Moving to a new city is both exciting and overwhelming. Because you need to face a lot of new environments – a new house, a new job, and new habits. This also brings up a new problem for most people: How to make friends in a new city?
Here’s how to build your new social circle from the ground up:
1. Embrace Online Connections First
Before venturing out, try connecting with people digitally. Apps like Fachat make it easy to meet locals or people with similar interests, offering instant conversations without pressure. It’s a low-barrier way to start forming bonds.
1. Buffer space for text communication
Unlike the immediacy of face-to-face conversations, online chats allow you to repeatedly ponder the wording before sending a message. For example, when the other party shares that “I am learning illustration recently”, you can first search for “Illustration entry tool recommendation” and then respond based on your own observations. This “delayed thinking” can reduce expression jamming caused by nervousness.
2. Controllable rhythm of voice/video
If you feel anxious about instant video, you can first express it in segments with voice messages (such as “Regarding the hiking route you mentioned, I have sorted out suggestions in three points…”), or choose the “asynchronous video” function (after the other party sends a video, you can record a reply at your convenience) to let the communication rhythm be completely controlled by yourself.
3. Accurate matching of interest tags
In applications such as Fachat, by filtering tags such as “coffee・hand brew” and “reading・science fiction”, you can directly locate people who share the same hobbies with you. Interest resonance can instantly eliminate the sense of strangeness. Use the “nearby people” function to get to know people in the same city who share the same interests, laying the groundwork for subsequent offline meetings.
4. Observe the real personality from multiple angles:
Through the other party’s social dynamics (shared music, posted photos and texts, comments on hot topics), you can understand their values and life status in a more three-dimensional way, and avoid blind offline social interaction.
2. Attend Local Events
Look for cooking classes, group hikes, or social meetups. Sharing experiences helps to build natural connections. Share the experience later on a 1v1 video chat app.
Specific practical suggestions:
1. Choose the appropriate activity type
Cooking courses: Sign up for baking workshops, local cuisine workshops, etc., and establish a relaxed interactive foundation with like-minded people by sharing food experience and discussing cooking techniques in the collaboration of kneading dough, seasoning, and plating.
Group hiking: Join hiking communities around the city and participate in exploring rural trails or mountaineering activities. These shared experiences will make the connection between fellow travelers more emotional.
2. Online continuation and sublimation:
After the event, choose a video chat application suitable for 1v1 communication (such as WeChat, Skype, etc.) to have an in-depth conversation with the like-minded people you met during the event: Revisiting the common experience, recalling the specific details can evoke the common memories of both parties and strengthen the emotional connection.
Expand the boundaries of the topic: extend from the event to other areas of life, for example: “I heard that you like outdoor photography. Do you have any photo editing skills for the mountain scenery you took while hiking last time?”–Use common interests to upgrade the relationship from “activity companions” to “life enthusiasts”.
Agree on future interactions: “There will be a hand-brewed coffee experience class at the market next weekend. Do you want to go together?”–Use specific invitations to continue online exchanges offline, forming a virtuous cycle of “offline experience → online review → offline appointment again”.
3. Joining Clubs or Classes
Book sharing clubs, movie sharing groups, cooking classes, etc., are all suitable channels for meeting like-minded friends. Share your new experiences with people you meet on 1v1 video chat apps – they may have some other wide-ranging and useful advice for you, too!
Accurately select interest carriers:
Book sharing clubs: Choose vertical communities such as “Non-fiction Intensive Reading Club” and “Women’s Growth Theme Book List Reading”. The collision of ideas will quickly bring the hearts closer.
Movie sharing group: Join organizations such as “Classic Old Film Restoration Screening Club” and “Niche Art Film Viewing Salon”. After watching the movie, you can communicate and discuss with your neighbor, which can not only reflect your observation skills, but also naturally lead to extended topics related to each other’s lives.
Ceramic workshop: During the process of throwing and glazing, ask your companions for practical questions such as “How to make the bottom of the pottery cup smoother” and “Glaze mixing ratio”, and establish tacit understanding through body demonstration and tool sharing.
The value of online communication is sublimated:
When sharing experiences with new friends through 1v1 video chat, in addition to emotional resonance, you can also gain unexpected practical value:
The collision of cross-border experiences:
An IT engineer who knows a film group may share a novel perspective of “using algorithms to analyze the rhythm of film shots”; an architect friend who meets in a pottery class may be able to analyze the aesthetics of pottery shapes from the perspective of “spatial structure”. These cross-domain knowledge penetrations can open up new dimensions for your cognition.
Expansion of resource networks:
Members of the book club may recommend “a book podcast hosted by an editor of a certain publishing house”, and students in the cooking class may share “imported spice procurement channels”. The sharing of these hidden resources can make interest communities a “transit station” for the convenience of life.
4. Be Open and Patient
Friendships take time. Not every conversation is going to create a real connection. Just be approachable and genuine in every chat. Friendship is built through constant sharing and understanding.
Relaxed physical posture
When communicating offline, avoid defensive postures such as crossing your arms and leaning back. Try to lean forward naturally, nod in response, and use “open body language” to convey the signal of “I am willing to listen”.
When communicating online, use life-like expressions (such as “I just baked cookies and chat with you while eating”) or share real-time scenes (the camera scans the succulents on the windowsill) when appropriate, so that the other party can feel you in real life, rather than cold screen symbols.
Moderate extension of topic boundaries
Initial communication can start with “safe topics”: talk about the most touching clips in the recent drama, or share interesting passers-by met during an unforgettable travel experience.
Tolerant attitude towards differences
When the other party expresses a different point of view from your own (such as “I think science fiction movies are not as profound as realistic themes”), avoid rushing to refute, but try to ask: “What do you mean by ‘realism’? Is there any work that resonates with you?” This curious attitude can not only deepen the level of dialogue but also make the other party feel that “my ideas are taken seriously.”
Be tolerant of differences in social rhythms: Some people like to share fragments of life every day, while others are used to having in-depth and long talks once a week. Only by respecting each other’s “emotional charging mode” and not forcing the other party to adapt to one’s own frequency can the relationship be sustainable.
5. Overcome Social Anxiety Step-by-Step
Start small: smile, introduce yourself, ask open-ended questions. With 1v1 online video platforms, you can practice your social skills comfortably before applying them in real life.
1. Build basic confidence from “micro social actions”
Practice smiling at the camera before a video chat and observing whether your expression is stiff.
2. Open-ended questions:
Use “why/how” to activate the conversation
3. Use online video platforms to build a “progressive practice field”
Choose an initial environment with “weak social pressure”. Transition to semi-acquaintances: Find people who have “met once” in reading clubs and fitness groups, and send a gentle invitation. Semi-familiar backgrounds can reduce the fear of “completely unfamiliar social interaction”.
4. Design quantifiable practice goals
1 video chat per week, focusing on 1 social skill each time.
5. Tips for migrating online capabilities to offline scenarios
Start with “low-risk offline interactions” to test the watersPreset safe words: agree with friends that if you feel panic in social situations, you can use a code to leave and adjust, reducing the psychological burden of “having to hold on”.
6. Use “online practice results” to enhance the sense of presence
Before participating in offline activities, imagine that you are communicating with friends you have chatted with online, and apply the successful conversation mode in the video. Carry the items used in online chats with you, and trigger the memory of “successful communication” through familiar touch to relieve tension.
Conclusion
Making friends in a new city is not easy. But with digital tools and local organizations and community opportunities, you’ll soon find people who share your interests. Take the first step – maybe just a message will make you a great connection.
Also read: How to Make Friends Online in 2025: Real Tips for Genuine Connections
FAQ：
1. How to Make Friends in a New City？
To make friends in a new city, actively seek out opportunities to connect with others. This can include joining clubs, volunteering, attending community events, and connecting with neighbors or coworkers. Embrace a willingness to put yourself out there, be open to new experiences.
2. How to find new friends in a strange city?
- Rekindle old friendships.
- Get to know friends of friends.
- Take a trip.
- Visit university events.
- Take part in events.
- Organize an event yourself.
- Join a club (music, sports, etc.)
3. What to do when you have no offline friends in a new city?
Make friends on social media, actively interact with neighbors, and find friends with common interests to participate in activities together.