London can be a big and scary place, especially if you’re new to the city and have recently swapped the warm and cosy comfort zone of your hometown for the complete-and-utter chaos of the capital. Tackling the choppy waters of the Big Smoke is overwhelming to say the least, but (speaking from experience) it gets a whole lot easier once you’ve found some emotional lifeboats to help you navigate the turbulence.
It’s pretty vital in this city to have people to message when you fall in love with someone on the train (something that will happen far more often than you think it will) or eat a life-changing bowl of pasta (something that will happen exactly as often as you think it will). So, if that’s what you’re looking for; you’ve come to the right place. Here’s our handy guide on where and how to make new friends in London. And fear not: we would never encourage you to speak to strangers on the tube – we’re Londoners, after all…
1. Become a regular at your local pub or coffee shop
Of course our first suggestion is based around eating and drinking. I mean, would you expect anything less? If there’s two things that London has absolutely nailed; it’s pubs and coffee shops. The city is jam-packed with warm-and-welcoming, cute-and-cosy spots for you to visit. Scope out a local coffee shop for your morning flat whites and a local boozer for your post-work pints, and before you know it you’ll be a regular at both. And hey, one day you might pluck up the courage to speak to a fellow regular and voila – you’ve made your first friend.
2. Take up a new hobby
Our next suggestion is an oldie but a goldie. There’s no better place to try new things than in London. From bouldering and bee-keeping to pottery-painting and paddle-boarding; there’s just so many things to do and try. Oh, and spoiler alert: you don’t actually have to be good at your hobbies to be able to enjoy them, so go and try something new or rekindle a hobby that you loved in your childhood. You might just meet a whole load of like-minded people while you’re at it.
3. Do some volunteer work
Another great way to meet new people in London is by volunteering. There are lots of organisations in the city that need volunteers to help out at events, most of which involve working with other people. Whether it be helping out at a soup kitchen, working a few hours a week in a charity shop, or getting involved in a local litter-pick; there’s plenty of ways to do your bit and hopefully meet some new friends along the way. It’s good for your conscience and your social life.
4. Join a gym or fitness studio
Now look, I know that joining a gym and being surrounded by fitness fanatics can be a little intimidating for us mere mortals. But in London, there are so many gyms and fitness studios that don’t just offer weight training and HIIT classes, but also super fun and slightly less intense classes that will make you forget you’re actually exercising. From bouncing on a mini trampoline at Frame to playing nostalgic playground games at Rabble; I can assure that there’s an exercise class for everybody to enjoy in this city – even those of us who haven’t moved our bodies since PE class at school. And they’re the perfect place to make new friends, too!
5. Enrol on to a course
As you may have noticed, I’m a sucker for trying new things. It really is the best way to make new friends, though, because most of the people there will be in the exact same boat as you. Signing up to a specific class or course not only gives you a ready made group of people to socialise with, but also holds you accountable because (usually) you’ve paid for a block of classes and (hopefully) you’ve picked something that you’re going to enjoy. Whether it be a language-learning course, a cookery class or a painting workshop; what’s better than taking some well-deserved time out of your week to learn something new, have some fun, and meet some new people, hey?
6. Sign up to a friend-finding app
For some people, talking to new people face-to-face doesn’t come all that naturally, and they’d far rather strike up a conversation with the helping hand of technology. Much like dating apps (but hopefully not as traumatising), there’s a plethora of apps designed to help you find new friends in your local area. I’ve heard of many success stories from Bumble BFF (which is the exact same concept as Bumble – but for platonic relationships instead) and other apps such as Meetup and Nextdoor are apparently pretty helpful too.
7. Join a club
Credit: @scrambledlegsrunners via Instagram
The final entry on our list of how to make new friends in London is an absolute classic (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it and all that…). Much like a pair of jeans and a nice top; joining a club literally never goes out of style. Cast your mind back to your childhood, when your after-school clubs were the highlight of your week. Well, news flash: extracurricular clubs can still be enjoyed well into your adult life and they are the perfect place to make new friends. Drama club, swimming club, chess club, book club, running club, quite literally – whatever club floats your boat; go out there and join one – because you really won’t regret it.
So, there you have it, folks – some handy ways to make new mates in this big, bustling, brilliant city of ours. Happy friend-finding, Londoners!