Istanbul never stands still. Cafés buzzing, bars filling up, and something happening somewhere in the city every night of the week. But with so much going on, how do you know where the action is? Which places are buzzing tonight? Where are the people you’d actually like to meet? And what events are you missing out on? That’s where The Craic comes in.
We created The Craic to get people off their chairs, off their phones, and out into the city to discover new places and meet new people in real life, in real time. Our app gives you a live map of what’s happening around you, from the café around the corner to the other side of Istanbul. You can find events that match your interests, discover bars and venues worth checking out, and, when you’re ready, see where people who share your interests are hanging out.
From our perspective, Yabangee Base is a natural fit for what we’re trying to achieve with The Craic. For years, Yabangee has been bringing newcomers, long-time residents, and locals together in Istanbul. Its home in Cihangir is where that happens in person, through quiz nights, language exchanges, Saturday socials, and plenty more. We’re excited to have Yabangee Base joining The Craic, bringing its events and offers onto our map for more people to discover. And next time you’re there, why not open the app and see who’s around? The person at the next table might be looking for an excuse to say hello too.
You can explore what’s happening across the city from wherever you are, but there’s one thing we won’t let you do: connect with someone from your sofa. We believe real connections should begin in real life. To connect with someone on The Craic, you actually have to meet in person, say hello, and scan each other’s phones. Once connected, our built-in pager lets you exchange short messages, share your location, and keep in touch without getting caught up in endless conversations online. It might seem strange to build an app that encourages you to use it less, but that’s exactly the point. Back to basics… back to the 90s?
With no online matching and no waiting around for likes, we wanted to take away much of the anxiety that comes with social media. We also wanted people to feel comfortable exploring the app without immediately putting themselves out there. Just curious about what’s happening around town? Switch to Hibernating mode and explore events without seeing other users or being seen yourself. When you’re ready to meet people, you can make yourself visible and see who’s around. Our aim is simple: to get you out of the door and into the places you’d like to be, with people you might well like to meet.
We’ve also made it possible to snap a photo at a great spot and put it straight on the map, giving others a glimpse of what’s happening and the atmosphere at different events. And if you’re heading out with friends, you can set up a group to keep track of each other throughout the night, making it easier to find anyone who wanders off.
Safety and privacy have been central to how we’ve designed The Craic, with particular attention paid to making women feel comfortable using the app. We want you to be in control of who can see you and how far away they can be. By default, your profile is only visible to people within 25 metres, unless you choose otherwise. Move more than 100 metres from where you last opened the app, and your location is automatically hidden from everyone except your chosen connections. Women can also choose to be visible only to other women. Whether you want to meet new people or simply enjoy a night out with friends, we believe you should always be in control of your visibility.
We’ve made The Craic available in English, Turkish, French, Arabic, and Spanish, because Istanbul is a city of people from everywhere. You can download it at https://thecraic.replit.app/download, choose your interests, and decide how visible you want to be. Whether you’re looking for something to do tonight or someone new to meet, leave the rest to the city. Open your map, see what’s happening, then put down your phone and get out there.
This article was contributed by The Craic.
