Whether you have been to a mingle before or not, this is your chance to meet likeminded, fun-loving CitySocialisers in a great venue chosen by our expert hosts.

We will be mingling, taking advantage of some great drinks deals, catching up, meeting new friendly faces and generally having a brilliant time!

Our CitySocialising founder, Sanchita says: “Talking to people you don’t know feels a bit strange at first but people are so laid-back and friendly at our mingles that within 10 minutes it feels like you’ve known everyone for ages.”

Our mingles will be a chance for brand new members to come and find out what CitySocialising is all about. Remember that everyone is in the same boat, so don’t feel nervous. Our hosts will be mingling too, so will be sure to introduce you to some friendly members.

For more experienced CitySocialising members, it will be an excuse to get together with some members you might not have seen for a while, and also a chance to meet all our new folk.

Lucy, from our team at CitySocialising HQ said: “The mingles are the easiest way to meet loads of new faces under one roof, they’re always really popular amongst new members and seasoned CitySocialising members alike and have a great chilled out vibe.” 

It really will be the biggest party in town, and you won’t want to miss out on this great opportunity to meet all the other members in your city! The mingles are taking place across the UK this weekend, and next weekend.

So log in to your CitySocialising account and click ‘Socialise’ to find out details about your local mingle or check out the mingles tab over on our Facebook page.

You can also see whose talking about the mingle on twitter using #themingle

You can organise your own social, attending anything you fancy! Anyone can create socials on CitySocialising, even our free members.

There are some brilliant events coming up in London that would be perfect for a social, with a group of other interested CitySocialisers. We have listed a few ideas below, and do let us know on Twitter  or Facebook  if you decide to organise one!

Cirque Du Soleil

The absolutely fantastic Cirque Du Soleil are currently playing their show Totem at the Royal Albert Hall until February 16th 2012. The award winning show is a mix of circus arts and street entertainment, and the audience is guaranteed to be amazed by the skills of the performers. Totem is based on the fascinating journey of the human species and tells the story of evolutions through a visual and acrobatic language. There are still tickets left, but the show has been immensely popular so book quickly! Cirque Du Soleil’s other show Alegria is coming to The NIA too in April, for any of you based in Birmingham.

Olympic Walk

It’s less than six months until The London 2012 Olympics, so why not beat the crowds and tourists and go and have a look at the Olympic Park in East London now. Blue Badge Tourist Guides offer a very informative and interactive two hour walking tour, covering the surrounding host boroughs as well as the area of the Olympic Park. Take a camera along as there are some excellent photo opportunities. We noticed Cambridge CitySocialisers are heading down in February!

Photo courtesy of  Martin_vmorris’/flickr

David Hockney at the Royal Academy

There’s a lot of excitement in London at the moment around the new David Hockney exhibition at the Royal Academy which runs from 21st January until 9th April 2012. Featuring vivid paintings inspired by the East Yorkshire landscape, these large-scale works have been created especially for the galleries at the Royal Academy of Arts. Get an arty social organised and book your tickets quickly!

Chinese New Year

Even though official Chinese New Year is on 23^rd January, London’s main celebrations will be held on Sunday 29th January. The celebration of the Year of the Dragon will take place in Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and Chinatown with a huge procession, featuring the Chen Brothers who hold the Guinness World Record for the highest pole jump in flying lion dance. Why not take a group down, watch the parade and then go for some great food!

 Photo courtesy of  Paolo Camera /Flickr

Data, complied by CitySocialising, the UK’s largest socialising network for meeting new people, reveals the top ten London postcodes for outgoing young professionals to meet up offline.

Five SW postcodes feature in the London top ten and make up the venue for a quarter of all nights out planned by the site’s 65,000 London members during 2011.

The West End topped the poll naturally enough with more Londoners enjoying nights out in W1 than any other single postcode zone.

Nearby WC1 was the second most popular postcode zone for Londoners to head to when it came to hooking up with pals.

Docklands and the area around Canary Wharf helped E14 clinch the number three spot for East London while SW11 was the top south west London zone at number four in the top ten.

Islington’s popular Upper Street was one of the attractions, which helped north London’s N1 become the fifth most popular postcode zone for a night out.

Fashionable Wimbledon was also a magnet for Londoners looking to spend their leisure hours in the leafy suburbs and its postcode of SW19 was the sixth most popular destination in the capital.

In terms of London’s regions West London, with 20% of all nights out came a close second to the South West, with East London(13%), South East London (12%) and North London (12%) also scoring well.

Interestingly those in the capital were also found to be by far the most prolific in terms of online interaction, sending more than double the number of messages on CitySocialising than the site’s national average.

Jenny from Wimbledon says South West London is a fantastic place to go out and meet new people.

She said: “When people think of Wimbledon they naturally think of tennis but there is so much more to the area than the All England Club.

“There are also some fantastic bars and restaurants and lots of open leafy space. There’s loads to do here so it’s a great place to have fun with friends.”

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The Welsh capital came out as the clear leader in the league table of Britain’s most sociable locations, closely followed by sociable Leeds and Newcastle.

Cardiff socialites were found to attend over a quarter (28%) more events than the average, with those in Leeds coming a close second with 27%.

However London, viewed by many as the social hub of the UK, was ranked as just the seventh most sociable location.

Interestingly, whilst London scored unremarkably on number of social events attended by users, those in the Capital were found to be by far the most prolific in terms of online interaction, sending more than double the number of messages than the national average.

Glaswegians however were found to be the wallflowers of the UK (58%) below the UK average number of social days and nights out attended. with Nottingham (52% below) and Birmingham (47% below) fairing the least sociable of the English cities.

Other cities that ranked as more sociable than the UK average included; Newcastle (15%), Liverpool (13%), Bristol (7%), London (6%), Brighton (5%) and Manchester (1%).

Sanchita Saha, the site’s CEO and founder commented:

“Having an active social life is all about meeting new people, trying new things and discovering new places and we’ve found the best place to do this is Cardiff”

“Cardiff residents were well ahead of the UK average in terms of number of days and nights out they were having in 2011.”

“I don’t find the results of our poll too surprising as Cardiff is definitely one of our up and coming cities when it comes to being sociable. We’re hosting around 40 events a month for our members to keep up with demand there. These range from after work drinks, to Sunday lunches and Saturday nights out.

She concluded: “The most surprising finding was that London, where we arrange over 50 events a month and viewed by many as the place in the UK with the biggest social buzz, actually only came in seventh.”

Alun, member of CitySocialising Cardiff, says:

“Anyone that’s ever visited Cardiff will know what a fantastic city it is and how friendly the people are. It’s no surprise to me that it’s been found the most Sociable city by CitySocialising.

There’s a huge buzz from the city center, to Cardiff Bay. I’ve made a great bunch of mates here and there’s always someone new to meet and make feel welcome.“

As we all make our 2012 Resolutions, some of you may have decided to make some new friends, discover new places in your city or just to have more fun this year!

• Meet New People

Whether you have just moved to a new city in the UK, or whether you are looking for a new group of people to go out and socialise with – January is the perfect time to do something about it!

CitySocialising is a great place to start if you are looking for some new people to get to know. There are all sorts of different socials to take part in; from curry nights to karaoke, traditional tea parties to theatre trips.

We also host a monthly New Members Night which is the perfect opportunity to come along and meet other CitySocialising newbies in the same situation. Check out Lucy’s review of a New Members Night she attended at The Warwick in Soho, London.

• Discover Your City

Ever feel like you are living in a great city, but you’re not taking full advantage of all the events and activities happening? Let alone some of the great bars and restaurants you need to try out!

Make a list of things in your city you have always wanted to do, or venues you have been meaning to visit. This way you can check them off your list throughout 2012.

CitySocialising take groups to exhibitions, cinemas and the coolest venues around the city too. So whatever you fancy doing, there is something for everyone.

You could even organise your own socials if there was a particular exhibition or place you wanted to go and see. Like Steven, who has organised a visit to the V&A on Saturday to see popular exhibition Private Eye: The First 50 Years.

• Don’t Give Up Socialising

January doesn’t have to be a boring month, and you shouldn’t restrict yourself to staying in, particularly as it might just encourage your January Blues. Just make sure you do everything in moderation!

Our biggest event The Mingle will be happening in major cities across the country at the end of this month so make sure you check out your city listings to book a place for the biggest party in town!

With the tight Christmas schedule of festive meals and drinks parties all over the place, the season is always a busy one to say the least.

There are often moments during Christmas, particularly after your 4^th night out in a row, when you feel like snuggling up on the sofa and watching a Christmas classic like Elf. Or perhaps you are one of those keen Christmasholics that just love to be out and about Rockin Around the Christmas Tree all season.

So what kind of Christmas party-goer are you?

In a recent Daily Mail article, Flic Everett explains how easy it is to excuse yourself from a Christmas engagement. Once you have agreed to attend a party, sometimes you just aren’t feeling that enthusiastic about the event.

Perhaps the weather, a tight budget or just a plain desire to want to be inside watching the Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Special might lead to cancelling plans.

“All it takes is a swift Facebook message, a regretful Tweet or text, and you’re off the hook,” Everett said. And it’s true; with smartphones and constant access to the internet it is perfectly normal to cancel your plans on the same day, afternoon, or even as late as an hour before the event. Society is much more accepting of a “Christmas Canceller” and technology helps us with all free apps available like BlackBerry Messenger and WhatsApp

However, some of us out there absolutely love Christmas and just can’t wait to don the obligatory sexy santa outfits and hit the town for some mulled ciders and Christmas cocktails. Yet, if your friends have started to become Christmas Cancellers then you are no doubt going to feel a little stood up this season! Particularly if you were brave enough to host your own event.

Nothing is worse than spending time and effort on decorations, food, drink and party games – only to get a load of regretful Facebook messages, sheepish texts and even the odd no-show! Everett recommends inviting more friends than you anticipate will come, and then you are bound to end up with the ideal numbers.

However, you could just join a load of like-minded Santaholics out there, and attend one of CitySocialising’s Christmas events happening over the next week.

Just check out your local city’s listings on CitySocialising and come and party with us!

Last week, we celebrated in style with a team trip to Berlin where we enjoyed the Christmas Markets, some authentic German cuisine and partied the night away to a 6 hour set by the fantastic Mr Scruff.

As Christmas parties goes it was up there with the best and we can only pray it sets the precedent for future team building days out …

On Friday as it’s our last day in the office, we’re having a festively themed fun and hopefully have a glass or two of mulled wine before we all head home for the holidays!

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, but make sure you don’t wear out your party shoes as we’ve got a great calendar of Socials planned for the New Year. So no excuses for the post Christmas detox/hibernation!

Have a great Christmas!

Read our ten top tips below for anyone planning a party, get-together or Christmas Day, and let us know how it goes!

Be Organised and Make a List:

Before you plan your event, write a list of everything you need to get. This could be anything from decorations, presents, ingredients for food and types of drink. This way you will have a clear plan even before you enter a shop or begin spending, and it will help to stop you from getting distracted and buying unnecessary items or things for yourself!

Look out for High Street bargains:

As we all know, the UK High Street are desperate for our custom this Christmas. Look out for fantastic bargains on plenty of Christmas snacks and treats. If you are planning on a big shop, visit MySupermarket to compare the cost of goods in the top stores like Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda.

Get crafty:

Whether you are arty or not, the apps and tools available to make your own Christmas cards or presents are never ending. Use Instagram when taking photos and make your own vintage-inspired Christmas cards, or print an image out and buy a cheap frame for a personal prezzie. Another crafty idea for a small Christmas gift is a personalised stocking. If you are handy with needlework then download a template off the internet, and visit a local haberdashery or craft shop to buy some red and green felt or material.

Raid your garden

Your garden or local park may be full of beautiful pine cones, holly, mistletoe, twigs or fallen bare branches that can be sprayed or glittered with cheap aerosols from art shops or pound stores. You could leave them natural if it suits your theme, a great way of adding a little festive detail and very cost effective.

Ready, Steady, Cook!

Cook your way into someone’s heart this Christmas, or just show off your culinary skills by baking your presents. Mini mince pies, chocolate fudge, gingerbread – all of these treats are simple to make and you can personalise them with icing and silver balls and present them in a pretty display box available from any high street card shop.

Use your coupons and loyalty points

Now is the time to use up those loyalty points you have been saving up all year. Tesco Clubcard and Boots Advantage Card and Nectar points are all redeemable over Christmas and many stores are offering ‘Double points’ days over the season. Look out for coupons through your door from stores, which you may have dismissed as junk mail. For example, Waitrose have been sending out free wrapping paper coupons to MyWaitrose cardholders.

Christmas eCards

Although a tradition, Christmas cards can be expensive, a huge effort and also use a lot of paper. Save the environment this Christmas, and send your Christmas cards online. A lot of the top UK charities are offering free ecards, such as NSPCC and Age UK. Other websites such as 123Greetings have some humorous and animated cards.

Share the load with friends

A great way of saving money when entertaining this Christmas is to separate your shopping list and ask your friends to each bring a different course, item or ingredient. This way it becomes a group effort and saves your own bank account by sharing the load.

Secret Santa

Whether you are hosting friends, family or your work colleagues – Secret Santa is a great way of organising Christmas gifts on the cheap and also provides some entertainment when you present your gifts to eachother and try to guess who the buyer was. Read the CitySocialising guide to Secret Santa here.

Don’t go overboard!

Finally, remember don’t go overboard this Christmas. You may wish you could afford the biggest Christmas party ever, or cover your whole house in lights but your guests won’t be expecting the works. Sometimes less really is more, and remember that as long as you all have a great time then your party will be deemed a success!

Merry Christmas from CitySocialising!

Photo courtesy of dorocia/Flickr