How to Make Friends in Singapore as an Adult

The easiest way to make friends in Singapore as an adult is to show up to the same thing, with the same people, again and again: a weekly community club class, a volunteer shift, a run club or a hiking group. Repetition does the heavy lifting. Say yes to small plans, suggest the next one yourself, and give it time.

Why making friends as an adult feels hard here

School friends drift, NS buddies scatter, and work eats the evenings. Many people already have full calendars and settled circles, so it can feel as though everyone else got the memo except you.

You are far from the only one. In an Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) online poll of 2,356 Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents aged 21 to 64, run in November and December 2023, 56% of respondents aged 21 to 34 reported social anxiety about talking to people in person. That compared with 43% of those aged 35 to 49 and 32% of those aged 50 to 64. More than half (53%) of the youngest group said they found it easier to talk to people online.

So if you have searched "lonely in Singapore" at 1am, there is nothing wrong with you. Friendship as an adult just needs a bit more intention than it did at 15.

Start with your neighbourhood community club

The People's Association runs more than 100 community clubs across the island, and onePA is the single place to browse their courses, activities, interest groups and facilities.

The trick is to choose something recurring rather than a one-off talk. A weekly class gives you a reason to come back and a ready-made topic of conversation.

• Search onePA by your own constituency or community club, so getting there is easy after work.
• Pick a group activity where people talk, such as cooking, dance, sports or a language class, over one where everyone stares at a screen.
• Arrive five minutes early. That is when the chatting happens.

Use your SG Culture Pass on something hands-on

Every Singapore Citizen aged 18 and above has $100 in SG Culture Pass credits, usable from 1 September 2025 to 31 December 2028. The credits sit in your GovWallet, with no sign-up needed, and can be spent on arts and heritage experiences such as workshops, talks, tours and live performances through partners including SISTIC, BookMyShow, Pelago and Klook.

For friendship, workshops and walking tours beat shows. In a theatre you sit in silence; in a workshop you are passing tools, comparing results and laughing at each other's attempts. Go solo, and you will be more likely to talk to the person next to you.

Volunteer: the shortcut to real conversation

Volunteering puts you shoulder to shoulder with people who care about the same things you do, which makes conversation easy.

Giving.sg is the national platform for donating, volunteering and fundraising, backed by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. You can filter roles by cause, location and time, so it is simple to find a regular weekend slot near home.

• Choose a recurring role, such as a monthly food packing shift, over a one-day event.
• Stay for the makan or kopi afterwards if the group goes.
• Offer to help organise next time. Organisers get to know everyone.

Move together: hikes, walks and running

Exercise is one of the lowest-pressure ways to bond. You are side by side, there is always something to talk about, and silence is never awkward.

• MacRitchie and the TreeTop Walk. The TreeTop Walk is free, closed on Mondays (except public holidays) and open 9am to 5pm on weekdays and 8.30am to 5pm on weekends. A loop from MacRitchie Reservoir Park that takes in the TreeTop Walk is about 10.3km, so it makes a proper morning out.
• The Southern Ridges. The roughly 10km route from Mount Faber to Kent Ridge crosses Henderson Waves, at 274m long the tallest pedestrian bridge in Singapore. Start near HarbourFront MRT.
• Run clubs. Many running groups meet at parks and park connectors on weekday evenings or weekend mornings. Look for ones that say all paces are welcome.

Food is Singapore's social glue

Hawker culture was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on 16 December 2020, and for good reason. Sharing a table over chicken rice is how a lot of Singaporean friendships begin.

A hawker lunch is the perfect "second meeting". It is cheap, quick, easy to say yes to and easy to leave. Try asking a colleague or a classmate from your community club along to Maxwell Food Centre, Tiong Bahru Market or the hawker centre nearest your office.

Turn acquaintances into friends

Meeting people is only half the job. The other half is following through.

• Be specific. "We should hang out" rarely happens. "Want to try the satay at Lau Pa Sat on Thursday?" usually does.
• Follow up within a week, while the conversation is still fresh.
• Make it regular. A standing Sunday walk or monthly dinner removes the effort of planning.
• Be the organiser. Most people are waiting for someone else to suggest something.
• Accept some awkwardness. Everyone feels it. It fades by the third meeting.

If you would rather find people who are already up for the specific thing you want to do, you can post an "Open to…" card on Now I'm Open in Friends mode, for example "Open to a Saturday morning walk at MacRitchie, Bishan area". Location only ever shows at area level, and a chat only opens when you both say yes.

New to Singapore?

If you have just moved here, everything above applies to you too. Community club activities, volunteering and hikes are good places to meet locals rather than only other newcomers. Say yes to invitations early, even small ones, while people are still curious about where you are from. And learn the hawker basics. Being the one who knows where the good laksa is gives you an easy reason to invite people along.

When loneliness feels heavier

Loneliness is common and usually eases once you add a little more connection to your week. But if it is affecting your sleep, mood or ability to get through the day, please talk to someone. National Mindline 1771 is available 24/7 by phone on 1771, by WhatsApp on +65 6669 1771, or by webchat at mindline.sg.