan to meet. We meet (once in a supermoon – maybe, if no one cancels). We ‘catch up’ on each other’s lives since the last supermoon. We reminisce about old memories together. We leave without making any new memories together. Aaaaand the cycle repeats.

Sound familiar?

It’s perhaps unsurprising then, that a new annual report by Eventbrite on how people are socialising IRL found that a craving for meaningful connection, community experiences, spontaneity and analogue activities is firmly on the rise in 2026.

Cue what might be the antidote to the ‘catch-up trap’: ‘soft socialising’. According to Eventbrite, this trend is seeing friend dates move from being strictly centred around conversation to emphasising a shared experience in a “low-stakes hang” (in fact, 58% of those they surveyed said they prefer when the actual socialising isn’t the main focus).

Relate to the struggle that is keeping friendships connected in this strange era where we are more technologically connected yet detached than ever? Read on for our guide on how to ‘soft socialise’ and make your friend meet-ups low-pressure but more meaningful.

1. Have a regular standing date – with a ritual

If you’re tired of waiting for the next solar eclipse to actually get a hangout plan out of the group chat, you need a standing date.

Whether it’s the same time every week, fortnight or the third Sunday of the month, locking in a “This is OUR time” slot in your calendars removes the “When are you free??” text tennis that often goes nowhere – as well as any subconscious pressure on who should initiate the next meet-up. (The sound you just heard is initiator friends everywhere sighing in relief).

Now, here’s the important part: take it a step further and ritualise some aspect of your date, such as the location or activity. For example, you could meet at the same cosy wine bar every time – or try a new one each time and start an Instagram page reviewing all the wine bars in your town! (Um, fun, you’re welcome). If you prefer to stay in, you could take turns having a ‘dinner and movie’ night at each other’s houses, or baking a sweet treat at each catch-up (might I suggest this sticky date pudding with rich butterscotch sauce to start?).

Why the ritual? Besides the fact that it makes planning each date a little easier by giving it a focus, rituals create traditions, and traditions belong to those who partake in them, thus giving you something special to ‘own together’ and remember for years to come.

Plus, as we lead increasingly busy lives in an ever-changing world, regularity in our quality time is kind of like a salve for the soul, no?

2. Run errands together (yes, really)

Errands: we’ve all gotta do ’em. So, why not make the mundane a bit more magical and do the groceries/dog grooming/dry cleaning with a friend? Not only will everyone get some life admin out of the way, but you’ll also make it an ‘event’ – one that is still low-stakes, low-cost and low-pressure – to look forward to!

With errand friends, no one has to dress up (long live joggers and messy buns) or plan much beyond the actual to-do lists and where to get coffee after, and the chill factor of the activity makes it a surprisingly great way to connect at ease and deepen your relationship.

3. Start a fitness challenge or workout together

Like the ritualised standing date – albeit more goal-oriented – partaking in a fitness challenge together is another way to enjoy quality time with your friends. Great for your emotional and physical health, not only will you get to connect every time you get together to practise or train, but you’ll get to motivate one another to do your best, reach your goals and, depending on the challenge, even win together.

This could look like signing up and prepping for a half-marathon together (evidently, this era comes for all of us), joining a sports team, training for a trip to hike up Mount Kilimanjaro, or even doing a simple co-created challenge where you agree to go to Pilates together three times a week for three months.

Whatever it is, by doing it together, you create a longer-term shared experience and memories you’ll keep for life – while you get fitter. Winning.

4. Join a random class or experience

Variety, they say, is the spice of life. “They” – wise, omniscient folk that “they” are – also say that “change is as good as a holiday”.

In short? Novelty: we need it.

When much of our lives is wake-work-sleep-repeat (with some meals and exercise shoehorned between attempts to drink eight glasses of water and text everyone back), novelty, even in small forms, provides many positives, from the feeling of “slowing down time” (gimme) to a healthy dose of dopamine and increased motivation. And new experiences shared with les amis do the above while sparking connection and helping to prevent long-term friendships from becoming stagnant.

So, sign up for a class or event where neither of you has any experience or knows anyone. And don’t be afraid to get truly random! Go for non-typical things like flower-arranging (interest for which is up 282% in the UK, by the way), line dancing, perfume-making or glass-blowing to boost the novelty factor.

The idea is that it should be brand-new for both of you, so you’re total newbies together. You’ll bond over being beginners, try something out of your comfort zone, and maybe even discover a hobby you’ll want to keep on sharing.

5. Cook and co-host a feast with friends

It’s no secret that we are big fans of making hosting simpler (yet still thoughtful), and sharing the load with a friend or a group of pals is the perfect way to do that and spend some quality time together. Now, we’re not talking about a potluck meal where you all cook separately in your own homes, and then gather to eat (though that’s nice too). We’re talking about actually doing the cooking together and making it part of your whole “come dine with me” experience!

Choose a cuisine, mealtime, dish or hero ingredient to define the theme, pick a playlist to match your menu, then spend the day pottering around in someone’s kitchen, sipping wine, taste-testing and whipping up something delicious for you all to enjoy around a beautifully laid table. Bon appétit!

6. Be tourists in your own city

Similar to the novelty factor, being tourists in your own city is a way to bring a sense of wonderment back to the everyday. And while big overseas holidays can be harder to plan and ask more of the wallet, visiting the under-the-radar galleries or shops in a different neighbourhood for an afternoon – or, if you do feel like splurging, booking a staycation at a boutique hotel for a weekend – is a significantly easier ask. Explore together, discover new hotspots in your own town and make memories while you’re out and about.

7. Send voice notes for the moments ‘in between’

Now, when you do meet, to avoid falling into the ‘catch-up trap’ – spending all your time talking about what’s going on in each other’s lives and leaving having made zero new memories together – embrace the art of the voice note.

The perfect happy medium between texting and calling, voice notes are still, in my humble opinion, rather underrated. Calls can be tough to schedule, and texts can feel like admin. Voice notes strike a happy, low-stakes balance, offering the audio intimacy of a call, but the option to respond in your own time.

And lastly, two tips from me, a serial voice noter:

Anything that requires an urgent response should still be sent as a text (where the details of what needs responding to are immediately obvious) or a call.
Lean towards multiple short voice messages over a single one that runs for multiple minutes. It’s a lot easier for the recipient to respond to (especially if their app can’t transcribe the message).