The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies makes use of the skills and activities added throughout the series’ lifespan to add depth to gameplay and enhance in-game storytelling. Whether you choose to run a start-up or pursue your Sim’s interests, you won’t be short of things to fill your Sim’s time with, even on a long lifespan.
One way it does this is by adding hobby meetups: a fun way of connecting with other Sims, trying new things, and getting back into old interests. A whole host of options are available, regardless of whether your Sims are avid potters or prefer watching the stars over Nordhaaven.
How To Go To Hobby Meetups
Hobby meetups all happen in Nordhaaven, the new world added to The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies. You can join them by traveling to either of the world’s neighborhoods, Gammelvik or Iverstad, at particular times on certain days. Meetups start automatically at the designated times.
Traveling to any lot in either neighborhood will give you access to meetups. Look out for the public plazas in each neighborhood to find where the meetups gather. Both locations are near some wooden kiosks selling food, drinks, and knick-knacks.
If you aren’t in the area already and want to travel to Nordhaaven to try a meetup, why not swing by one of the new small business venue lots in the area? You can get to the meetup from there, and it gives you a chance to explore the neighborhood.
There aren’t any specific requirements for attending a hobby meetup, meaning you don’t have to have a particular job or skill level. They’re open for everyone to join in, even if they’ve never even tried the hobby before.
Meetups gather around a sign, which is a permanent fixture in the neighborhood plazas. Look out for it near the market kiosks. You’ll also know a meetup is gathering if you see Sims congregating with skill items like pottery wheels and kilns.
The sign will glow when a meetup is ongoing. You can hover over it to see the name of the meetup. You can then join the meetup simply by interacting with any of the items available, socializing with other attendees, or using the sign.
Struggling to find a meetup that has already started? Look out for a group of Sims hanging around together outdoors. Then, hover over them to bring up a box telling you their name. If they’re part of a meetup, there will be a label saying Meetup Attendee.
How To Walk To Hobby Meetups
You can also use the sign to take your Sim directly to the meetup. Select the sign when a meetup is happening and use the Check Current Meetup interaction. This brings up a summary of whichever meetup is gathering.
At the bottom of the pop-up, the Walk To Meetup interaction will be available. Select it, and your Sim will head over to the right area. All that’s left to do is start engaging with the hobby or chatting it up with other attendees.
This method only works when the meetup has already started.
What Are Hobby Meetups?
Hobby meetups are where the Sims of Nordhaaven and beyond get together and hone their skills. There are seven meetups in total, each focussing on different skills and activities. They’re free to join and run to a set schedule.
They’re Nordhaaven’s equivalent to festivals, like the Spice Festival in City Living’s San Myshuno or Crow’s Crossing’s Celebration of Life. The calendar of events runs daily, with different hobbies featured on different days.
Hobby meetups are a great way of saving money on skill items. Some of the meetups are even great money-making opportunities, as your Sims can make craftables to sell at the meetup or later on.
What Hobby Meetups Are There And When Are They?
Nordhaaven comes chock-a-block with hobby meetups to pick from:
|
Meetup |
Description |
Time |
Day |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Creative Co-Work |
Artsy Sims can indulge in woodworking, bonsai trimming, and other crafty activities among like-minded creatives. |
8am – 1pm |
|
|
Galactic Gambits |
Gaze at the stars and obliterate others at chess at this late-night gathering of the minds. |
8pm – 1am |
|
|
Munch & Mingle |
Enjoy the practice of fika with your Sim’s friends, foes, and neighbors by enjoying food and drink in their company. |
11am – 4pm |
|
|
Pottery & Pals |
Sims are encouraged to get their hands dirty with complimentary pottery wheels, kilns, and a good time. |
5pm – 10pm |
|
|
Spotlight Stars |
Singers, actors, and comedians come together at Nordhaaven’s biweekly open mic to perform and share their passions with the neighborhood. |
6pm – 11pm |
|
|
Sweat & Socialize |
Early birds can get their steps in together before stopping to flex on the workout machines or cool off with a soda. |
6am – 11am |
|
|
Writers & Readers |
Bring your own laptop or journal and join a classic writer’s-group-come-book-club with other bookworms and musers. |
|
|
If you have other DLC installed, there might be some extra activities at relevant hobby meetups. For example, if you have Nifty Knitting, you’ll probably see someone making some knobbly socks at the Creative Co-Work.
How To Use The Hobby Meetup Sign
There’s a hobby meetup sign in both Iverstad and Gammelvik. Selecting it brings up a list of interactions where you can check what the next meetup in the area is, find a list of all hobby meetups, and enable or disable the notifications you get for them.
The sign will glow if a hobby meetup is ongoing, and the Check Current Meetup interaction will be available. Clicking on it will tell you which meetup is running and exactly what that means. You can also check which meetup is happening by hovering over it.
Using the Meetup Information interaction opens up a list of all the hobby meetups available throughout the week. Select the name of whichever one takes your fancy to find out what’s on offer, alongside which date and time they run. You can also use the Check Next Meetup interaction to find out what’s coming up.
How To Enable Or Disable Meetup Notifications
Unlike in other worlds, you’ll have to opt in to (or out of) reminders for events in Nordhaaven. If you want to adjust your notifications settings, find the meetup information, sign in, and interact with it. Select Meetup Notifications.
The Meetup Notifications sub-menu lets you turn on or off notifications for specific meetups. They’re all switched off by default, so selecting them will switch notifications on. You can also switch notifications on for all of them if you’d prefer.
You can pull this sub-menu up by interacting with the Meetup Information boards found in Iverstad and Gammelvik. Navigate to the neighborhood plazas where meetups gather and select the sign. Then, use the Meetup Notifications interaction.
You’ll see a list of every hobby meetup with either ticks or crosses next to them. You have the choice of either toggling them individually to switch them on or off or enabling (or disabling) all of them at once.
If a notification is switched on for a meetup, it will have a green tick next to it, but if it’s switched off, you’ll see a red cross instead.
Now that you’ve toggled them on, you’ll get notifications on the notification wall in the top right-hand corner of your screen when meetups are starting. This applies to meetups in both neighborhoods, so make sure you head to the right area if you’re going.
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