North and East London

Meet new people in Hackney and Shoreditch

Hackney has more going on per street than almost anywhere in London: markets, parks, canals, music, studios and a huge number of people who moved here from somewhere else. It's a great place to be new, and a place where everyone seems to already have their crowd.

PingMee helps you find yours. Post a status saying what you're up for (a swim at London Fields, Broadway Market on Saturday, a walk along the canal), see who's around in Hackney right now, and send them a ping. If they ping back, a private chat opens for the two of you. It's for new friends, relationships or networking, and it's free.

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See who's around Hackney right now.

How PingMee works in Hackney

1
Post a status
Say what you're up for: "Broadway Market on Saturday?"
2
See who's nearby
People around you, within the distance you choose.
3
Send a ping
If they ping back, a private chat opens for the two of you.

Neighbourhoods in Hackney

Shoreditch

Offices and start-ups by day, bars and restaurants by night. Lots of people work here, which makes it one of the easiest places in London to meet someone after work.

Shoreditch High Street · Curtain Road · Shoreditch Town Hall

Hoxton

Just north of Shoreditch, with a famous square, a proper local street market and a museum about how Londoners have lived at home.

Hoxton Square · Hoxton Street Market · Museum of the Home · Shoreditch Park

Haggerston

Canal-side and quieter, with a city farm and a park on the doorstep and Kingsland Road's long run of Vietnamese restaurants.

Haggerston Park · Hackney City Farm · Regent's Canal · Kingsland Road

Dalston

Loud, late and lively: a big street market, an independent cinema, a theatre and a community garden hidden behind the high street.

Ridley Road Market · Dalston Eastern Curve Garden · Rio Cinema · Arcola Theatre

Hackney Central

The borough's centre, built around Mare Street, with a grand Victorian theatre and open green space either side.

Hackney Empire · Mare Street · Hackney Downs · St John-at-Hackney Gardens

London Fields and Broadway Market

Hackney at its most sociable: a heated outdoor pool, a park full of people on any sunny day and a Saturday market at the end of it.

London Fields · London Fields Lido · Broadway Market

Stoke Newington

Village-y and independent, with one of the area's favourite parks and a wild Victorian cemetery to walk through.

Clissold Park · Stoke Newington Church Street · Abney Park

Clapton

Close to the River Lea and the marshes, with a riverside park that's one of the best-kept secrets in east London.

Springfield Park · Millfields Park · River Lea towpath

Hackney Wick

Warehouses, studios and canal-side spots on the edge of the Olympic Park, popular with artists and creative businesses.

Here East · Lee Navigation towpath · Hackney Marshes

Homerton

Residential and green, with a Tudor house you can visit and the marshes a short walk away.

Sutton House · Homerton High Street · Hackney Marshes

Stamford Hill

The north of the borough, close to the reservoirs at Woodberry Down and the riverside at Springfield Park.

Woodberry Wetlands · Stamford Hill Broadway · Springfield Park

Good places to meet people in Hackney

London Fields

Always busy, always relaxed: the easiest place in Hackney to suggest meeting on a sunny afternoon.

Broadway Market

Food stalls, cafés and the canal at one end: a whole afternoon plan in one street.

Clissold Park

A big, friendly park in Stoke Newington, with a café and plenty of space for a walk.

Regent's Canal towpath

Runs right through Haggerston and down to Victoria Park: a good walk-and-talk route.

Woodberry Wetlands

Reservoir paths and birdlife in the middle of the city: quiet enough for a proper conversation.

Dalston Eastern Curve Garden

A community garden off the high street, relaxed and easy to drop into.

Regular things on

Hackney Marshes parkrun

A free, timed 5k on Saturday mornings, with plenty of people staying on afterwards.

Broadway Market on Saturdays

A long-running Saturday market that half of Hackney seems to walk through.

Ridley Road Market

Dalston's big street market, on most days of the week.

Sunday football on Hackney Marshes

One of the biggest collections of grass pitches in the country, full of amateur teams at weekends: some always looking for players.

Shows at the Hackney Empire

Comedy, music and the famous panto, in a Victorian theatre on Mare Street.

Your privacy, by design

Nobody sees your exact location: only an approximate distance.
Nothing private opens up until you both accept each other.
You choose whether you appear to people nearby, and you can block or report anyone.

Questions about meeting people in Hackney

Where can I meet new people in Hackney?

London Fields, Broadway Market, Clissold Park and the canal towpath are all public, busy and easy to suggest. On PingMee you can post a status like 'Anyone up for Broadway Market on Saturday?' and see who nearby is up for it.

Does PingMee cover Shoreditch?

Yes. Shoreditch and Hoxton are on this page because they're part of Hackney. PingMee covers the whole borough: Dalston, Hackney Central, Stoke Newington, Clapton, Hackney Wick, Homerton and Stamford Hill too.

Can I meet people after work in Shoreditch?

That's one of the most popular ways people use PingMee here. Post a status after work saying what you're up for, and see who else nearby is free.

Can people on PingMee see exactly where I am?

No. Nobody sees your exact location. PingMee only ever shows an approximate distance, and nothing private opens up until you both accept each other.

Is PingMee a dating app?

No. PingMee is for meeting people nearby, whatever you're looking for: new friends, a relationship or networking. You choose what you're open to.

Is PingMee free?

Yes. PingMee is free on iPhone and Android, with no subscription.