Cyndi Lauper said it best – girls just want to have fun.
But for many young women in Singapore, that fun isn’t always easy to come by. Between long workdays, packed schedules and general burnout, even that simple idea – a hike, a pottery class or brunch – can remain just that: an idea.
In recent months, more female-led social clubs have appeared, offering activity-based meet-ups for women in their 20s and 30s.
Unlike networking or singles mixers, these sessions are built around shared activities and small-group interaction, such as fitness sessions, journalling, book discussions, workshops and supper clubs.
When CNA Women spoke to the founders of several such groups, one common theme emerged – these clubs are a way to meet people outside of one’s existing social circles.
Friendships in adulthood are often formed through school or work, and it can be harder to meet new people beyond these environments over time.
These clubs offer an alternative, encouraging participants to attend solo and meet others through structured activities.
Here are five such clubs in Singapore.
SOCIAL CLUBSEVERYDAY GIRL CLUB As the name suggests, the Everyday Girl Club centres on everyday rituals – slow walks around Singapore Botanic Gardens, acai runs, pilates followed by picnics or coffee, or its monthly Reflections series: introspective dinners and coffee for eight to 10 girls.
Started by 22-year-old university student Janika van Soestbergen, Everyday Girl Club was a space she needed. A Singaporean-Dutch student at Nanyang Technological University, she found the shift from international school to a local environment rather isolating. “I always thought I’m a bit too international for the locals and too local for the exchange [students],” she said. “I really fell in this grey area, and I didn’t like it so much.”
When someone described her as “a little bit different”, she confessed, “that did something to me, so then I gave up making friends”.
She later floated the idea of the club on TikTok and the response was quick and encouraging. Within days, she set up the group and planned the first event.
Activities – often fitness or wellness-based – come first, followed by conversation after. During sessions, van Soestbergen also moves between groups to facilitate introductions and keep conversations going, helping attendees make at least one new friend. Some events include collaborations with local brands, typically in the form of small door gifts.
Get more information about Everyday Girl Club on Instagram.
EMBODI CLUB Run by 22-year-old pilates instructor Tiffany Lam, Embodi Club sits somewhere between a workout class and social club. Known for her unique pilates concepts – from Smiski and floral themes to bathhouse and supper settings, each session combines a pilates class with a workshop or activity that allows attendees to interact and connect.
Lam spent time in Australia and the United States seeking creative opportunities, where she observed how fitness often functioned as a social outlet rather than a routine task – something she felt was less common here. “I [wanted] to meet people through pilates…not just you [clocking] into the studio and then you clock out,” she shared.
That approach shapes each session: brief introductions, a 45-minute pilates class led by Lam, then a closing activity in partnership with young businesses and brands, such as brunch, a floral arrangement workshop, or a wellness retreat at a bathhouse.
The club’s themed sessions have been a hit, with its debut Smiskilates class (inspired by the Japanese blind box characters), paired with a bedazzling workshop and matcha to end.
Her upcoming sessions include a Pilates with Ponies event at Bukit Timah Saddle Club, where participants take part in an outdoor session followed by a hands-on segment where they can either brush the ponies or try guided horseback pilates.
Get more information about Embodi Club on Instagram.
SINGAPORE SOSH Singapore Sosh’s offerings strike a balance, from sessions rooted in fitness and wellness, to workshops and supper clubs.
For co-founder Calista Battista, 26, it started simply. Women – many of whom were expats or locals returning from overseas – often reached out to her and her co-founder Nim (who has since moved to Australia) to meet for coffee. What they were really looking for, she realised, was community.
That intention to build this community shapes every session – “Girls just want to have fun,” she proclaimed, aptly quoting pop singer Cyndi Lauper.
Fitness events are a clear favourite with a tried-and-true format for organic interactions: “You kind of suffer together, you laugh about it, and then the next hour is just catching up and enjoying your sweet treat,” she shared.
Beyond that, Singapore Sosh also brings events ranging from workshops on topics like financial literacy and artificial intelligence – topics that Battista noted are often “reserved for men” – to monthly supper clubs where participants are paired mid-session based on shared interests for more intentional interaction.
Less than a year in, Singapore Sosh has also collaborated with brands such as Lululemon and Porsche.
Get more information about Singapore Sosh on Instagram.
MEET CUTIES CLUB Meet Cuties Club is one of Singapore’s few book and social clubs centred on romance fiction, a genre that still sees some readers hiding book covers in public.
Founders Dayana Yakob and Yusrina Yusof, both 26, know that urge well. The cousins often discussed what they read with each other, and started the club after seeing similar communities in Malaysia.
The club now runs on monthly sessions with book picks from the community and intimate sessions hosted in cosy spaces provided by local businesses. Discussions often move beyond the pages into more personal territory, touching on identity and shared experiences.
Some sessions go a step further, incorporating bookstore trails, craft-based workshops or book-to-film adaptation screenings.
With over 700 members on their Telegram channel, the club has spawned smaller clubs within itself – one of them even headed to Johor Bahru, Malaysia, for a book retreat.
Get more information about Meet Cuties Club on Instagram.
SCREAMING PIGEONS Screaming Pigeons – the name started as an inside joke – began as a small, informal gathering organised by founder Asha Suresh, 28, who invited a group of friends to dinner, each bringing someone new.
“By the end of the night, it really felt like we’d known each other forever. And I think that just speaks to female friendships and how easy it [is] to connect when everyone is open to connection or everyone is coming with that same intention.” And every Screaming Pigeons session from then on became a quest to recreate that dynamic.
Events span a wide range, including sound baths, hikes, social dinners to workshops covering improv, dance, sex education and more.
Sessions typically follow a set structure, beginning with an opening circle that includes breathwork and prompt-based introductions to share what brought the women there, followed by the main activity and a closing circle with some reflection.
Beyond in-person events, the club also produces a monthly digital newsletter, The Pigeon Post, featuring written contributions from the community’s members reflecting on shared themes.
Get more information about Screaming Pigeons on Instagram.
FOR WOMEN, BY WOMENBehind all these clubs are women who are, themselves, figuring it out in real time.
The women building these clubs are, in many ways, doing exactly what they’re asking their members to do – showing up, opening up and holding space for others.
They’re also managing the less visible work that keeps their respective communities running – pricing, brand partnerships, venue negotiations, event planning, set-ups and tear-downs.
With the exception of Meet Cuties Club, which is co-run by Dayana and Yusrina alongside their full-time jobs, these clubs are one-woman shows run single-handedly by their founders.
Tiffany Lam, founder of Embodi Club, uses the space to channel her own creativity while inviting fellow young business owners, giving them a platform as well and fuelling the same creativity in all her attendees. (Photo: Embodi Club) For many of them, the communities they’ve built also reflect something personal – van Soestbergen created the kind of space in Everyday Girl Club that she herself was searching for while navigating her identity, while Suresh, who set out to meet new people more intentionally, found those connections through each Screaming Pigeons session.
After moving across the world three times, Battista found a sense of belonging through the meet-ups she now organises in Singapore Sosh.
Lam returned to Singapore looking to build the kind of creative space in Embodi Club that once felt distant to her. Dayana and Yusrina grew what began as a shared interest into a wider community through Meet Cuties Club.
None of the founders set out to build businesses in the traditional sense. Most describe what they do as “a passion” – an attempt to respond to a feeling they had experienced themselves.
Now through these clubs, participants have new ways to meet others and build connections around shared interests.
CNA Women is a section on CNA Lifestyle that seeks to inform, empower and inspire the modern woman. If you have women-related news, issues and ideas to share with us, email CNAWomen [at] mediacorp.com.sg.