← Part of our Things to Do in Southeast Texas guide
Forge What's Next is a free entrepreneur networking event in Beaumont, TX, running Thursday, August 20, 2026, from 6 to 8 PM at The Forge, 268 Pearl Street. What's Up SETX founder Lance Taylor and Shaye Doolittle, Director of Growth and Community at The Forge, are hosting it together. Admission is free and the event is walk-in. It's an evening for business owners, side hustlers and people still at the idea stage.
What Is Forge What's Next?
Forge What's Next is a SETX entrepreneur connection night, co-hosted by What's Up SETX and The Forge. Two hours, one room, and the people standing in it are building things across the Golden Triangle. Come with an idea. Leave with a connection.
You bring whatever you're working on, a business that launched three years ago or a note on your phone from last week, and you leave with a few names you didn't have at six o'clock.
When and Where Is This Beaumont Networking Event?
Forge What's Next runs Thursday, August 20, 2026, from 6 to 8 PM at The Forge, 268 Pearl Street, Beaumont, TX 77701. Admission is free and the event is walk-in.
The Forge sits in downtown Beaumont, a couple of minutes' walk from the Crockett Street district.
Who Is This Beaumont Networking Night For?
Business owners already running something in Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange, Nederland or anywhere else across the Golden Triangle. Side hustlers with a day job and a second thing going at nights and weekends. And people still at the idea stage, who have told roughly four people about it.
Tell people what you've been working on, and find out who else in the Golden Triangle is working on something next to it.
Free Professional Headshots at Forge What's Next
Nicole Foster of Emerie Photography is shooting free professional headshots at Forge What's Next. Emerie Photography is based in Beaumont, and Foster shoots families, weddings, portraits and special events.
The headshots happen inside The Forge at 268 Pearl Street on Thursday, August 20, 2026, in the same 6 to 8 PM window as the rest of the evening. Admission is free, and so is the photograph. The room is walk-in.
You leave with a picture for your website, your LinkedIn profile and your business cards.
What's Up SETX drops every Monday and Wednesday with local news, events, food and hidden gems from the Golden Triangle. Totally free.
Subscribe free →What Is The Forge?
The Forge calls itself a community of entrepreneurs, remote workers and investors. Its tagline: Beaumont's home for entrepreneurs to work, build, and scale.
Inside: secure digital access, conference rooms, high speed WiFi, business advisors, community events and an arcade lounge. A coworking space and a fund, in the same building at 268 Pearl Street.
Where to Eat Near The Forge
Food comes from Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, and drinks are available at The Forge. Downtown Beaumont handles dinner after.
Riverside Grille is at 290 Crockett Street in the Crockett Street district, about two minutes on foot. Call (409) 347-8004 for Thursday hours.
Hearsay is at 461 Bowie Street, about five minutes, and stays open until 11 on a Thursday. It opened in 2025 in the building that was Suga's. (409) 234-5640.
Chuck's Sandwich Shop is the closest food to the door, four doors up Pearl at 493, and it closes at 2 PM on weekdays.
Our Southeast Texas food guide covers the rest of the region.
What Else Is Free in Beaumont?
Free admission at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas, the Fire Museum of Texas, the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum, and the guided tour of the McFaddin-Ward House on Calder Avenue. The Cattail Marsh boardwalk inside Tyrrell Park is free and open daily, and the birding out there is the best in the region.
Two of those stops keep weekday hours: the Fire Museum of Texas opens Monday to Friday, and the Botanical Gardens conservatory keeps the same hours. A Thursday gets you into both. Our Beaumont city guide has the full list.
Thursday, August 20. 6 to 8 PM. The Forge, 268 Pearl Street, Beaumont. Free admission, walk in.
Come with an idea. Leave with a connection.
The What's Up SETX Team
Want the Golden Triangle in your inbox twice a week, with local news, events, food, and the things worth knowing about? What's Up SETX is free.
Frequently Asked Questions About Forge What's Next
What is Forge What's Next?
A free entrepreneur connection night co-hosted by What's Up SETX and The Forge, running Thursday, August 20, 2026, from 6 to 8 PM at The Forge, 268 Pearl Street in downtown Beaumont. Come with an idea. Leave with a connection. Two hours in a room with people who are building something.
When and where is Forge What's Next?
Thursday, August 20, 2026, from 6 to 8 PM, at The Forge, 268 Pearl Street, Beaumont, TX 77701. The Forge is in downtown Beaumont, a couple of minutes' walk from the Crockett Street district. Admission is free and the event is walk-in. What's Up SETX and The Forge are co-hosting this event.
Is Forge What's Next free, and do I need to RSVP?
Admission is free and the event is walk-in. Turn up at The Forge, 268 Pearl Street, between 6 and 8 PM on Thursday, August 20, 2026. Food comes from Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen and drinks are available. The room is open to business owners, side hustlers and anyone still at the idea stage.
Do I need to already have a business to attend?
The room is built for business owners, people running a side hustle, and people still at the idea stage. If you've been turning something over in your head and you've told roughly four people about it, you're who the room is for.
What should I bring to a networking event like this?
Business cards if you have them. A one sentence answer to the question of what you're working on, because you'll get asked it a lot. Something to write on, because you'll want to remember names. Food comes from Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, and Riverside Grille and Hearsay are both a short walk away if you want dinner after.
Are the headshots at Forge What's Next free?
Yes. Nicole Foster of Emerie Photography is shooting free professional headshots at Forge What's Next, inside The Forge at 268 Pearl Street on Thursday, August 20, 2026. Emerie Photography is based in Beaumont, and Foster shoots families, weddings, portraits and special events. Admission to the event is free and the room is walk-in.