Local events near me finding grassroots gatherings beyond the big festivals and triv

[JerryGJ]

I keep searching for "local events near me" and the results are always the same big festivals or chain restaurant trivia nights. I miss finding those small, weird gatherings like a backyard plant swap or a casual board game meetup in a cafe. Does anyone know of a better app or method to discover the truly grassroots, non-commercial stuff happening around town that never makes it to the main event listings?