For all those times when your friends want to go out but no one has good ideas on what to do, Google wants to make it easier for you to find the right event. On Wednesday, the search engine rolled out a new feature to help US users looking for things to do around town.
To use it, you can search for something like “jazz concerts in Austin” or “art events this weekend” on your phone. Google will now display a structured list of local events with the most pertinent information so you can get a quick sense of what your options are. And if you’re really not sure what you want to do, just type in “events near me” to get a taste of what’s out there.
“With a single tap, you’ll see at-a-glance details about various options, like the event title, date and time, and location,” The company said in a statement. “You can tap ‘more events’ to see additional options. Once you find one that’s up your alley, tap it to find more details or buy tickets directly from the website.”
And you’re not just limited to things happening now. Google search will let you select different time periods so you can plan ahead and fill up that calendar.
While the new feature might not compare to Facebook’s practically sentient events features that can suggest events based on your interests and your friends’ activity, there’s definitely still a lot of value in this straightforward and localized list Google is presenting us with. It’s an easy-to-read answer to the eternal question of what else you can do with your friends other than just have dinner together.
Right now, Google is pulling data from websites like Eventbrite, Ticketmaster, SeatGeek, Meetup, Vividseats, Jambase, LiveNation, Burbio, Allevents.in, Bookmyshow.com, StubHub, Bandsintown, Yext, and Eventful. The list will expand over time. For any developers who want to ensure their events get listed, Google released a guideline for developers.
