No more small talk: Vancouver's unfriendly reputation tackled in new fast-friend event
We get it; Vancouver is a rainy city. But why talk about the weather when you can dive straight into conversations about exes, life goals, and everything deep and meaningful? That’s exactly what one monthly event around Vancouver is getting locals to do.
F*ck the Small Talk is a global event hosted by Epic Llama, and it has started putting its roots down in Vancouver. According to hosts Nadia Aziz and Kristyna Cabanova, Vancouver’s events have “gotten the most interest out of any other city.”
It looks like lots of us are looking to make fast friends.
The event cuts straight past those dreaded chit-chat conversations and instead use a series of fun and silly games to get people comfortable with one another. One of those games is a “connection clinic,” where groups of three people answer deep and personal questions from a deck of cards.
What kind of questions does that include? Well, there’s everything from what your exes might say about you, something you regret not telling someone, and whether you believe that justice or forgiveness is more important.
It might sound scary, but it’s a sure way to laugh with strangers and make fast friends.
“I’m sure we’ve all had a very fulfilling and deeper conversation with a close friend,” said Aziz. “Imagine having that with a stranger. That in itself, to me, is just such a beautiful thing.”
But if deep and serious conversations aren’t your thing, this event also has some other tricks up its sleeve for letting loose with a bunch of strangers.
According to the hosts, extreme rock paper scissors is one of the most energy-building events. Essentially, extreme rock paper scissors is a tournament where the loser of each round has to act as the cheerleader of the winner. Aziz said that the game goes until “it’s just like two people with two big cheer squads.”
Cabanova shared how they see “people light up” when playing these types of games.
F*ck the Small Talk hosts Nadia Aziz (left) and Kristyna Cabanova (right).
Aziz and Cabanova decided to bring the event to Vancouver after meeting at one of the F*ck the Small Talk events in Colombia two years ago. Seeing how much more these meet and greets facilitated deeper conversations inspired the two to bring it to the city.
Given Vancouver’s reputation for being a lonely city, it’s nice to know there’s a place to make friends that doesn’t rely on the basic questions about what you do, where you’re from, and so on.
“It’s just amazing to see how much people’s eyes light up and they’re deep in these conversations and no matter what’s happening around them,” said Cabanova.
The first F*ck the Small Talk event for 2024 is on January 31, and you can sign up here. Try it out if you’re ready to dig deep to make some new friends.
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