Lonely in Vancouver? Hundreds attend meetup to make friends in the city

By Vanessa Doban and Claire Fenton

Posted October 5, 2021 8:21 am.

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — The effort to change Vancouver’s unfriendly reputation has taken a big step forward in recent days, thanks to a social media movement.

Katrina Martin created a video on TikTok where she spoke of her challenges making friends in Vancouver since she moved to the city four years ago.

 

@katrinamartin_In honour of the best hard decision I ever made. #vancouverbc #vancouver #canada #vancouvergirl #movingforward yelena belova needs a hug – eliza

Since it was posted, the video has reached hundreds of thousands of people, with many commenting they also feel lonely in the city and cannot seem to make strong connections.

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Martin was inspired to bring the movement offline, and organized the first ever “We Should Be Friends” meetup over the weekend, to astounding success.

“I knew that people were feeling the same way that I have in the past, and I know from the comments in the TikTok that people were experiencing that same loneliness, but I didn’t really expect such a strong positive response,” Martin said about the 200 people who dropped by throughout the day Sunday at Kits Beach.

She says she’s so proud and impressed people were willing to put themselves out there.

She also was surprised how few people did a “B.C. Bail,” a term used to describe people in the province who make plans and then back out in the last minute if something better comes along.

“It was such a great turnout, and I honestly couldn’t have hoped for anything better. The energy that people had was really amazing and welcoming as well,” Martin said.

More COVID-19 friendly events will be held in the future, Martin says, and anyone looking to get involved can find out more through her Instagram or Facebook page.

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