Social life was intertwined with the Church and the central government ιn the public life of the Byzantines. The major Christian holidays usually gave the opportunity for celebrations and events taking place in streets, squares and especially in churches that gradually evolved in significant places of socialization. However, especially in the big cities of the first Christian centuries, the secular amusements and spectacles performed in theaters and hippodromes were very popular, connected with social life. Although theater in Byzantium lacked the educational aspect of the ancient classical drama, it never ceased to entertain the public.

Different was the position of sports in Byzantium, as they were seen in a totally different way in comparison with the ancient Greek society: sports, related with physical strength, health and self-sufficiency of citizens of the ancient city-state, could not keep up with the terms and values ​​of the life of a citizen of the empire. However, wrestling, high jump, long jump and javelin were among the authorized sports included in the Justinian legislation.  Traditional sport venues such as the stadium, the arena and the gumnasium, continued to be in use during the early centuries of Byzantium, but from the 6th century onwards, as the economic recession progressed, were left without maintenance, thus becoming ruins.

The visit of baths was an important part of the social life of the Byzantines. In the first Christian centuries cities had large bath complexes, which continued the tradition of antiquity and attracted many people, as they functioned not only as places for cleaning the body and relaxing but also as places of socializing. City dwellers spend much of the day in baths, since except from washing, they enjoyed the relaxing properties of water, met with friends and acquaintances, talked about business, catch the news and exchanged ideas. From the 7th century onwards, large bathhouses fell into disuse and were finally abandoned due to population shrinkage, lack of resources to ensure water supply and high maintenance costs. This resulted in a significant reduction in their number and size, not only in the capital but also in the provinces. Today, only a few Byzantine baths survive; the bath of Thessaloniki and the one that belongs to the Monastery of Kaisariani are among them.