- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 20, 2026
Make Friends in Holland Park, around the Kyoto Garden
Almost two in five Holland Park households are one person, and the park itself offers free yoga on Sunday mornings this winter.
14,800+
residents across the Holland and Norland wards (Census 2021, ONS)
39%
of Holland Park households are people living on their own, well above London’s 29% (Census 2021)
39%
of Holland Park homes are private lets, against 30% in London (ONS 2021)
Holland Park stretches out on Sundays
A free Sunday yoga class is an easy way to make friends in Holland Park: it runs in the park every week from 25 October 2026, 10:30 to 11:15am. The Kyoto Garden and the park café are good for a slow walk afterwards, and the Design Museum’s permanent display on Kensington High Street costs nothing to visit. Through Gofrendly, look for Holland Park women living close by who fancy coming along.
Holland Park, questions we hear
What is the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park?
The Kyoto Garden is a Japanese garden in Holland Park, donated by the Chamber of Commerce of Kyoto in 1991, with a waterfall, a pond and maples. Dogs are not allowed in it, which keeps it calm, and the park opens at 7.30am and closes at dusk.
Is the Design Museum free to visit?
The permanent display, Designer Maker User, on Level 2 of the Design Museum, which faces Kensington High Street at the southern edge of Holland Park, costs nothing. Larger exhibitions are paid. The museum opens 10am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and until 6pm from Friday to Sunday.
Is there a public pool close to Holland Park?
There is no pool in Holland Park itself; the nearest public one is Kensington Leisure Centre, run by Better on Silchester Road. Inside are a 25m pool and a learner pool, plus a gym, a spa and women-only and over-50s sessions, north of Holland Park in Notting Dale.
Will a women-only app help me find friends in Holland Park?
Yes. Gofrendly is a women-only friendship app where Holland Park women can spot who is nearby and say hello first. A lap of the park and then a coffee at the park café keeps a first meeting short, sunny and easy to say yes to.
Holland Park, where many live alone and friendship takes planning
Holland Park is a place of flats as much as mansions: almost two in five households are one person, and private renting is well above the London average. Many people here moved for work, so a full diary can sit next to an empty weekend. A standing weekly plan, the same class or walk at the same time, tends to work better than waiting for an invitation, and it gives near-strangers a reason to keep saying hello.
Living alone in a busy part of London can be lonely by Sunday afternoon. Holland Park opens from 7.30am until dusk, with the Kyoto Garden, given by Kyoto’s chamber of commerce in 1991, tennis and netball to book, and summer opera under the canopy. Kensington Central Library, close by on Phillimore Walk, has a coffee shop and co-working space. The under-fives play area is closed for refurbishment until the end of November 2026, but the rest of the park stays open daily. Places to start:
1
The free Sunday yoga sessions in Holland Park.
2
The Kyoto Garden and the park café.
3
The free Designer Maker User display at the Design Museum.
4
Kensington Central Library and its coffee shop.
5
Opera Holland Park’s community concerts.
LOCAL TIP
Roll out a mat at Sunday yoga for a few weeks and soon you will be saving a space for someone.
How to
Holland Park plans that help you meet people
1
Go to the free Sunday yoga in Holland Park, which runs weekly until the end of January 2027.
2
Book a tennis court in the park with someone new instead of an old friend.
3
Catch an Opera Holland Park community concert, such as the one on 19 November 2026.
4
Meet a Holland Park woman from Gofrendly by the Kyoto Garden waterfall.
Where to read on
The team behind this guide to the park
Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja wrote the Holland Park page, then our editors shaped it, for women living solo in a busy part of town who want friends they see every week.
Friendship looks different at every stage
More guides for women in this area – each with its own local advice.
Friendship looks different at every stage
More guides for women in this area – each with its own local advice.
Find women near you
See who’s nearby and say hi — it’s free to start.