Getting out and enjoying an event with friends is one of the best ways to make lifelong memories. No matter what your budget is, there's always some sort of entertainment available—finding it has always been the difficult part.
Today, using nothing but your smartphone, you can connect with local events happening near you. Whether you're relaxing at home or enjoying time in a new city, use these smartphone apps to find the best local events.
1. Eventbrite
Eventbrite is one of the greatest event apps for finding local happenings of all kinds. Music festivals, craft shows, and even bar crawls are right at your fingertips.
Enable access to your location to see what's happening around you, or search by city. The app then gives you dates, times, locations, maps, and similar events. You can also check ticket prices and order those that are available.
You can browse events by category or search for something specific. Plus, you can share happenings with your friends or save your favorites with a free account.
Download: Eventbrite for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases)
2. All Events in City
You can also find events in your area with All Events in City. From sports and art to workshops and seminars, you can find just the right occasion for you.
Pop in your current city to begin and then browse the events listed by category. You can tap to see all events within a category, like Entertainment or Upcoming. Then, narrow your results by subcategories such as Concerts or Comedy.
All Events in City gives you the dates, times, and locations as well as descriptions, maps, and ticket links. What's great about this app is the ability to mark if you are attending, contact the organizer, add it to your calendar, and share it with friends—all from one spot.
Download: All Events in City for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases)
3. Unation
Unation lets you discover events or search for them easily. Set up a free account and then browse by location. You can narrow down your options with filters for staff picks, recently added, interests, location, date, or creator.
If you are looking only for fashion, family, or fitness events, you can tap to find those quickly. Then review the dates, times, locations, descriptions, and see who else is attending from the user group. You can mark if you plan to go, which makes getting together with friends who also use Unation easy.
If an event requires tickets, you can check prices and proceed with ordering right from the app.
Download: Unation for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases)
4. TickPick: No Fee Tickets
The biggest benefit of TickPick is the app’s straightforward pricing model. One of the worst things about buying tickets from traditional ticket sites is the service fees. Although the concert ticket may be listed under $40, after service fees they often end up costing well over $50.
TickPick calculates all fees and assorted pricing directly into the displayed cost so that you know exactly how much it will cost you to attend local events. It’s a great way to find local events and figure out immediately whether you can afford to attend.
You can use the app to find deals on last-minute local events, and also use it directly to scan your tickets for entrance.
Download: TickPick: NoFee Tickets for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases)
5. Ticketmaster
The types of events you like might be a bit bigger than local art shows or business workshops. For sporting, theater, and live music events, Ticketmaster is well-known. Find your events, purchase your tickets, and you're on your way to a fun-filled day or evening.
If you use Ticketmaster online, you can log into your account in the app. Get event details with dates, times, locations, accessibility, parking, and a map. Then check out seating for the venue, ticket prices, and purchase if you're ready to go.
The well-known aspect of Ticketmaster makes refunds and cancellations a bit safer than some of the other listed options.
Download: Ticketmaster for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases)
6. Meetup
Since its founding way back in 2002, Meetup has grown to become one of the most popular events apps available.
The brand inadvertently found itself in the middle of the 2019 WeWork storm, following the real estate company's 2017 buyout. However, in March 2020, it changed hands again and its long-term future appears secure.
The app focuses on local in-person meetups and events. More than 225,000 meetup groups around the world use the app to list local events in 130 countries.
Download: Meetup for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases)
7. Gametime
Gametime is a great app option if sports are your first choice for a local event. Although the app also offers all event types, it was specifically designed for sports games.
The app focuses on assisting customers to buy last-minute tickets. Tickets decrease in price as the game or performance approaches. Gametime helps you take advantage of these price drops and gets you the best ticket for the lowest price. You can even buy tickets up to 90 minutes after the start time for super low pricing if you don’t mind missing the beginning.
Gametime also boasts a fantastic refund policy. However, it should be noted that several reviews are claiming otherwise. As with all online ticket resellers, buyers beware.
Download: Gametime for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases)
8. Facebook
Everyone has heard the stories of Facebook events getting wildly out of control, with thousands of people turning up to birthday parties and the like. Those stories alone are a testament to Facebook's ability to find events in your town.
Even if you're not an active Facebook user, remember that hundreds of restaurants, businesses, and activity groups in your area do maintain an active profile. It's even fairly common to see them offering discounts and promotions to people who reference a particular post. And with maps, attendee lists, and event management tools, Facebook is a surprisingly useful event app.
Disclaimer: MakeUseOf does not condone crashing birthday parties unannounced!
Download: Facebook for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases)
9. StubHub
If you like the idea of larger events and ticket purchasing all in one app, but want a Ticketmaster alternative, try StubHub. It lets you explore what's going on by location or category like sports, theater, or music.
Similar to Ticketmaster, you can see all event details, check the seating map, view ticket prices, and make a purchase. If you sign in or sign up for a free account, you can use the price alert feature.
You may not find smaller events like festivals or parades, but if you would rather go big, the app is worth checking out.
Download: StubHub for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases)
10. Snapchat
Snapchat is a great option if you’re looking to find free and spontaneous local events. It’s also a fantastic choice because there’s a good chance you already have this downloaded for social networking purposes.
One of the easiest ways to check out events by you is simply by watching the individual stories of your friends. These are a great way to get the inside scoop and see where your closest pals are hanging out.
The Snap Map is the ultimate tool on Snapchat for finding local events. You can scroll through the map and search for either geotagged public stories or hot locations. Locations that are glowing red currently have a lot of users and activity. You can press on these hot spots and locations to see what’s currently happening around the city and head there for some good fun.
Download: Snapchat for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases)
Going Out or Staying In?
Using any of these apps is a great way to find some local fun for a night out. No matter how big or small an event you're interested in, there's an app for your local entertainment needs.
Sometimes even just down the street to the local bar isn't exactly "local" enough. If you'd rather stay home and avoid going out—but still want to experience some great shows and events—try attending a virtual concert from the comfort of your living room.
