Make Friends in Driffield, one Thursday market at a time

Driffield has a weekly knit and natter at its library and a street market every Thursday.
Driffield women helpless with giggles, sitting up front in a car
15,500+
people in the Driffield and Rural ward, which takes in the town and the villages around it (Census 2021, ONS)
27%
of people in Driffield and Rural ward are 65 or above, against 19% regionally (2021 census)
7%
of Driffield households are social renters, under half the regional figure of 17% (ONS 2021)

Driffield friendships start at the library

The easiest way to make friends in Driffield is to join one of the free groups at the Driffield Centre on Cross Hill. Knit and natter meets every Wednesday from 2pm, a short walk leaves the library every other Thursday at 10am with tea and coffee when you get back, and there are two reading groups on Wednesday mornings. Gofrendly can help you find a Driffield woman to join you.

Driffield, the practical side of things

Driffield pair laughing as they stand under an evening street lamp

How late is the library in Driffield open?

The library at the Driffield Centre on Cross Hill opens from 9.30am to 6.30pm on Mondays, 9.30am to 4.30pm Tuesday to Friday and 9.30am to 12.30pm on Saturdays. Sundays and bank holidays are closed, and Driffield has shorter hours on some staff training days.

When is the next agricultural show in Driffield?

The next Driffield Show is on Wednesday 21 July 2027 at the showground at Kelleythorpe, just outside Driffield. It is a one-day agricultural show held each July, so pencil it in early if you want a reason to spend a summer day out with new friends.

How early can you swim in Driffield?

East Riding Leisure Driffield on Bridlington Road opens from 6.30am to 10pm Monday to Friday and from 8.30am to 4pm at weekends, and it is closed on bank holidays. It has a main pool, a small pool, a gym, a sports hall and classes, which makes it an easy weekly fixture in Driffield.

How can I meet new women in Driffield?

Gofrendly is a women-only friendship app where you can see women who live in Driffield and the villages around it, and message the ones with the same interests. Suggest a lap of the Millennium Green or a cup of tea once the Thursday stalls are packing up, so the first meeting feels easy.

Friendship in a market town like Driffield

Driffield is a market town with a settled, older population. Over 27% of ward residents are past 65, and only around one household in fourteen is a social renter, compared with roughly one in six across Yorkshire and the Humber. Expect the library groups to have their regulars, and treat that as an advantage: keep going to one session each week, and before you know it you will be a regular too, with people saving you a seat. If you are unsure where to start, ask at the library desk which group suits you.

If you have moved from a city, a quiet weekday in a small market town may feel lonely to begin with. The Thursday street market brings the centre to life, the eight-acre Millennium Green lies within a short stroll of the shops, and the leisure centre on Bridlington Road opens at 6.30am on weekdays for an early swim or a gym session before work. Good places to begin:

1
The Wednesday knit and natter at the Driffield Centre.
2
A fortnightly library walk, back in time for a cuppa.
3
A lap of the eight-acre Millennium Green near the centre.
4
A morning swim at East Riding Leisure Driffield.
5
Beverley Westwood parkrun, a grass course south of town.
LOCAL TIP
Make the Thursday stalls part of your routine, and the same faces will soon be nodding hello between the stalls.
How to

Driffield in four steps

1
Go to the knit and natter at the Driffield Centre, 2pm to 3.30pm on Wednesdays, with or without a project.
2
Join the games group at the Driffield Centre, a monthly Tuesday morning drop-in where you just turn up.
3
Head to Sewerby parkrun at Bridlington, where 314 runners finished on 17 October 2026.
4
Find a Driffield woman on Gofrendly and arrange to meet at the Thursday market.

Something to read next

Driffield, written up by our editors

Our editors and Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja wrote this Driffield page together, following the library groups, market days and running routes that make friendships in a Wolds town.

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.

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