How to Make Friends in London as an Adult

If you’re trying to make friends in London, pick something you can actually go back to. Try a run club, volunteer somewhere, join a book club or go to a language exchange. The specific thing matters less than going often enough that people start to recognise you. Then invite one person to do one small plan afterwards, like coffee, a walk or a market.

Making friends in London is weird because the city is full of people and still somehow everyone is “busy for the next few weeks”. You can be surrounded by millions of humans and still end up spending Saturday scrolling while pretending you are simply “having a quiet one”.

The problem is not that London has no places to meet people. The problem is that most meetings never become plans.

That is the Bfriendz idea in one sentence: real friendships usually start with real plans. Not endless chatting, not vague “we should hang out sometime”, but something simple enough to actually happen.

Best ways to meet new people in London

Go somewhere often enough that you stop being the new person. That’s usually when people start talking.

Good places to start:

Run clubs and walking groups

Board game nights

Book clubs

Language exchanges

Volunteering

Beginner sports

Creative classes

Supper clubs

Neighbourhood events

Friend-making apps

Local community groups

Small group experiences

The best option is not the coolest one. It is the one you can realistically go to more than once.

1. Join a club where people actually talk

A lot of adult friendship advice says “join a club”, which is technically true and also deeply unhelpful. Go for something where talking to people is already part of what you’re doing. In London, that could be a book club, board game night, film club, pottery class, choir, writing group, life drawing session, photo walk or language exchange. It takes away that awkward bit where you have to randomly start a conversation with someone you’ve never met. You already have the activity as a reason to speak.

Best for: people who hate networking but can talk about a book, game, film or badly made ceramic bowl.

2. Use events, but choose smaller ones

London has endless events. That is part of the problem. Big events are good for leaving the house, but not always good for making friends.

Look for smaller formats: supper clubs, discussion nights, gallery openings, comedy workshops, beginner classes, social walks, themed meetups, “come solo” dinners or community events where people are expected to talk.

A 12-person dinner is usually better than a 300-person “networking mixer” where everyone is secretly trying to find the least awkward corner.

Best for: meeting people without having to invent the whole social situation yourself.

3. Try sport, even if you are not sporty

Sport is one of the easiest ways to make friends in London because you do not need to be fascinating immediately. You don’t have to be particularly sporty either. Just pick something you wouldn’t mind doing regularly — parkrun, climbing, padel, badminton, football, yoga, dance, whatever. After a few sessions, you’ll probably start recognising people anyway. The magic is not the sport. It is the repeat schedule.

Run, walk, stretch, lose at something, laugh about it, come back next week. That is a better friendship system than one intense coffee with someone you may never see again.

Best for: anyone who wants to be around people without having to make a big thing of it.

4. Volunteer if you want better conversations

Volunteering is underrated for making friends because people arrive with a reason to be there. You are not just trying to be liked. You are doing something useful next to other people.

You could help out at a food bank, do a neighbourhood clean-up, volunteer at a festival or spend a few hours at an animal shelter. London has plenty of things like that going on. GoodGym is especially useful because it mixes movement, volunteering and a group format.

Best for: meeting people who are not just there to drink or swipe.

5. Start with your neighbourhood

London gets easier when you stop treating it like one city and start treating it like a set of tiny villages with better transport and worse rent.

Search for things in your actual area: local WhatsApp groups, Facebook groups, community centres, libraries, council events, park groups, residents’ associations, markets, yoga in the park, repair cafés, community gardens and local classes.

You are more likely to become friends with someone you can meet on a Tuesday after work than someone who technically lives in London but requires two trains and emotional preparation.

Best for: turning “we should meet up” into something that does not need a calendar summit.

6. Use apps, but do not get stuck in the chat

Apps can help you meet new people in London, but only if you move from chat to plan quickly. Bumble For Friends, Eventbrite groups and newer friend-making communities can all be useful, but the app is only the doorway.

The mistake is treating friendship like dating app admin. Ten chats, no plan, everyone disappears.

On Bfriendz, the idea is simpler: start with the plan. Coffee in Hackney. A walk in South Bank. A gallery after work. A Sunday market. Something nearby, specific and easy to say yes to.

Best for: people who want to meet new friends but need a clear reason to message.

7. Turn one meeting into a second plan

This is the part most guides skip.

You do not make a friend by meeting once. You make a friend by making the second plan feel normal. If you meet someone at a club, event or app and the conversation is good, do not leave it as “nice to meet you”. Say something specific.

A simple first friend plan in London

The safest first friend plan is coffee plus a short walk.

It is public. It is cheap. You’re not committing to a whole evening. If it’s awkward, 45 minutes is enough. If you’re getting on, you can just keep walking.

Good first friend plans in London:

Coffee and a walk

A food market lap

A free gallery

A bookshop browse

A park walk

A board game café

A casual class

A local event

A Sunday market

A short museum visit

For warmer days, try these last-minute summer plans to make with new friends. For a more direct first hangout format, use our guide to first friend date ideas.

How to make friends in London if you are shy

Choose structured plans. Do not start with huge parties, loud pubs or events where everyone already seems to know each other.

Better options:

A beginner class

A volunteer shift

A walking group

A board game night

A small supper club

A run club with a social pace

A book club with discussion prompts

A friend-making app where plans are clear

You do not need to become a louder person. You need an easier setting.

How long does it actually take to make friends in London?

Longer than you want, usually.It can take a while, and that’s normal. Go back a few times before you write it off. By the third or fourth week, there’ll usually be a couple of faces you know well enough to say hi to. If you get on with someone, suggest a coffee after. Some connections will disappear. Some will stay casual. One or two might become real friends.

That is normal. Friendship is not one perfect event. It is repetition plus low-pressure plans.

The best strategy

Pick one weekly thing and one flexible app or event source.

For example:

Monday: run club or class

Wednesday: Bfriendz plan, Meetup or local event

Weekend: coffee, market, walk or volunteering

Do that for four weeks. Not perfectly. Just enough that London starts to feel less like a giant waiting room.

The goal is not to meet everyone. It is to meet a few people you would actually want to see again.

More ways to turn meeting people into real plans

If there’s someone you want to see again but you’re overthinking the message, have a look at how to ask a new friend to hang out.

If the harder part is figuring out what to actually do, last-minute summer plans to make with new friends has a few easy ideas.

And if coffee is the safest plan, use our guide to the best coffee date spots in London by neighbourhood. Most coffee date routes work just as well for new friends.