Tweet24-08-2011 om 12:00 by Amanda Potter

One of the comments I frequently hear (and voice myself) is that the expat community in Maastricht really doesn’t get together much. Our relatively small group, relative to that of cities like Den Haag and Amsterdam, seem to form even smaller collectives and not reach out much beyond that. Fortunately over the past year or so, there have been more opportunities for expats to get together on a regular basis. So if you want to catch up with some new people or see some friendly acquaintances, try one or more of these get-togethers.

Meet & Greet Maastricht



Held the last Thursday of every month, this relatively new event has been taking place since April and is an opportunity for professionals to share a happy hour with like-minded folks. So far these events have been held at Café Zuid and are informal affairs where everyone buys their own drinks and snacks and can just chit-chat. This month (August 25^th), the Meet & Greet is sponsored by Jules & You. These means you can get a free drink and a chance at a door prize when you attend. They start at 5:30pm, but you can drop by late.

Toastmasters Maastricht

This event hasn’t really started up yet (an introductory meeting was held in the spring), but it is part of the well-known public speaking franchise. Toastmasters is an organization dedicated to providing a forum for people to practice public speaking and receive critique and encouragement in a comfortable environment. I’ve not tried this myself, and I imagine the character of the group is different everywhere, but if you’re curious you can visit their Facebook page. A demo meeting take place on September 21^st and is open to both Dutch and English speeches.

First Friday



First Friday is a Junior International Women’s Club event, but it is open to all expat women and their partners, spouses, and friends. Held the first Friday of every month at 9pm, this activity is a casual way to meet new people; most of which also have a connection to the local IWC. We change locations every month as well, so you can sometimes discover a new favorite café. Your best bet for catching the next First Friday event is to watch the Facebook group for a location or contact the IWC to get added to the Juniors list.

Leave a reply