Some are taking up knitting or crochet. Others are growing flowers or going fishing. These days, such hobbies are no longer old-fashioned. For Gen Z has decided that the pastimes of pensioners are rather pleasing.
Representational image. (Shutterstock)
According to Eventbrite, a global events marketplace, baking and bingo are on the rise. In Britain attendance at flower-arranging classes almost quadrupled between 2023 and 2025; in America there were two and a half times more puzzle competitions. Even birding is a “hot girl hobby”; in Britain there are more than 450,000 Gen Z birdwatchers, soaring from around 60,000 in 2018, according to data from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
“Grannycore”—as youngsters call the trend—is not limited to entertainment. Gen Zers respect their elders’ taste in homeware and fashion (think florals and cardigans). Some are even holidaying like old fogeys: Gen Z and millennials are just as enthusiastic about cruises as retirees, according to the Cruise Lines International Association. On TikTok youngsters mock the idea that “cruises are for old people” and say they are “the most convenient way to travel”.
Why do the young seem so old at heart? Gen Z “really embraces nostalgia” and wants to experience things “they never got to experience”, says Rudi Greenberg, Eventbrite’s head of curation and trends. Psychologists call such yearning “anemoia”: in an era of flashy screens and endless apps, youngsters look with rose-tinted glasses at such dull things as darning an old pair of socks.
Wholesome pursuits appeal to a generation keen to get off their phones and swap the headaches of hangovers for the clatter of knitting needles. London Creative Gals, a social group, meets weekly to craft or embroider. Martina Vintaloro, the founder, notes that 90% of attendees come alone to meet “like-minded girls”. On a recent mid-week evening they gathered to paint pottery, many sipping soft drinks not cocktails.
In such environments socialising can feel “slower, a little more grounded”, argues Mr Greenberg, perhaps reminiscent of “conversations with your Grandma”. The hobbies can also improve concentration and well-being: “Self-Care One Stitch at a Time”, a course run by psychologists, lauds the therapeutic benefits of knitting. As one fan of the old-timey trend recently put it: “Grandmas were onto something.”
