It's a new year, which means you've probably set a few new goals for yourself. If one of those was to find a hobby that'll keep you busy or to simply use a different part of your brain than usual, we have good news!
We've consulted experts about this year's trending hobbies and everything you need to know to get started. From pastimes that have been around for generations to the new kids on the block, here's what's expected to make waves in 2025.
Gardening
According to Christina Brinkman, marketing manager at Uncommon Goods, people have been paying special attention to what is in the food they consume and have been turning to growing their own food in unique garden spaces. In the 2025 Pinterest trend report, searches for "self-sufficient gardens" have increased by 55% in the past two years.
Whether it's a communal garden on top of your building or a local community garden, people are coming together to create an oasis and useful space where they can grow everything from herbs to veggies.
If growing food isn't your thing and you'd prefer classic florals, "chaos gardening" has increased in search by 300% this year on Pinterest because of its easy application and unique results. All you have to do is toss a bunch of seeds around your garden, then be surprised by what blooms in the spring.
Home improvement and build kits
Whether you're renting, a long-time homeowner or just bought your first house, you know all too well how expensive it can be to hire a contractor or handyman. With the help of the internet, more people are venturing out of their comfort zones to take on home improvement and building projects themselves.
According to the Pinterest trend report, adults are trying to jazz up their spaces and make them more playful by turning them into personal canvases. Searches for "hand-painted furniture" and "hand-painted wall patterns" have increased by 135% and 60%, respectively.
Deb Walker, director of consumer insights at Michaels, also says that they have seen "upcycling and DIY décor projects grow in popularity this year as more people embrace these hobbies as a way to save money and/or reduce waste while creating something personal and meaningful."
In a similar vein, Brinkman adds that adults are playing more with kits that explore creativity by building unique home additions like gaming machines, mini airplanes and more. Walker echoes similar sentiments, noting that easy-to-follow build kits have been increasing in popularity because they are "beginner-friendly projects and make these activities accessible and fun for everyone."
At-home cooking
What's the big dill with pickles? People haven't gotten enough of them recently, especially since they have learned how easy they are to make. You can pickle just about anything and it's a relatively cheap hobby, requiring only a couple of ingredients. Pinterest's trend report noticed a 100% search increase for pickle-adjacent foods like pickle margaritas and an 80% increase in searches for fried pickle dip.
Aside from pickling, people have been turning to general cooking — everything from meal prep to the latest TikTok-viral recipes — and baking as hobbies. Baking in particular has been a source of whimsy, with Pinterest's report finding increases in searches for "funny cakes for friends," "celeb crush cakes" and more wacky ideas.
Shop TODAY social media video producer Anita Chomenko has recently gotten into cooking and says, "I fell down a rabbit hole of watching videos of people making pasta at home and I immediately had to buy a pasta machine. It’s very easy to use!"
Reading
While reading may seem like a pretty simple hobby, people are using it as a way to unwind for a few moments before bed or on their morning commute. Associate editor Allie Wise says, "I love reading at night before bed to help wind down. It helps relax my mind and enter a new world without leaving my apartment."
Whether you are in a book club IRL or an online forum community, there are plenty of spaces to share your ideas and opinions. Booktok, for example, has exploded in popularity with dedicated readers and authors reaching new audiences on the app to share their books and their thoughts on characters, storylines and more.
Brinkman says reading is a popular hobby for the homebodies of the world. She has noticed a big increase in reading materials and gear bought from Uncommon Goods including reading apparel, journals to track your reads and more.
Knitting and crocheting
An oldie but a goodie, knitting and crocheting is a hobby that doesn't seem to be going away any time soon. According to Walker, 97% of people in a Michaels survey turned towards crafts like knitting for its therapeutic qualities.
The knitting and crocheting community also has a large following online with the trend “WIP Wednesdays" on Youtube and TikTok where creators share with their followers what they are working on this week for their pieces — like a digital diary.
NBC News photo editor Vivian Le recently took up the hobby and says, "I think that the act of knitting helps me understand that the ways that modern garment making is undermining the quality that consumers deserve and undermining the compensation that workers who make garments are owed."
Pro tip: When deputy editorial director Alexandra Deabler was new to knitting, she found written directions a little hard to follow, so she bought knitting kits that include how-to videos.
Journaling
While photos are great for capturing the moment, a journal invites you to remember how you felt and experienced important moments in the year. "Junk journaling" — collecting scraps of everyday pieces of "junk" throughout travels or special days and then gluing them to journal pages as a way to memorialize an adventure — is a trend that has really taken off, according to Walker. People treat it as an art, similar to collaging, using items like train tickets, playbills and receipts.
Junk journaling is an easy way to give yourself ideas as to what to write about in your regular journal. It is also a fun way to recycle what otherwise would have been trash.
Team sports
If getting fit was also on your 2025 bingo card, a fun, community-based way to stay active is by participating in local sports. You'd be surprised how many local recreational leagues there are for adults!
While rec leagues are nothing new, the increased interest around athletic fashion is. According to Pinterest, the search for "matching jerseys couples" has increased in 80%. And who could forget about the tenniscore trend of 2024.
In case you were wondering, pickleball's popularity isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Brinkman says she's noticed fans of the sport picking up new gear to help grow their game.
What are the benefits of having hobbies?
Hobbies are a great way to take yourself out of a stressful situation for a couple of minutes every day or whenever you can. While the reality is that most of us spend our days looking at a screen, hobbies offer a way to use both your body and your mind in a new way.
“The mindfulness of making and creating allows individuals to tune out negative factors, focusing instead on being present in the moment and experiencing the joy of their activity,” says Walker.
Brinkman adds that “hobbies can help reduce stress by providing an outlet for relaxation and enjoyment. They can also help stimulate creativity and innovation.”
Another benefit of having a hobby is that it opens you up to a new group of people with similar interests, especially online. You can find existing communities for your hobby of choice of Reddit, YouTube and Facebook. Brinkman mentions that it facilitates new ways to build friendships as an adult and it gives you the confidence to excel at something outside of the workplace.
“Learning a new skill or hobby is the fastest-growing New Year’s resolution heading into 2025,” Walker says, citing a Michaels consumer survey.
How we choose
The Shop TODAY team interviewed experts to find out what hobbies are the best to invest in 2025. We then scoured the internet for highly-rated, fan-favorite products and used our personal experiences to provide picks to get you started.
Meet the experts
- Deb Walker is the director of consumer insights at Michaels.
- Christina Brinkman is the senior marketing analyst at Uncommon Goods.
