The three types of recreational activities are Sports, Cultural Activities and Social Gatherings.
Recreational Sports are not those that are played professionally but rather, those that are played for fun. Basketball, football, soccer, baseball and cricket, among others, can be played for fun and recreation. Sometimes these are part of leagues associated with school teams or businesses but can also be “pick-up” games played in a local park amongst community members who happen to be there, interested in the same game.
While recreational sports are not played professionally like the NBA or NHL, there can be organized community tournaments in which teams have playoffs and trophies or awards may be won.
Cultural Activities are those that contribute to or enhance historical, intellectual, artistic or social development of a community or members of the general public. Popular cultural activities include music, photography, art, film, dance, and literary readings.
Cultural activities are important because they bring people together and allow people to learn about the other people around them. This exchange results in social solidarity, civic pride, tolerance, social inclusion and community empowerment. Culture is imperative to a vibrant society. Celebrating the different cultures of any given community whether through arts, food or music, allows for the preservation of cultures as well as the forming of individuals’ identities and a community’s sense of place.
Social Gatherings are when groups of individuals come together in a private or small setting for the purpose of promoting companionship. Social gatherings can consist of a group of people going to a movie, or watching one at home with friends, eating out or going to a pub and having a picnic or barbeque. There are almost endless ways to get together with others for social gatherings. While the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the landscape of social gatherings to a degree, the activities are mostly the same, the size of groups has somewhat gone down.