- Women only
- Friendship, not dating
- Free to join
- Local guide
- October 19, 2026
Make Friends in Halifax, between the Piece Hall and Shibden
Halifax has more children under 16 than Yorkshire as a whole, while its 1779 Piece Hall still draws the town into one open square.
66,700+
residents across five central Halifax wards, from Skircoat to Ovenden (Census 2021, ONS)
22%
of residents in the Halifax wards are aged under 16; regional share 19% (Census 2021)
14%
of Halifax households are one parent with children, adult children counted; Yorkshire and the Humber 11% (ONS 2021)
Halifax gathers in a Georgian courtyard
The Piece Hall courtyard, open every day from 9am, is the obvious place to make friends in Halifax, with the Central Library just through its east gate on Square Road. Round the corner, the 1896 Borough Market on Albion Street trades Monday to Saturday, and on Saturday mornings Halifax parkrun loops Shroggs Park, little more than a kilometre away. Halifax women can pair up for either through Gofrendly.
Halifax: what to know before you go
What can you do at Shibden Park in Halifax?
Shibden Park, part of a 2026 Green Flag estate, has rowing and paddle boats daily from May to September and in school holidays, a miniature railway at weekends, a land train and the Mereside café. Anne Lister’s Shibden Hall stands above it, so Halifax families can easily fill a whole day there.
Where is the indoor market in Halifax?
Halifax Borough Market is on Albion Street, a Grade II* listed hall that opened in 1896 and trades Monday to Saturday, 8am to 4:30pm. Over 90 stalls sell pies, fish, fudge, fabric and wool, with cafés where Halifax shoppers stop for a cuppa between errands.
Where do Halifax runners meet on Saturdays?
Halifax parkrun meets every Saturday morning in Shroggs Park, roughly 1.3 km from the middle of town, on mixed tarmac and trail paths that can be muddy after rain. On 17 October 2026, 230 people finished. Walkers are welcome, and Halifax volunteers are always needed for marshalling.
Can mums in Halifax find friends nearby?
Gofrendly, a women-only friendship app, lets Halifax mums, and any woman in the town, spot who lives close by and swap messages before meeting. With more under-16s here than across the region, a buggy walk round Manor Heath Park or a coffee at Flutter Bites Cafe makes a gentle first plan.
Halifax, a Calderdale town of young families
In the five wards around the town centre, over a fifth of the people are under 16 and roughly one home in seven has a lone parent at its head, each above the regional rate. If your own weeks run on school runs, packed lunches and weekends planned around children, adult time can shrink to a quick hello at the gate. A standing arrangement of your own, even one hour a week, gives those hellos somewhere to go.
Weeks like that can leave you lonely, even surrounded by talk of whose turn it is to drive. Bankfield Museum in Akroyd Park charges no entry and has a ground-floor tearoom, the Central Library has an afternoon readers’ group that meets every four weeks, and the Victoria Theatre on Fountain Street stages drama, comedy and pantomime. Shibden Estate and Manor Heath both kept their Green Flag status in 2026, and a new Halifax Leisure Centre is due in 2028. A few starting points:
1
The Piece Hall courtyard, open daily from 9am.
2
Halifax Borough Market on Albion Street, Monday to Saturday.
3
Shibden Park, with its boating lake and Mereside café.
4
Manor Heath Park and its walled demonstration garden.
5
Bankfield Museum and its tearoom, Tuesday to Saturday.
LOCAL TIP
Ask about the readers’ group at the Central Library desk and you may have a book to talk over within the month.
How to
Halifax: small habits that help you meet people
1
Run, jog or walk Halifax parkrun in Shroggs Park on a Saturday, then volunteer the week after.
2
Ask to sit in on the Central Library’s afternoon readers’ group, held every four weeks.
3
Pick a favourite Borough Market stall and make it your regular Thursday stop.
4
Invite a Halifax match from Gofrendly for a summer row on the Shibden boating lake.
Two reads for slow-burn friendships
Who put this Halifax guide together
Gofrendly’s co-founders Claudia Gård and Ulrika Lilja drafted this Halifax page, edited by our team, thinking of women whose weeks revolve around children and who want a little time with friends of their own.
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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