Meeting new people in Toronto is always a roll of the dice. Typically, we meet new people in our lives through pretty pedestrian channels like work or through mutual friends, but sometimes, your social life needs a little jump start.

Here are some ways to meet new people in Toronto.

Explore the outdoors

Find yourself within nature, and maybe even amongst new friends, on one of the many nature walks and outings offered through Toronto’s top walking trails. The Toronto Field Naturalists group offers more than 140 a year.

Lace up your running shoes

If you love the feeling of lacing up your runners and hitting the concrete consider joining one of the city's many great running clubs.

Become a volunteer

If you're the charitable type, what better way to meet like-minded people than helping out an organization in need. Check out Volunteer Toronto for tons of short-term opportunities in the summer, year-round, or in the arts.

Get dancing

Tackle your social anxiety by doing less talking and more moving. Head to one of Toronto's many bars that are great for dancing (and drinking) to meet some folks with similar taste in music, and maybe dance moves.

Team up with a furry friend

Those who enjoy walks and playing fetch should head down to Toronto's dog parks and let your four-legged friend do the ice-breaking for you. Another option is to make your way events like Woofstock or puppy-friendly spots like Black Lab Brewing.

Hit up a group fitness class at gyms like One Academy Fitness to sweat it out with some new friends. Photo by Jesse Milns.

Learn a quirky new sport

Nothing sparks a conversation like bonding over the fact you have no idea how to do a super unusual activity, like knife throwing, indoor skydiving, go karting, or bubble soccer. Points for skills that involve teamwork.

Get some Internet friends

It's the 21st century, meaning it's probably easier to meet people on the URL than in IRL If it’s hard for you to get out often, the r/Toronto subreddit hosts ongoing meet-ups, and groups like Bunz force social interaction between traders.

Tour the city's food scene

Food tours in Toronto aren't just for tourists. If you're a foodie, going on food adventures with organizations like Toronto Food Tours will be the best bet to find people as curious about cuisine as you.

Practice a language

You'll literally be forced to speak to people at these events, so if you’re trying to pick up a new language, you’ll likely pick up some new acquaintances as well. MundoLingo hosts their Multi-Lingual Cultural Exchange every Thursday at a different bar around town.

Go to a drink tasting event

Want to meet people with taste as excellent as yours? Toronto's top whiskey bars often hold tasting events, there's plenty of places to learn about wine, sake, and don't even get us started on craft beer tastings.

Use your dog as the ultimate ice-breaker at puppy-friendly spots like Black Lab Brewing. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

Hit up a networking event

Business contacts can also turn into friendships, so consider attending one of the many networking events happening almost every single day in Toronto; just check Eventbrite for proof. Some of the most popular recurring events are from the folks behind TechToronto and Hip Haus.

Take a scrapbooking workshop

Share a little bit of your creative side with people who love to scrapbook as much as you do. Paper Plus Cloth holds frequent free journaling workshops, complete with stamps and fun pens.

Dine with strangers

Pop-up dinners are all the rage these days: specialty events like k.dinners are a great opportunity to break bread with strangers. The Depanneur also holds tons of interesting one-off brunch and dinner events.

Hit up a group fitness class

Some fitness classes are better for meeting folks than others: try one of the many group fitness classes in the city. Martial arts classes, boxing gyms, spinning and specialty fitness classes are all great options too.

Join a choir

Time to get that singing voice out of the shower. Choir! Choir! Choir! holds drop-in sessions every Tuesday in Koreatown, in the back room of Clinton's Tavern. They’re open to anyone, all you need is $5.

Get crafty

We tend to think of crafting as more of a solitary exercise, but when you're learning a new skill, you and your fellow newly-minted makers can bond over how difficult it is to thread a damn sewing machine. Lucky enough Toronto has a bunch of DIY spaces all over town.

Bars like Dance Cave are a great place to get moving to music with strangers. Photo by Hector Vasquez.

Show off your skills at trivia night

Toronto has a number of popular recurring trivia nights. Some of the best include trivia nights at the Gladstone Hotel and Drake Hotel as well as Simpsons Trivia at the Cadillac Lounge.

Join a sports league

If you're the team-sports type, there's absolutely no shortage of rec leagues in the city. In the warmer months, there's a whole gamut of summer sports leagues, soccer leagues, and other indoor stadiums to meet teammates in.

Join a biking club

If you love riding around on two wheels, the city plays host to a variety of biking groups that may be of interest. The Toronto Bike Meetup has over 6,800 cyclists in its group and dozens of rides in the works. Here's your chance to get to know people who love a good bike ride.

Take an improv class

It's definitely not for the faint of heart, but there's nothing like putting yourself in the frying pan with others for a sense of camaraderie. Drop-in classes at Second City and Bad Dog Theatre will teach you how to be funny on the fly.