- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Eastbourne, a resort of parks and theatres
About 36% of Eastbourne households are single people, well ahead of the South East, so you are far from alone in looking for company.
103,800+
Eastbourne borough population, mid-2025 (ONS estimates)
36%
of Eastbourne households are one-person homes; South East: 28% (Census 2021, ONS)
27%
of Eastbourne homes are rented privately; South East: 19% (Census 2021)
Eastbourne stretches out in the gallery
Yoga in the Gallery at Towner Eastbourne is a calm way to make friends in Eastbourne, on Sunday mornings and Thursday evenings among the art. Towner also runs a cine club, and its Ravilious Collection can be seen without charge with a ticket. Hampden Park’s Lakeside Café opens all year round. Gofrendly helps women in Eastbourne meet up nearby, too.
Eastbourne questions, from Towner to Hampden Park
Does Towner Eastbourne charge for entry?
The Ravilious Collection at Towner Eastbourne in Devonshire Park can be seen without charge but needs a ticket, and opens Tuesday to Sunday plus bank holiday Mondays. Some exhibitions are charged and yoga costs £9, so check ahead before meeting an Eastbourne friend there.
Which Eastbourne park has a café open all year?
Hampden Park, just under three kilometres north of Eastbourne town centre, has a Lakeside Café that is normally open all year except Christmas Day. The park also has the Decoy Pond, woodland, an arboretum and a History Garden that is open to all.
Where do Eastbourne parkrunners gather on Saturdays?
Eastbourne parkrun takes place at Shinewater Park in the north-east of Eastbourne each Saturday from 9am. Afterwards, the group heads to St Wilfrid’s café on Broadwater Way for a social coffee, a natural moment to make a few new acquaintances.
On your own in Eastbourne? Ways to meet other women
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, helps Eastbourne women who live by themselves find others in the area and swap messages ahead of meeting. A stroll by the Decoy Pond in Hampden Park or a show at one of the theatres is a gentle first plan.
Eastbourne, a resort town with four theatres
Eastbourne has four theatres, from the Victorian Devonshire Park Theatre to the 1,689-seat Congress, and the old manor house in Manor Gardens once housed the Towner gallery. Across the borough, about 36% of households are single people and almost 27% rent privately, both well ahead of the regional figures. Plenty of women here may live on their own, whether retired, working or newly moved, so regular, easy outings matter for keeping in touch with people.
Living alone by the sea can be lonely between seasons. Princes Park has a café and a boating lake where two clubs race model yachts and powerboats, and Gildredge Park and Manor Gardens have a seasonal café and a rose garden. Eastbourne parkrun meets at Shinewater Park, with coffee at St Wilfrid’s café. The library on Grove Road closes at 1pm on Wednesdays, and Hampden Park has a free History Garden and an arboretum. Places to start:
1
Towner Eastbourne, with yoga, talks and a cine club.
2
Hampden Park, with the year-round Lakeside Café.
3
Princes Park near the seafront, with model yacht racing.
4
Gildredge Park and Manor Gardens, near the Old Town.
5
Eastbourne Library on Grove Road.
LOCAL TIP
Book a Thursday evening yoga session at Towner and bring a friend.
How to
Eastbourne: meeting people beyond the seafront
1
Join Eastbourne parkrun at Shinewater Park on Saturday.
2
Watch the model yacht racing at Princes Park lake.
3
Share a table at the Lakeside Café with Eastbourne women from Gofrendly.
4
Join Towner Cine Club for its new film season.
Films about friends, and a fresh start this autumn
Eastbourne, as written by our founders
Our editors and Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja wrote this Eastbourne page for East Sussex women who live alone, rent near the seafront or have moved here to be by the sea.
Friendship looks different at every stage
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Friendship looks different at every stage
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