You may not be one for socializing and prefer to stay home, blast your favorite album on repeat, or have a monthly cleaning session for your vinyl collection. But as much as we like to stay within our comfort zones, we can feel a bit stuck or caught in a never-ending loop of these usual routines.

Maybe all you need is that one hangout that changes everything. Okay, not really an instant game changer but maybe the start of something new? Going out with friends or even on your own may very well cure your stress from work, school, or whatever has been making you feel the weight of the world.

Billboard Philippines has rounded up a list of music-related activities for you and your barkada to enjoy, taking your free time spent together beyond the typical concert, gig, or music festival. From checking out what the fuss is about at improv shows to connecting with fellow collectors and vintage enthusiasts at weekend pop-up markets, these hangout spots and events could make you say, “This could be the greatest day of our lives,” just like Take That sang.

Trivia Nights

If you’re a fan of something, unleash your inner fandom by joining a trivia night! Testing your knowledge and earning bragging rights as the ultimate geek is the sweetest validation for spending months binge-watching a show or spending a fortune to support your favorite artist.

Trivia Down Tuesdays hosts weekly trivia nights, challenging your knowledge on topics like movies, music, and all things pop culture. They have held events in Makati, BGC, Quezon City, Ortigas, Laguna, Alabang, Cebu, and Davao. Its questions tap into the world of movies, video games, anime, and music — it even hosts dedicated events for devout Swifties to test how well they know the easter eggs and references hidden in her songs.

Participating in trivia nights is a fun and exciting way for friends to bond, share their knowledge, have a friendly competition against other teams, and enjoy a great time together. If you’re going solo, meeting new people won’t be difficult. After all, everyone in the room shares the same passion, so the conversations can flow naturally as easily as 1-2-3.

Listening Parties

What’s another way to listen to an album? Well, listen to it with a whole bunch of people. Hear us out, because not everyone (including yourself) may want others to see how they vibe and jive with the music they listen to.

Save being a fabulous killjoy elsewhere and participate in a collective experience of listening to an album ahead of its release through organized listening parties. Sometimes, screaming at the top of your lungs with someone may just be the antidote to your worries. Sometimes you just have to let loose and let the music do the talking, or in this case, singing.

In a nutshell, listening parties can bring people and communities together, just like how live music does. Think of them as a much cheaper version of an album launch concert or gig, as you get to hear the songs on the album for the first time.

Pop-Up and Weekend Markets

Local weekend markets and pop-up events are the ultimate places to be in having an absolute steal or find of an item you have been looking for or didn’t know you needed. From unearthing rare limited pressed copies of a vinyl record to finding the missing piece in your action figure collection — attending these events feels like the ultimate budol trip, especially if you and your friends love vintage items.

Tokyo Music Club, an online and physical CD and vinyl shop based in Baguio, heads down south and participates in community flea and weekend markets like South Trading Post, Kulture Klub, and The Merkado, offering collectors a chance to purchase music from the old and the new, and even at a great price, too. Other than building transactional relationships with shops and sellers, you can also make great connections and friends along the way.

Open Mic Nights

A wise man once said (that man being Schmidt from 22 Jump Street), “Cyn-thi-a. Jesus died for our Cynthia’s. Jesus cried. Runaway bride. Julia Roberts. Julia rob-hurts. Cynthia. Mmmmm Cynthia, you’re dead. You are dead. Be boop beep you’re dead.”

If you’re not familiar with open mic night, it is essentially a free-for-all opportunity for people to take the stage and showcase their talents ranging from music, poetry, and comedy, among other creative avenues. What’s neat about this is that everyone’s on the same page as both amateurs and professionals are welcome. Even if you’re not into performing, experiencing open mic nights can be a new way to get entertained.

Moonshine Bar in Makati has their open mic night on Mondays and Tuesdays. On the other hand, if you think you have the knack to make people laugh for a living (or perhaps something you want to do occasionally), Comedy Manila, at the forefront of the Pinoy comedy scene, organizes open mic rooms for aspiring comedians to have a stage to grow and develop as comics.

Spoken Word Poetry

There was a time when spoken word poetry was at its peak in the country, turning those who were, as the kids today call it, yearning, into spoken word poets. It became another avenue to turn one’s heartache or romantic musings into verses said out loud. Perhaps it’s how we love to amplify our emotions through something creative.

Everything feels a bit deeper and pierces through a little more when the words being said are our own. Spoken word poems, written and said in Filipino, add a level of hugot that springs from unspoken feelings and pent-up emotions. Sometimes you just have to let it out and to experience spoken word artists verbalizing what you may have been feeling can be cathartic and fulfilling.

Micro-Cinema Screenings

Movies are best experienced inside a movie theater, there’s no denying that. But what if the cinema experience becomes a bit smaller in scale?

Located in Quezon City, Cinema ’76 is a pioneer in the micro-cinema scene that screens Filipino and international films that sometimes cater to the niche indie crowd. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a “screening room” for everyone. They offer their cinemas for holding special screenings and organizing community events, making a concert film screening or a meet-and-greet with their favorite local artist much more cozy and intimate.

Sine Pop!, on the other hand, is an arthouse boutique cinema that is a hub for film screenings, talks, recitals, and the like. If you’re planning to continue the artsy vibes brought by your usual trip to Cubao Expo, walking a roughly 10-minute walk across Aurora Boulevard to an event in Sine Pop! may very well be your next stop.

Improv Theater

Itching for unscripted and spontaneous comedic performances that engage with their audience? We’re a bit highly specific with that one.

Improvisational theater or improv becomes an interactive experience when performers get their inspiration and answers from the audience. You may have stumbled upon a video or two of SPIT, the longest-running performing improv group in the country, which is enough to keep you curious and probably check out a show or two. Oh, Flamingo!‘s very own guitarist, Pappu De Leon, also gets to channel his inner comedian and performer beyond music.

Rightfully so, going to an improv show is a bang for your buck as you not only get to watch the show, you get to be in the show. Other than doing shows of their own, they also teach lessons at the Third World Improv Training Center, which boasts as the largest improv school across Southeast Asia.