- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Dundee, from the V&A to Camperdown
About 15% of Dundee’s residents are aged 16 to 24, and a new parkrun on the Broughty Ferry seafront had 261 finishers one October Saturday.
147,300+
Dundee locality population, Scotland’s Census 2022
15%
of Dundee residents are 16 to 24, against 11% across Scotland (NRS Census 2022)
21%
of Dundee households are private renters, against Scotland’s 13% (Scotland’s Census 2022)
Dundee reads together across the city
Monthly reading groups in Dundee’s libraries, free with books provided and tea and biscuits, are an easy way to make friends in Dundee, and the Short Story Group at the Central Library in the Wellgate is the one not marked full. On Saturdays you can choose Camperdown parkrun on forest paths or the new Broughty Ferry Esplanade parkrun on the seafront. Dundee women can find a reading or running partner on Gofrendly.
Dundee questions, from parkrun to the V&A
Is V&A Dundee free?
V&A Dundee on Riverside Esplanade is open every day, 10am to 5pm, and its main galleries are free, with paid tickets for some exhibitions. David Bowie: On Tour opens there on 4 November 2026, and the Scottish Design Galleries are being redesigned with £2.6m of government funding in Dundee.
Which parkruns are there in Dundee?
Dundee has two. Camperdown parkrun, in Camperdown Country Park, uses hard-packed forest paths and short tarmac stretches, while Broughty Ferry Esplanade parkrun, which started in 2026, runs on permanent paths along the seafront. On 17 October 2026 the Esplanade run had 261 finishers in Dundee.
What is Baxter Park in Dundee?
Baxter Park covers about 37 acres and was laid out by Sir Joseph Paxton, opening on 9 September 1863 as a gift from Sir David Baxter. Its restored pavilion has a small café, and the park around it has play areas, a multi-use games area and wildflowers in Dundee.
How do young women in Dundee widen their circle?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, helps Dundee women of all ages find others close by and break the ice by message. With so many 16- to 24-year-olds and renters in the city, a monthly reading group or a Saturday parkrun gives a steady base while life moves around you in a fast-changing city.
Dundee, a young city on the Tay
In the Dundee locality about 15% of people are 16 to 24 and 21% of homes are privately let, both far above the Scottish averages, while roughly four homes in ten house one person. A city with that many young adults and short lets can feel as if it is always on the move, so it helps to find something that runs all year, not just in term time, and to go back to it week after week.
Arriving somewhere busy and young can still be lonely. V&A Dundee on Riverside Esplanade opens daily with free entry to its main galleries, Olympia on East Whale Lane offers 50-metre lane swimming and a wave pool with flumes, and Baxter Park, laid out by Sir Joseph Paxton and opened in 1863, has a restored pavilion with a small café. The farmers’ market comes to City Square on third Saturdays, outside the Caird Hall. Places to start:
1
Dundee Central Library in the Wellgate.
2
V&A Dundee on Riverside Esplanade.
3
Baxter Park and its pavilion café.
4
Olympia on East Whale Lane, pools and gym.
5
Camperdown Country Park and its parkrun.
LOCAL TIP
Join the Short Story Group while it has space and you may soon have a monthly table of fellow readers.
How to
Dundee: how to make friends in a city on the move
1
Ask Leisure & Culture Dundee for a place in a monthly library reading group near you.
2
Run or walk the new Broughty Ferry Esplanade parkrun on a Saturday morning.
3
Book a weekly lane swim in the long pool at Olympia.
4
See David Bowie: On Tour at V&A Dundee with a Dundee woman from Gofrendly.
After the summer: reconnecting and starting fresh
Dundee page: a note from our founders
Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja wrote this Dundee guide jointly with our editors, for readers in a young, moving city who want friendships that outlast a tenancy.
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.