The host picks a Garba event and opens a Circle for that night.
Garba Circles
Find your Garba Circle
A Garba Circle is a small group planning the same Garba night together. One host, a shared event and a group chat that opens only after the host accepts you.
Circles are for adults 18 and over. GarbaMate is a friendship and community product, not a dating app.
The basics
What is a Garba Circle?
A Circle is a small group built around one event, not an open group chat. It has a host, a listed Garba night and a handful of people who want to go together.
- Every Circle is tied to a real listed event, so the plan has a date, a venue and a city.
- The host creates the Circle, sets the tone and approves who joins.
- Members can coordinate arrival, meeting points and outfits together in the Circle chat.
- A Circle is not a public group and never exposes your phone number, live location or private profile.
Group planning
How group planning works
The flow is deliberately short: one event, one host, one decision at a time.
People who are interested ask to join and send a short introduction.
The host accepts or declines. Nothing appears in the Circle until the host accepts.
Accepted members use the Circle chat to agree on a meeting point and arrival time.
After the night, the Circle can close. There is no obligation to keep planning together.
Join or host
Joining vs creating a Circle
You can join an existing Circle or start your own. Both are free, and both keep the host in control of who joins.
Joining a Circle
Browse Circles for an event you already want to attend. Send a request to the host with a short introduction. If the host accepts, you join the group and its chat. If not, nothing is shared and you can look at another Circle.
Creating a Circle
Choose a listed Garba event, give the Circle a clear name and invite the people planning the same night. As host you decide who joins, and you can close the Circle when the night is over.
Planning together
Choosing an event together
A Circle only works when the event is right for everyone. Use the public directory to compare dates, venues and areas before the group commits.
- Check the event date and city against everyone’s availability.
- Compare the venue and area so the meeting point is easy to find.
- Look at the listed timings and pass details, and confirm them with the organiser before buying.
- If the group cannot agree, split into two Circles for two different nights rather than forcing one plan.
Before the night
Setting expectations
A short, explicit agreement before the night prevents most awkwardness later.
- Agree on a meeting point inside or at the entrance of the venue.
- Share a rough arrival time, and say if you expect to be late.
- Decide whether the group stays together or meets again after the first round.
- Respect that some members will want to dance in different circles.
- Agree that anyone can leave at any time without explaining why.
A Circle is a plan, not a commitment. If a member changes their mind, they can leave the Circle and the plan without pressure.
Privacy and respect
Privacy and respectful participation
GarbaMate is built around consent. Joining a Circle does not unlock anyone’s contact details or private information.
No contact sharing
There is no phone-number exchange, no WhatsApp unlock and no paid contact reveal anywhere on GarbaMate. Chat stays in the app, and you decide what to share beyond it.
No public location
There is no people map and no live location. The optional venue check-in says you have reached the venue, expires within the hour and is visible only to people you have an accepted plan with.
Host approval, every time
A join request is an invitation, not an entry. The host decides, and the Circle chat opens only after acceptance.
Leave and block safely
You can leave a Circle at any time, and a block removes the connection in both directions across discovery, requests, plans, check-ins and chat.
Read the full safety, reporting and blocking guidance before your first Circle.
Start a Circle
Good nights are better shared.
Join the early-access list for launch updates, or start by choosing the Garba night your group wants.