This ain’t your typical grandma’s weekly bridge mahjong game.
In New York City, a growing number of Gen Z and millennials are seeking out activities traditionally associated with their grandparents — like backgammon rooms, chess matches, mahjong nights, and listening salons.
And they’re paying up to $2,500 a year for the privilege — as a slew of achingly hip new members clubs have opened up to capitalize on the trend.
The rise in popularity of these hobbies comes amid growing digital fatigue and a shared craving for more intentional forms of connection.
And in 2026 NYC, these old-school hobbies come with a twist.
Over on the Lower East Side, trendy participants engage in the nearly 1,500-year-old game of chess amidst sexy dark lighting and a DJ spinning tunes at Club Chess — a downtown pop-up series blending nightlife and chess matches.
Co-founder Alexander Luke Bahta, who grew up playing chess from a young age, told The Post that after the pandemic he felt there was a new way to socialize.
What began as an experimental Wednesday-night chess gathering in 2023 quickly exploded into a series of eclectic events, sometimes ticketed, sometimes open to the public, and sometimes invite-only, held throughout the city, turning a classic game into a nightlife attraction drawing patrons who “are a mix of chess aficionados, beginners, and people who simply come to enjoy the total experience.”
“It just made sense to combine my obsession with music, worldbuilding, and chess into one thing,” Bahta said. “We offer people a space that is surreal enough to make playing chess feel new and exciting.
Founded around the same time as Club Chess, avid chess players Münter and Simone Roberts created Pawn Chess Club, a pop-up chess event designed to bring people together in a low-stakes environment.
The club, which welcomes both beginners and experienced players, has hosted events at Manhattan hot spots like Casino and Time Again, Happier Grocery, and even The Met, with tickets available through suggested donations promoted on social media.
For Münter and Roberts, the idea began casually after they bought a few chess sets and invited friends through Instagram.
“By the third event, most of the people there were strangers to us, which was exciting because it meant the idea resonated beyond our own circle,” Münter said.
“We were surprised by how quickly it took off.”
“The energy at Pawn is insane. I once waited 45 minutes in the rain outside of Happier Grocery for a Pawn event,” Josephine Weidner, a Pawn Chess Club lover, told The Post.
“There are people of all ages and backgrounds, and everyone is welcome.”
But it’s not just chess setting nightclubs alight.
In the heart of Soho is 7 Spring, an exclusive, very chic, invite-only $2,500-a-year backgammon members’ club founded by brothers Noor and Yazan Haddad, which opened in late 2025.
It’s already drawn much attention from both deep-pocketed New Yorkers who love the classic board game and those who simply want a luxe spot to unwind in after a long day.
The brothers told The Post that they wanted to create a curated space where people could bond over a common hobby.
“There are a lot of great members’ clubs in NYC. What makes 7 Spring unique is that you can go there and meet new people and bond with them over a shared passion for Backgammon,” member Yoni Ben-Yehuda told The Post.
“The games get lively, and there are players of all levels, from beginners to pros, so there is always a great game to watch or play in. Or in my case, get schooled by better players,” he joked.
Other classic games once beloved by AARP users, like mahjong, are also drawing massive young crowds.
Yelp has seen a 4,467% increase in US-based searches for clubs that host the tile game that originated in China from September 2024 to August 2025, compared to the year before, as originally reported by the WSJ.
On TikTok, #mahjong has almost 120,000 videos of everything from players raving about the game to people giving tutorials for others to learn mahjong in “90 seconds.”
Green Tile Social Club, which started in 2022, has grown into a pop-up mahjong community event held across the city that, for a $25 entry fee, allows people to socialize and have a unique weekend outing.
Similar to its gaming counterparts, Green Tile hires a chic DJ to spin today’s top hits, as cocktails are passed around to its 100-something players.
Since the fall, the social club has increased its number of attendees from 4,000 to 8,000, according ot the WSJ.
Even newer concepts like Stylus, a members-only “listening salon” opening at 48 Clinton Street later this year, are leaning heavily into analog rituals and sensory experiences.
The 10,000-square-foot, four-story space, which will host both vinyl sessions and live performances, is designed for people who are passionate about sound and describes itself as a refuge from the “algorithmic and standardized nature of our modern lives,” centering music, acoustics, and intentional listening experiences.
“With an increasingly cacophonous, frenetic, and alienating urban life and world at large, people are seeking places that provide respite, refuge, and intentional communion,” Luisa Gui, managing director of Stylus, told The Post.
A broader nostalgia-driven cultural shift has been prevalent among younger generations in recent years. Gen Z and millennials are reportedly leading the charge, increasingly romanticizing products and experiences that sometimes predate their own lives.
Consumer retro trends show individuals actively using nostalgia as a form of “escapism” through music, movies, and fashion.
But organizers of these spaces say the popularity is more rooted in reclaiming presence in a hyper-digital era.
“I don’t think technology is inherently bad, but I do think people are becoming more conscious of the difference between being digitally connected and actually feeling connected,” said Münter.
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