How to Make Friends in Los Angeles As an Adult: 8 Ideas

Written By Inicio Coffee Company

Los Angeles is a dream for so many, but living here can quickly feel overwhelming—and surprisingly lonely. With nearly 9 million people, it’s easy to feel lost in the crowd. And as an adult, making new friends isn’t always as easy or automatic as it once was. The good news? It’s never too late to make friends in LA. 

In this blog, we’ll cover 8 ways to meet new people and make the city feel more like home. Keep reading to learn how to make friends in Los Angeles!

The Secret to Making Friends in LA: 8 Easy Ways to Meet New People

  1. Become a regular at a cafe or gym.

One of the easiest ways to meet new people in LA is to visit the same place at the same time each week. Think about what you like to fill your days with—is it cafe hopping? Going to the gym for a post-work sweat? Decide on one place you love and start going there consistently every week. You’ll start getting to know the people who work in those spaces and the other regulars who frequent them. 

Coffee shops are an easy place to start. After all, there’s a major coffee culture in LA, and you can even get some work done while you’re there. Cafes even host pop-up events or networking events on occasion, where you can expand your circle. Next time you’re at a coffee shop, strike up a conversation with the barista by giving them a genuine compliment or asking them about their week. You may be surprised to see where the conversation takes you. Coffee shops also often have bulletin boards with upcoming events and meetups, which makes it easy to say yes and meet new people. 

If you’re in the San Fernando Valley portion of LA, consider becoming a regular at Inicio Coffee Company. Situated near Hansen Dam and the Discovery Cube, Inicio is a cozy spot to make friends in LA. We pride ourselves on friendly service, and our baristas make an effort to get to know you when you walk through our doors. 

Inicio also hosts or attends several events year-round, making it easy for you to come out, say hi to our baristas, and meet new people in LA. Here are a few upcoming events you can add to your calendar: 

  • Coffee and Cars – April 25, 2026, from 1 to 4 PM. Located at Wonderland Avenue Elementary, located in the Hollywood Hills, and tickets are $10 per family.

  • Tru FIT Boot Camp – May 2, 2026, at Van Nuys Airport. Inicio will be serving from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM, so stop by and say hi. If you’re an athlete, sign up for their HYROX race to meet new people!

  • LA Coffee Fest – May 16, 2026, at Magic Box LA. Stop by our coffee cart and say hi! We’ll be there with Talitha Coffee, which is where all our beans are from. 

Visit our shop in the San Fernando Valley or attend one of the above events to start meeting new people in LA. 

2. Join a fitness club.

You’ve probably heard, “Just join a running club!” before, and there's a good reason. Fitness clubs that offer running, hiking, climbing, and more are a solid way not only to get to know LA but also to meet new faces along the way. If you love getting active or have a goal to get in shape, consider joining a fitness club where you can crush goals and make friends. 

Here are a few running clubs in LA to choose from: 

Here are a few hiking clubs in LA you can try out: 

Several climbing gyms offer classes you can join to make friends in LA. Additionally, there are countless other activity-based clubs you can look into, depending on what you’re into—cold plunging, yoga, and cross-fit, to name a few. The best thing to do is to commit to going a few times before dropping it. However, if it doesn’t feel like a fit after a couple of tries, join a new one. After all, there’s no shortage of fitness clubs to choose from in LA. 

3. Volunteer your time.

Why not give back to your community and make friends in Los Angeles at the same time? Volunteering is the perfect way to support a cause you’re passionate about and connect with like-minded people. If someone else volunteers at the same place as you, you most likely already have a few things in common with them. 

You can volunteer at several types of organizations, including: 

  • Animal shelters

  • Soup kitchens

  • Social services

  • Meal delivery & food banks

  • Anti-trafficking nonprofits

  • Museums & cultural institutions

Check out this guide to volunteering in LA to learn about the best organizations you can help depending on what you’re interested in. 

4. Take an arts-focused class.

Los Angeles is a mecca for the arts. Acting, improv, dance, and pottery are just a few options for art lovers. If you want to know how to meet people in LA, try an arts-focused class or club to connect with other creatives. 

Many of these arts classes require weekly attendance for a few weeks to several months. At first, it may be out of your comfort zone, but it will pay off when you start to master skills and develop friendships with classmates. 

If you want to try out a creative class, here are some options: 

Acting

Dancing

Pottery

  • Good Dirt LA for multi-week courses with friendly instructors in an intimate setting. 

  • Throw Clay LA for beginner-friendly one-time classes or a 6-week course.

The options don’t end here. There are several art classes in Los Angeles that you can join to meet new people and make friends. Doing a simple Google search of an art form you want to explore will introduce you to several workshops and classes in LA. 

5. Attend an event solo.

If LA is known for anything, it’s the endless events happening weekly. From brand activations to live music shows, Los Angeles is a hub for fun happenings. If you’ve ever seen an event and thought about going but hesitated because you didn’t have anyone to go with, why not say yes and see who you’ll meet? 

Instagram accounts like Los Angeles Fun Events or Like a Friend Said post about things happening in LA, almost daily—a great opportunity to join in and meet new people. While it can be intimidating to go to events alone, it’s also a great way to get out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself to talk to a few people. 

Try finding events that go along with things you’re interested in so that you’re more likely to find like-minded people. Once you do get the courage to go, it will get easier over time to attend solo, and you may even prefer it over inviting a friend along. 

6. Join a book club.

Do you love getting lost in a book over the weekend? Consider joining a local book club to make friends in LA. Browse through Los Angeles book clubs to find one that’s reading from a genre you enjoy and put yourself out there! Book club members often meet outside of the club itself as well, allowing you to get to know them on a more personal level and open up opportunities for friendship. 

Once again, it can feel scary to attend a book club alone, but after getting over the initial intimidation, the payoff and friendships will be well worth it. 

7. Browse social media for meet-ups in LA.

If you’re on social media, spend some time searching for “make friends in LA” in the search bar. There are countless public meetups in Los Angeles, both free and paid, to meet new people. 

Here are a few examples to get you started: 

Social media is also a great way to follow people near you and ask them to meet up for coffee sometime. Put yourself out there and see how easy it is to meet people in Los Angeles. 

8. Start saying yes more often than no.

If you take any advice from this list, let it be this: say yes to everything. Say yes to that party or meetup invite with a group of strangers. Say yes to that last-minute event you’re intrigued by or that live music at a bar down the street. Learning to say yes more often can open doors to new friendships in LA while helping you grow beyond your comfort zone. 

Rather than saying no or canceling, challenge yourself to saying only “yes” for a few months—because in a city like LA, the best connections often come from the plans you almost skipped.

Inicio Coffee Company https://iniciocoffee.com
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