Say it is a Thursday in February. You live in Brixton, you have had a long week, and you would like to do something this evening that is not your sofa. You could go to a gallery, a film or a concert on your own, and it would be a perfectly nice evening. But if what you actually want is to know a few more people by the spring, most of those options will not help, because nobody there expects to see you again.
This guide is about the other kind of solo plan: things you can go to alone in London that are built to lead to a second conversation. If you want the pleasant solo day instead, we have things to do alone in London for that.
01The rule
A solo plan leads to meeting people when it has three things: a fixed start time, a shared task, and the same faces next time. Each option below is scored on how likely it is to produce a second conversation, which is the only thing that matters.
02The best bets
1. parkrun, and the cafe afterwards
A free, timed 5k every Saturday morning in dozens of London parks. Walking is fine. The run itself is not very social; the cafe afterwards is, and the volunteer rota is better still. Marshalling or handing out tokens once a month gives you a job and a team. Second conversation: very likely, if you stay for the coffee.
2. A term-long evening class
Ten weeks, same night, same room, same people. City Lit, Morley College and the Mary Ward Centre run hundreds of adult courses, and plenty of independent studios run pottery, life drawing and cooking courses. Choose a term rather than a one off workshop. Very likely, by week four.
3. A run club with a social pace
Most London run clubs have a slow group and a pub or cafe stop at the end. You arrive alone, and nobody expects otherwise. See London run clubs. Likely.
4. A led walk
Ramblers groups and independent walking groups run regular walks in and around London. Walking side by side for three hours produces more conversation than most evenings out. See London walking groups. Likely, especially on the second walk with the same group.
5. A regular volunteering shift
Many London parks have a Friends group with monthly work days. Food banks, community kitchens and city farms run weekly shifts. Choose a regular slot. Likely, and you will feel better for it either way.
6. A community choir
Many need no audition and rehearse weekly, often with a drink afterwards. Few things turn a room of people into a group as quickly as singing together. Likely.
7. A language exchange
Half the room is new to London, everyone has a reason to talk, and the format forces you to change partners. See language exchange in London. Likely, if you go to the same one each week.
8. A book club
Small, monthly or fortnightly, and built around something to say. See London book clubs. Fairly likely; slower because it meets less often.
9. A climbing wall
Bouldering is social by design: you rest between climbs and talk to whoever is working on the same problem. Many London walls run social or beginner nights. Fairly likely, if you go on the same night each week.
10. A pub quiz
Weekly and local. If you go alone, ask the quizmaster or the bar whether a team is short. Fairly likely; teams are loyal to their regulars.
11. A lido swim with the regulars
London's lidos have early morning regulars who swim through the winter. Same time, same lane, same faces. Possible, slowly; the chat happens in the queue and the cafe.
12. Museum and gallery lates
Several of the big museums open late for adults with talks, music and a bar. They are lovely evenings, and you can talk to people easily, but you will rarely see them again. Unlikely as a strategy, wonderful as a treat. Check the museum's own listings for dates.
03A Plan with a small group
Another option is to join something organised for a small group of people who have all come on their own. On KF.Social, Plans are things you join with a small group; in London the Dinner Plan runs today, a table for six matched by age and shared interests, at a restaurant revealed six hours before. You pay for your own food there and the app shows any fee before you book. See how the Dinner Plan works, or Make friends in London for everything else we do here.
04How to turn it into a conversation
- First visit: arrive five minutes early, when the room is quiet. Ask the organiser one question. That is enough.
- Second visit: say hello to someone you recognise from last time. "You were here last week" is a complete opening line.
- Third or fourth visit: stay for the drink or the coffee afterwards. This is where the actual conversations happen.
- After that: suggest one small thing separately, with a day. Most people are waiting for someone else to ask.
05What to skip
Large one off mixers, speed-friending nights with fifty people and anything you would only attend because you feel you should. They are expensive in energy and rarely lead anywhere. Spend that evening on the second visit to something that repeats.
06Staying comfortable
Everything above happens in public places with organisers present. Tell someone where you are going if you are meeting people for the first time, keep your own way home, and leave whenever you like. Nobody keeps score.
KF.Social
