An evening in Berlin when you are on your own

• Socials by Detor, this site. A table here is four to six people who have not met, for dinner, drinks, coffee or brunch, in English or in German. You give a few answers once. We pick the group from them, a person checks it, we book the venue, and the address arrives the day before. Nobody sees a name until the table's chat opens, an hour before, and there are no profiles. Seats are priced per session, with no membership, and the bill is your own, paid to the venue. You can bring one friend. Visitors book like anyone else; what is open this week is on the Berlin page.
• Timeleft runs its Berlin dinner on Wednesdays, in German or English. The group is announced on the Tuesday and the restaurant on the day, and you pay the venue for your own food. The fixed day is its strength. Start time and subscription price are only in its app.

visitBerlin, the official site, has an "Event tips in Berlin" page. It leans towards ticketed highlights rather than free ones.

The Long Night of Museums opens museums late twice a year. Dates are on that page.

• A free walking tour. FreeTour.com lists "Heart of Berlin" in English, about 1h45, tip-based, starting from the World Clock on Alexanderplatz. GuruWalk lists "Beyond the dates", about 2h15 in German and English, pay what you want. Times are on the listings.
• A language exchange. There is one on Fridays at Belushi's on Alexanderplatz, in several languages, listed on Eventbrite. For people learning German, the vhs Sprachcafé in the Schiller-Bibliothek in Wedding is free, on Wednesdays from 13:00 to 15:00.
• Bouldering. Boulderklub in Kreuzberg is known for its community. Der Kegel on Revaler Straße in Friedrichshain holds a FLINTA* bouldering night on the first Saturday of the month from 18:00. Even if you go alone, a gym is an evening with people in it.

For a bar where you can actually talk to people, try Monster Ronson's karaoke or Klunkerkranich. Most of the places on this page are in Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain.

The clubs don't get into gear until after midnight.

• Getting back: on Friday and Saturday nights the U-Bahn and S-Bahn run all night, every 15 to 30 minutes. On other nights, night buses marked N replace the main lines.
• Buy tickets from official vendors. It is the one safety note on visitBerlin's page.

• Plan the weekend on Thursday. Berliners are said to plan well ahead, and the Friday exchange is the easiest fixed point.
• Do something with your hands first. Meeting people here is easier when you have something to do at the same time.
• Stay out. At the weekend there's no last train to plan around.

Socials' Berlin tables are held in English and in German; the ones open this week are on the Berlin page.