You don’t have to be a total Nobby-No-Mates to admit that meeting new people in London can be tricky. It’s practically a crime to even look at someone on the Tube, so if you’re not a swipe right pro and your cyber flirt isn’t quite on point, you’re essentially destined to be alone forever. Okay, that might be a bit extreme but do your best to avoid such situations by consulting our list below: who knows who you might end up meeting…
1. Dinner Party @ The Yellow Door, Notting Hill
The Friday night dinner parties at our favourite W11 hangout, The Little Yellow Door, have become kind of legendary and their claim that ‘you’ll arrive with 3 friends and leave with 10’ certainly isn’t a lie. With eccentric flatmate Alejandro Juan Jesus Inigo Montoya (yup – that’s his name) serving up inventive dishes from Latin America and dinner party games to get you warmed up, you’re bound to make a few new mates. Dinner finishes at 9.30, when the room is then transformed into a party space – and you may have to muck in. In fact, if you don’t leave this one with a new number in your phone then you should probably be worried… No pressure. Tickets to this weekly Friday night event sell out quickly so book yours in advance by downloading the Fever app.
2. Singles Party @ Patch Bar, St Pauls
I know, I know, the idea of a ‘Singles Party’ can conjure up some pretty scary images. Smug happy couples pushing you slightly too forcefully into a conversation with a prematurely balding men that smells faintly of pickled herring? That probably says too much about my own love life… Moving on. This is a singles party with a twist: this is speed dating, meaning the options are endless and you can be brutal. You can even get your pretty face put on the photo wall of Patch Bar so you can find out who has left you “flirt cards” the day after… Just think of the fun that can be had. Book your tickets for the event happening this Saturday 15th August. Go on, we dare you.
3. Go To A Frame Workout Class, Shoreditch and Queen’s Park
High intensity work out classes that allow you no time to breathe – let alone speak – may not seem like the best time to make new friends. But hear this one out. At Frame, it doesn’t have to be all blood, sweat and tears because along with their more serious workouts, they also offer classes like ‘Bend It Like Barbie’, ‘Jane Fonda Tribute’ and ‘Music Video’ dance lessons… In other words, it’s a great opportunity to make some gal pals, giggle like you’re in an American rom com and, of course, squeeze, lift and tone your way to perfection… That definitely sounded more superficial than I intended it to. Go for the laughs – and it’s just a bonus if the 80s aerobics physique follows after…
4. Go on a quirky London walking tour, multiple routes
There’s no better place to spark up a conversation than when you’re strolling round our beloved city. Think about it: you’re all there for the same reason, you all love London and you all love…walking. Okay, so the conversation starters might not be so riveting but once you get a bit of a spring in your step and some oxygen in your lungs who knows where it could take you… Authentic London Walks offer great tours of well-loved neighbourhoods, slightly off the beaten track, with a strict ban on Union Jack themed memorabilia. Well, that’s not a written law but it definitely should be. They tour around areas like Highgate, Camden, Bloomsbury and Hampstead: just get your ticket in advance by downloading the events discovery app Fever. Who needs Tinder, eh?