Moving to Hong Kong (or anywhere) as an expat can be pretty nerve-wracking when you have to start fresh. No family close by, no friends, no one you can hang out with. I’ve been there and it can be quite lonely. But luckily, Hong Kong is such an easy place to make friends in.

Most people who live in Hong Kong have lived here all their lives. They attended school here, grew up with family friends, and already have a circle of people around them. But, there’s also a huge chunk of people who moved here later in life to travel or work. There is a big expat community looking to make friends and also very welcoming locals who are happy to show you around.

I often get DM’s on my Instagram asking me for suggestions on how to make friends in Hong Kong. So here you have it, my tried and tested ways to make friends and network in this social city.

1. DOwnload Bumble BFF.

Hear me out on this one… Bumble has a bad reputation for romantic dating in Hong Kong. (Dating in Hong Kong is known to be truly awful) and I totally get it. Some of the people on the online dating apps are yuck.

Forget the online dating – you can change the settings on the app to the “Bumble BFF” version. I thought this was a weird idea at first but I met 2 different girls from this app and one of them turned out to be my best friend and a bridesmaid at my wedding! This is definitely a tried and tested method…with success!

You can write a description about yourself, what you like to do to hang out, and who you are looking for in a friend. All the people on the Bumble BFF app are looking for the same thing so it’s a great way for people to connect.

2. Make effort with your colleagues.

Most of my friends in Hong Kong were met through work. People from all over the world come to work in Hong Kong, so it’s one of the best ways to make a variety of different friends (or even just an acquaintance to grab a drink with.) Especially if you work with local people, they can show you around and help you get on your feet.

Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Let people know you’re new or looking to build more friendships, and they’re most likely very happy to show you their favourite restaurant or after-work-happy-hour spot. It also makes work a hell of a lot easier when you can actually have a laugh with your colleagues too.

3. Join facebook groups.

There are plenty of Facebook groups related to making friends in Hong Kong. I have to admit I’ve never actually gone to a meet up from a Facebook group, but I joined the groups and can see how much people have fun on them. You can just search “Hong Kong expats” and a few different groups will pop up. I also recommend “Hong Kong | Girl Gone International” where I see so many people arranging bar crawls, hiking sessions, cafe meet ups and so much more.

4. Be brave and go to a bar on your own.

I actually tried this once and it was the SCARIEST thing I ever did. It was during a holiday and all of my friends were either traveling or visiting their home country. One night I found myself alone and bored and I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone. As a naturally nervous person, I was so freaked out by the idea of going out drinking alone and felt so pathetic.

But actually, I ended up having such a funny night and it’s not pathetic at all! So many other people do it. Granted, I needed a bit of liquid courage but I was proud of myself for doing it afterwards. At first I felt awkward but I just sat by the bar and ended up chatting with the staff. By the end of the night I was dancing with a random group of people. This is definitely an option if you’re feeling like doing something new or spontaneous.

5. Say yes more.

Hong Kong is such an active and social city. If you make one friend, they’ll probably invite you to something where you can meet even more people. There’s also so many classes, workshops, volunteering groups and events that are just a quick google search away. I also enjoy looking at Sassy Hong Kong, Timeout Hong Kong and Localiiz to see what’s going on in the month ahead and any events I can check out.

If you say yes to things that interest you, you naturally become a more social person and have a higher chance of meeting new people or bumping into people you met before. Hong Kong is so small so trust me that you will always run in to people (whether you like it or not.)

I hope some of these suggestions can help you to build your Hong Kong family. I’m more of a quality over quantity type of girl. So I have very few friends, but the ones I do have are very dear to me. You might be like me, or you might love to constantly be surrounded by big groups of people. Either way, you can use these tips and do whatever makes you feel best.

People are always coming and going in Hong Kong. So it’s good to accept that you will most likely have to learn how to make new friends all over again.

Good luck and enjoy!

If you enjoyed the blog post then you can check out my previous post here.