Making friends in London can be challenging in such a large and fast-paced city. As someone who’s born and raised in London, I didn’t appreciate how hard it was to make friends in a new city until I moved to Melbourne. After a couple of years living in Australia, I found myself in the position of moving back to London to a number of friends in a different life stage to me. This lead to me looking for ways to make friends in London to expand my social circle and find people in the same life stage as me. Whether you’re just moved to the city, or just looking to expand your social circle, here are some suggestions on how to make friends in London.
Join Friend-Making Social Clubs
Time Left: Time Left is an app that matches you with 5 people for dinner and drinks, based on a little questionnaire you fill out. This is to ensure you’re matched with people of a similar age, life stage, interests etc. The dinners take place on Wednesdays at 7, with a designated bar to go to afterwards. The same bar is used for every Time Left Wednesday, so you can meet people from other Time Left dinners there too! It’s such a great way to meet a new group of people who are typically interested in similar things to you. This app is available in cities across the world and not just London!
We Got You Boo: We Got You Boo is a great way for women to meet other women, with 50+ group chats, organised events, meet-ups and retreats! There’s a lifetime membership fee of £49.00 which gives you access to all the different chats and huge list of events. What I love about this too is you can chose region specific groups, so you meet people from specific parts of London (or wider UK) to have more local friends.
Lonely Girls Club: The Lonely Girls Club is a community, spread across the UK, to help women connect with other women to “make life a little less lonely“. Consisting of digital forums and weekly meet-ups and events, this is a great community to find friends! This isn’t just available in London. They also have groups in Nottingham, Birmingham and Manchester.
Gutsy Girls: Gutsy Girls is a group all about taking on new challenges! They organise regular events and trips – ranging from small weekends away to full international trips. If a full trip sounds a bit much (or out of your budget) consider joining their day excursions. These take place across the country, including London, Bristol and Bath, and range from paddleboarding to yoga or day hikes.
Gals Who: The Gals Who community consists of 300,000 girls worldwide who support each other with everything from graduation to travelling. The online community has now grown to Gals Who Sweat, Gals Who Travel, Gals Who Read, Gals Who Date, Gals Who Rent and Gals Who Recruit. These are Facebook groups, so consider joining one that appeals to you.
Sober Girl Society: Sober Girl Society is a group for sober and sober-curious women to meet and enjoy virtual workshops to fun IRL events. London has a big drinking scene and it can be frustrating to have most social events revolving around alcohol. This is a great way to meet new people without feeling pressure to drink alcohol.
Supper Clubs: London is home to a number of supper clubs but some worth checking out are Khao Suppers, Eleven98, The Bridge Club, and probably one of the coolest Supperclub.tube. This supper club actually takes place in an old school London Underground carriage!
Common Friend-Making Apps
Meetup.com: This platform offers various groups and events based on interests, from language exchanges and book clubs to hiking and wine tasting. It’s a fantastic place to find niche communities!
London Newcomers Club: Specifically for people new to London. They organise regular meet-ups and activities, perfect for those unfamiliar with the city. I have found this to be for a slightly older demographic but worth having a look at their various activities and events.
Bumble BFF: Designed for making friends, you can swipe and connect with other people who are also looking to expand their social circle. I had great experiences with this when I had moved to Australia and was looking for friends in Melbourne.
Friender: Matches users with people who share similar interests and hobbies, making it easier to connect on a personal level. I haven’t got first hand experience with this but could be worth checking out.
Sports and Fitness Groups
Go Mammoth: Go Mammoth offer a huge range of social sports leagues across London, including netball, football, volleyball, indoor hockey, basketball and many more! No experience is needed and it’s a relaxed way to meet new people.
GoodGym: GoodGym is not-for-profit group that combines running, walking and cycling with volunteering. The volunteering can be anything from helping community projects or visiting elderly people and you can choose from a number of initiatives on their site. It’s a great way to get fit while giving back and meeting others.
Be Military Fitness (BMF): These are quite intense group fitness sessions run by former military personnel in London parks. The camaraderie developed in tough workouts can help form strong bonds. Get super fit and make friends in the process with Be Military Fit (previously British Military Fitness).
Parkrun: One of my favourite community activities in London is Parkrun! These are free, weekly 5km runs held in various parks around London on Saturday mornings. A fantastic way to meet like-minded runners or just enjoy a chat and coffee afterward! Check out the Parkrun site to find your nearest one. I have been lucky to travel around the world, and spend several years working overseas across Australia, Singapore and Malaysia. Parkrun was always my first go-to in all these places to start forming a network, so i’d highly recommend checking it out if you’re into running/jogging.
Join a Sports Club of Your Choice: A great way to meet people in London is to join a hobby or sport you actually like. That way you’re engaging in something you enjoy and meet people with similar interests. Plus it takes the pressure off just going to something just to make friends. There are so many different sports clubs in London, from running and rugby, to 5-a-sides and netball. I highly recommend looking to join your local netball club, golf club etc. My sport of choice is running! London is home to so many incredible running clubs, who often go for pints/coffees after a run to help people socialise. The best running clubs I’ve found so far for making friends is Midnight Runners, London City Runners and Friday Night Lights!
Local Gym: Become a regular at your local gym and connect with people that way! Or if you’re not into lifting weights, join something like F45, Barry’s Bootcamp, Boom Cycle etc where, if you go regularly, you’ll start seeing the same faces!
Join a Class or Course
City Lit: City Lit offers various evening classes in subjects like languages, arts, and professional development. Learning something new is a great way to connect with others. Whether you’re looking to learn a language, gain a certificate in social media marketing or improve your writing skills, there are so many class to choose from.
The School of Life: The School of Life hosts workshops and talks on various topics, including relationships, philosophy and self-development. It attracts people interested in deep, meaningful conversations.
Cookery Classes: Taking a cooking class can be a fun way to bond over shared interests and tastes. There are so many classes to choose from in London, from one-day events to longer courses. Leiths School of Food and Wine, the Avenue Cookery School and Cookery School at Little Portland Street are great places to start. In addition, wine courses like WSET can be a fun way to get to know people, whilst learning about wine.
Volunteering
Hands On London: Hands On London is another site that makes finding volunteer opportunities in London easy! They have two main initiatives. The first is BrightenUp London, which aims to improve London’s green spaces. The second is WrapUp London, which seeks to provide warm coats for those in need. However, they have a number of other volunteer opportunities on the site too.
Team London: A government initiative that connects volunteers with organisations across the city. Volunteering is a great way to make friends while contributing to a cause you care about.
Do-it.org: A website that lists volunteering opportunities across the city, allowing you to choose something that aligns with your interests.
The Felix Project: A charity that rescues surplus food and redistributes it to vulnerable people. Volunteering with them can offer a mix of socialising and meaningful impact.
Join a Co-Working Space
Co-Working Spaces: Co-working spaces, like WeWork or Work Life, often organise social events, workshops and networking events, ideal for freelancers or remote workers looking to expand their social circle.
Second Home: A creative community that provides flexible workspaces and hosts regular events for members. Currently they are based in London and Lisbon, with London locations in Holland Park and Spitalfields.
Impact Hub: Focused on social entrepreneurship, Impact Hub attracts mission-driven individuals and often hosts community-focused events. There’s a wide range of opportunities here for learning and collaboration with like-minded individuals.
Attend Cultural and Community Events
Time Out London: Time Out London is great for seeing the latest events happening in the city, from theatre shows and festivals to pop-up markets and outdoor screenings. It’s great for looking up the newest restaurants, pop-ups and happenings!
Londonist: Similar to Time Out, the Londonist covers interesting events and happenings across London, helping you find social gatherings or niche activities.
Southbank Centre: Hosts a variety of events, including music, dance and literary festivals. These can be great for meeting others with similar cultural interests.
Pub Meet-Ups and Quiz Nights
Pub Quiz: Many London pubs host quiz nights where you can join a team or even go solo to be matched up with others. Popular venues include The Old Queen’s Head in Islington and The King’s Arms in Waterloo. If you go solo, go up to the quizmaster and they might be able to help you join another team.
London Pub Crawls: A great way to enjoy the many pubs of London is to join a guided tour in specific areas. This is a great way to know more about your local area, as well as having a fun social environment to meet new people. Some popular places to look include The Shoreditch Pub Crawl and The London Pub Crawl Company.
Networking Events for Professionals
Eventbrite: Often lists professional networking events, panel discussions and social gatherings for various industries. Eventbrite isn’t just for networking events, it has a wide range of events from parties, to music events to bar crawls etc.
General Assembly: Runs tech and business-related workshops, which attract professionals and people looking to network. There are so many events to choose from! Check them out here.
The Hoxton Mix: A co-working space that also organises networking events, particularly for start-ups and freelancers.
Industry Specific Networking: Consider a Google search of networking events for your specific industry. I work in SEO by day, and there are a number of great SEO networking groups throughout the city that host monthly events. This is a great way to meet others in your industry and broaden your network.
Hobby Groups and Interest-Based Clubs
London Writers’ Café: A community for writers of all levels, where you can meet people through workshops and feedback sessions.
Board Game Clubs: For those who enjoy board games, there are a number of clubs to check out across London. Check out this other blog that has put together a list of clubs around London. Alternatively, if you have a specific game you like, try a google search for relating clubs!
Toastmasters London: Helps people improve their public speaking and leadership skills. There are several branches around the city where you can practice and socialise.
Explore Social Media Communities
Facebook Groups: There are so many Facebook groups to check out for making friends in London. I recommend searching for London-based interest groups, like “Book Clubs in London” or “Outdoor Adventures in London” to find friends with specific interests. For broader groups, look for things like “Expats in London” or “Girls Gone International London”.
Reddit (r/LondonSocialClub): A subreddit dedicated to organising meet-ups, finding activities or making new friends. This is a great one to check out as it’s very active, with multiple posts a day suggesting meet up and activities. You can check out the subreddit here.
Instagram Communities: Follow London-specific hashtags like #ThisIsLondon or #WeLoveLondon to find local events and meet people with similar interests. This might not directly lead to friends but it’s definitely a great way to see new things happening in the city!
Book and Film Clubs
Waterstones Book Club: Some locations host regular book club meetings where you can discuss literature and meet fellow book lovers. Check out their site for more information on locations, events and author meet-ups!
The Prince Charles Cinema: Located in Leicester Square, it hosts film marathons, sing-alongs and themed screenings, making it easy to start a conversation with fellow film buffs.
Attend Language Exchanges
Tandem London: Language exchange meet-ups where people practice different languages together. You can improve your language skills while meeting people from diverse backgrounds. There are nearly 5,000 Tandem partners in London with a wide range of languages to choose from.
Language Café at The Abbey Centre: Offers a space for people to learn and practice languages through conversation, often with social events or themed evenings.
Join London-Based Travel or Adventure Groups
Outdooraholics: This is a group within the meet-up site that provides hikes and adventure travel for those between 25-49 years old. It’s one of the largest outdoor groups in London with over 50,000 members. There are multiple events happening each weekend around the country – many departing from London. Check out the group within meetup here.
The Expedition Club: Focused on adventure and exploration, this group organises events for people who love the outdoors. Events take place once a month around the UK! Check out their site for more info.
Walking Groups: There are a number of walking groups around the UK that are worth joining, if you’re looking to meet new people and get out in nature. Ones to look at are the famous Ramblers, with their London-specific site here, and the Metropolitan Walkers. The latter is geared at people in their 20s-30s, whereas the Ramblers is all inclusive and around the country.
Explore the Arts and Creative Scene
Drink & Draw London: They host regular meet-ups for those who enjoy drawing. All skill levels are welcome and it’s a casual way to bond over art.
The Poetry Café in Covent Garden: A hub for poetry readings and open mic nights, where you can meet other creative-minded people.
Paint and Sip: A fun way to meet people over having some drinks whilst painting. I did a few of these when I moved to Melbourne! It was always a fun activity to do after work and bond with people over our poor painting skills.
I hope these ideas will help boost your chances of finding a group of friends who share your interests. London is a diverse and vibrant city with plenty of opportunities to connect with other likeminded people. It’s just a case of putting yourself out there and saying yes to things!