Social Clubs in North Cyprus

Some of the most commonly asked questions on forums for would be expats thinking of moving to live in North Cyprus full time are all about what there is to do in terms of social entertainment for retirees, families and even children.

There are a whole host of social clubs in North Cyprus and it’s likely you’ll find something that appeals to you – but the good thing is, even if you don’t or you have a particular passion for a specific kind of social activity, you can always set up your own social gathering! In this article I’m going to give you a taster of what’s currently available and tell you how to find out more about what goes on on the expat scene in North Cyprus.

The best place to look for listings, events and contact details for all the various clubs and activities is of course in the good old Cyprus Today newspaper (where would we be without it!) – but you should also get online and find the forums that are active for residents, property owners and expats of all denominations, creeds and backgrounds living happily on the island.

The listings I’m about to provide will of course give you a good feel for the sorts of activities and events available and show you which social clubs in North Cyprus are already in existence, but of course things change all the time so check Cyprus Today and if you have a new social club that you want listing in this article, just contact me with all the details.

Starting with Church worship there are services weekly at the Anglican churches in Famagusta and Kyrenia and mass is at noon at the Roman Catholic Church in Kyrenia every Sunday as well. Then, if after a little light praying (!) you want to get out and about and meet a potential partner and make some new friends, there’s a social dining club for singles that’s just started in North Cyprus called Candle Light and their website containing all details and contact information is http://www.utal.co.uk/

There’s the chance to join a singing group which sing songs from the shows and other light musical numbers and who arrange regular concerts – don’t worry, you don’t have to audition to join! Call 0533 843 1176 for more information. Or if ballroom dancing takes your fancy instead how about lessons and fun every Sunday in Lapta? Call Grahame on 0533 843 3554 for more information…

If you like karaoke there’s the chance to sing every single night of the week at different venues around the Kyrenia area. For example the Green Holiday Village in Alsancak and Shakers Bar in Kyrenia both have karaoke on Fridays and Friends in Lapta has it on Saturday nights.

There’s a crafts and farmers’ market at The Carpenters in Karaoglanoglu on Friday mornings and a boot sale and market at Tolga’s in Karsiyaka on Saturday mornings – both are used by expats as a meeting place for a coffee, a chat and a browse around the various stalls. For line dancing contact the Kibris Liners who meet fortnightly and have lessons in the week, contact them via Acmenya Restaurant in Alsancak http://www.acmenyacyprus.com/ - for children both Sunny Lane School and the GAU school have something on every single evening of the week so that pupils can mingle with their peers away from the pressures of lessons.

Other than this there are badminton and bridge clubs, amateur dramatics societies, darts clubs, keep fit, slim and stay trim groups, mother and toddler meetings and you can even learn to salsa on a Thursday night at Ego in Kyrenia.

If you’re thinking about moving to live in TRNC and you’re concerned about finding entertainment in North Cyprus to keep you occupied or to get you out and about and meeting people – stop worrying! Trust me, once you arrive and start looking around for things to do you’ll soon find you’re booked up 24/7!