People always say, at least online, that hobbies are the way to make friends.
I get it would depend on the hobby too. Eg IME dance groups aren't as good for getting to know people compared to something that involves a bigger ratio of talking compared to being busy doing something that requires a lot of concentration (I'd say I've been around 10 times, but there's not time for conversation. It's just practice, then being the only guy I'm on my own in the male changing room). Did MMA for about 5 months 4 to 5 days a week and while I had people I regularly partnered with, knew by name and small-talked with before training/while changing, I didn't make friends there.
Or if you made friends from hobbies (who you also see outside of the hobby place), what did you do to take things towards a more personal relationship? I once asked a mental health professional this, and their only answer was it happening naturally. I said well no, someone has to make a conscious choice to do or say things, such as noticing at some point good rapport and then suggesting meeting up elsewhere – it's not "natural", in the sense of it just happening without any agency. Their answer to that was "well you don't have to invite them, the other person might" – which is not answering the question of how to be proactive about it.