Regular community meetups in the South of France on Vibe - South of France

Shashlik BBQ with Russian speakers near Montpellier

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Shashlik with Russian speakers in the South of France: how it works

The community itself began with a barbecue. The chat that grew into Vibe South of France started life as the “Montpellier-Béziers BBQ trip” group, set up for a single weekend away in May 2025 and renamed two days after it. Ever since, a big shashlik has been how we open the season and how we close it.

Beach meetups near Montpellier with Russian speakers

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0200

How our Russian-speaking beach meetups work

A beach day is the easiest meetup we have. Nobody books a venue, works out how much meat to buy or collects money: someone posts a date and a pin in the chat, the rest reply “count me in” and turn up whenever they can. All six were free, and food is potluck - watermelons, fruit, salads, home-made pies. The folding table deserves a line of its own: someone asked for one in the chat before almost every trip.

Hikes with Russian speakers near Montpellier and Toulouse

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Hiking with Russian speakers: how it works

For us a hike isn’t a race against the clock; it’s a day outdoors with people you know. We pick easy routes so the children make it to the top too. It always ends around a shared table: everyone brings something, and there’s no set price. If you don’t have a car, we find you a seat with someone who has room, and that gets sorted in the chat and in private messages.

Ice skating with Russian speakers in Montpellier: Végapolis

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Skating with Russian speakers: how it works

Of all our meet-ups in town, skating takes the least organising. The organiser posts a day and a time in the chat, anyone who’s coming replies by direct message, and at the rink everyone buys their own ticket and hires their own skates. There’s no community fee: the only money involved goes to the rink, and you pay for yourself and nobody else. You don’t need to be able to skate, and the invitation says so in plain words: “any level”. Once on the ice you can go round in a group, take photos, or just lean on the boards and talk.

Karaoke with the Russian-speaking community in Montpellier

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Karaoke with Russian speakers: how it works

A night out in town comes together as easily as a beach day. Someone posts a date, a time and a part of town in the chat, and everyone else replies that they’re in, so there are enough seats and enough microphones to go round. There’s no fee: entry is free and you only pay for what you order yourself. We often bring our own kit - a speaker, microphones and cables - which is why our karaoke happens on the sand as well as indoors.

Mafia in Russian: our games in Montpellier and Toulouse

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0200

How it started

The whole series grew out of one message in the chat on 28 March 2026: “Could we play Mafia?” Three weeks later, on Saturday 18 April, the first table for 11 players was set up in a pub in central Montpellier. The host had bought masks in advance, and the rules went up in a separate Telegram group for Mafia, so people could read them at home instead of at the table. Play ran from 15:00 to 19:00, spectators stepped in for anyone who got tired, and in the evening the same room moved on to karaoke and dancing. It cost nothing to take part: the venue let the community have the space free of charge. The announcement was upfront about it: “The team is only 11 people, so grab a seat at the first table”, and it reached out straight away to anyone too shy to play: “you can even come just to watch”. A few seasoned players turned up too - one of them, in the chat, remembered the Mafia clubs of St Petersburg and was glad the game would be taken seriously.

Yacht and catamaran with Russian speakers near Montpellier

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Out at sea with Russian speakers: how it works

The series was born on board: after the first yacht trip we agreed to do it again before anyone was back ashore. The pattern has stayed the same ever since. The organiser finds a skipper and a boat, works out how many people it takes to hire the whole boat, and posts the price in the chat. You sign up by private message or in a poll, and the trip is confirmed only once there’s a big enough group. So it all comes down to the weather and to how many people answer the call.

Russian-speaking Slavic Weekend near Toulouse: banya, Mafia

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0200

The Slavic Weekend near Toulouse: how it worked

Until the end of October 2026, almost all our meetups happened around Montpellier. The Slavic Weekend was the community’s first trip to Toulouse: four meetups in a single weekend, each with its own sign-up in the chat and its own whip-round, from €10 to €35 a head. You could come for all three days or for just one evening. People drove in from different cities, and they were of all ages and many nationalities.