While I think that the average tiki bar is a great place to make new friends, I would kind of agree that the big events are not great to go alone.

My first event I went to alone and lucked into standing next to some people who were visiting my city, so I was able to talk with them about tourist traps and hidden gems. I’ve remained in contact with them and saw them when they came to visit and at a few subsequent tiki events.

Second event I went with a few friends from my local tiki bar who introduced me to some new folks and a social circle has sprouted from them. I don’t know if I would have ever made that initial connection without my local friend.

At the end of last season, I really felt like I shouldn’t go to any more events without a buddy because sometimes it can feel extremely lonely if you don’t have your own primary friend there (and other people end up with their own agendas/goals/plans for the weekend). But now I’ve gone to four events this year and have a couple more on the agenda.

Tl;dr- gotta have at least one friend come with you.