It just makes me so sad that I discovered HN so late !
Similarly, I started going to Improv Everywhere events in 2006 (https://improveverywhere.com/2006/02/18/cell-phone-symphony/), just before they stopped doing every event as a massive cattle call. I was disappointed that I found it so late! But a few years ago, on a reddit AMA, the founder of Improv Everywhere himself told me that as a "longtime attendee", I should make the point of saying hi to him the next one I went to.
So wait! Be happy you didn't find it later, and think about how much history you have to discover.