- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Basingstoke, through clubs, parks and parkrun
More than a fifth of Basingstoke households are social tenants, far above the South East, and there are plenty of free groups to help you settle in.
102,400+
people living in ten urban Basingstoke wards (Census 2021, ONS)
22%
of Basingstoke households rent socially, against 14% across the South East (2021 census)
26%
of Basingstoke homes are owned outright; South East: 34% (Census 2021)
Basingstoke stitches on Monday mornings
Knit and Knatter at the Discovery Centre on Monday mornings is a warm way to make friends in Basingstoke, right inside the Festival Place shopping centre. The same library hosts a Wednesday painting social, a monthly Write Club and a Friday sketching group, and Basingstoke parkrun loops War Memorial Park every Saturday morning. Gofrendly also helps Basingstoke women meet up.
Basingstoke FAQ, from Festival Place to the park
What groups meet at Basingstoke Discovery Centre?
Basingstoke Discovery Centre in Festival Place hosts Knit and Knatter on Monday mornings, Art Space on Wednesdays, Write Club on the third Wednesday, a Friday sketching social and a Living with Loss Café twice a month. Most are free drop-ins for Basingstoke adults.
What is War Memorial Park in Basingstoke?
War Memorial Park was laid out between 1788 and 1797 as the grounds of Goldings, and Basingstoke bought it by public subscription in 1921 to remember those lost in the First World War. It has two cafés, a 2026 Green Flag and hosts the town parkrun.
Is the Willis Museum in Basingstoke free?
Yes, the Willis Museum and Sainsbury Gallery on Market Place is open without charge or booking, Wednesday to Sunday. Current shows include an exhibition by Basingstoke Art Club, and the Jane Austen statue by Adam Roud stands outside the building.
How can working parents in Basingstoke make friends?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, helps working parents in Basingstoke discover women living close to them and message ahead of meeting. A weekend walk in War Memorial Park or a family visit to Eastrop Park makes a good first plan.
Basingstoke, a north Hampshire town
Basingstoke sits in north Hampshire, and Jane Austen once danced at balls in the Assembly Rooms above its old Market Place town hall. In its ten urban wards, around 22% of homes are social lets, far above the South East, and only about 26% are owned outright, well below the region. Whether you are still paying for your home or renting it, plenty of neighbours are building their circle too.
It can feel lonely to be busy every day yet know few people locally. War Memorial Park, laid out between 1788 and 1797 and bought for the town in 1921, has two cafés and is a Green Flag park for 2026, and Eastrop Park has a boating lake. A new volunteer nature group began at Daneshill Park Woodlands in September 2026. The Willis Museum on Market Place charges no entry, with a statue of Jane Austen outside. The Anvil’s Musication Station lets you try an instrument at no cost. Places to start:
1
Basingstoke Discovery Centre in Festival Place.
2
War Memorial Park, with Park Social Café and Orchard Café.
3
Eastrop Park, with a boating lake near the station.
4
The Willis Museum and Sainsbury Gallery, free to enter.
5
Basingstoke Sports Centre at Festival Place.
LOCAL TIP
Take a sketchbook to the Friday sketching social and compare pages.
How to
Basingstoke: friendship starts at the library
1
Join the Daneshill Park Woodlands volunteer nature group.
2
Run or walk Basingstoke parkrun in War Memorial Park.
3
Arrange a coffee at the Orchard Café with Basingstoke women from Gofrendly.
4
Try an instrument at The Anvil’s Musication Station.
Feeling alone with company, and how long closeness takes
Basingstoke page: our team
Gofrendly founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja and our editors wrote about Basingstoke for north Hampshire women who are raising families, renting or settling in after a move for work.
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.