How To Make New Friends In Calgary: A Guide for People of Colour

To make new friends as an adult is hard, next to hiring an accountant😩. 

And when you’re new to a city like Calgary, even more so.

Now, raise all of these to the power of ten when you’re a Person of Colour trying to find people who get it.

Back in school, friendships happened by accident. You sat next to each other in class, shared lunch, laughed about professors, and somehow, those small moments built a tribe.

Now? You want to plan a weekend hike, but one friend’s back in grad school, another’s chasing toddlers around, and the rest are scattered 20,000 miles away.

The good news? Calgary’s Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour diaspora is vibrant and growing with social hubs, creative spaces, and cultural events that celebrate Black joy, identity, and belonging.

Who better to put you on than our culturally sensitive therapists at Ashay Therapy in Calgary?

 Why You Might Be Struggling to Make New Friends (Even if You Want To)

Before we get into how to meet people, it helps to understand why it feels so hard.

Beneath most “I’m just busy,” there’s often something deeper, like fear of vulnerability, fear of rejection, or friendship breakups.

Maybe you’ve been ghosted, betrayed, or slowly drifted from someone you thought would always be around. Your body remembers that pain.

So it goes, “Never again.”

You stay polite, but distant.

It’s your body protecting itself, which makes perfect sense. 

Though this makes it hard for you to cultivate healthy relationships but it makes sense. 

At Ashay therapy, we often say loneliness isn’t about “not knowing enough people or being around them.” It’s about not feeling safe enough to open up again.

Before rushing into events or networking nights, it helps to pause and look inward.

Sometimes, the first step to finding community is rebuilding trust in yourself.

That’s where therapy comes in.

If you’ve been feeling disconnected, withdrawn, or socially anxious, therapy can help you:

• Unpack old friendship wounds and release the patterns that keep replaying.
  
  
• Understand your attachment style — the push, the pull, the shutting down.
  
  
• Learn emotional regulation tools that help you feel grounded in social spaces.
  
  
• Rebuild confidence and trust — both in yourself and in others.

Once you feel emotionally safe, it’s easier to show up authentically, without fear or overthinking.

Meet Tonya Ngo, our practicum therapist at Ashay Therapy.

Tonya works with adults navigating loneliness, friendship, grief, and social anxiety. Her approach is gentle and grounded — helping you reconnect with others by first reconnecting with yourself.

🧡 She’s currently offering low-cost therapy sessions (starting at $100, and even lower beginning January 2026).

Book a free consultation with Tonya.

Now that you may be feeling more like yourself again, the next step is simple: go where the warmth is.

Top Places to Meet People Of Colour in Calgary 

If you’re looking for consistent, welcoming spaces to show up and be part of something bigger:

• Afrovibesyyc: Here’s one for the creatives. I have personally attended this event, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s a cool way to meet creatives within the city, as well as people of all age ranges. They host super fun games tonight. There’s even one happening in December 2025, and you can sign up on their page. 
  
  
• Just About Movement: A safe, joy-filled space to move, sweat, and let go. You’ll meet other people who just want to have fun and not take themselves too seriously.
  
  
• Calgary Black Film Festival:  Attend screenings, volunteer, or join post-film mixers where art meets conversation.
  
  
• Sankofa Arts: Community programs for creatives exploring Black heritage through performance and storytelling.
  
  
• Ashay Therapy Services: Our team regularly hosts therapy groups and workshops exploring themes like belonging, burnout, and friendship loss. You can sign up for the good stuff here.
  
  
• You could also check out Meetup.com and search keywords like “Black Calgary,” “African Calgary,” or “Caribbean Calgary.” You’ll find everything from book clubs to game nights to brunch collectives.

When you’ve been judged, tokenized, or misunderstood, showing up socially can feel like emotional labor. Even more so, as People of Colour, we thrive in community. We have to.

Living in an individualized society like Canada, where it can be lonely, could be depressing, and it’s your community that is gonna save you

Do you see now why friendship and mental health are inseparable? 

We won’t promise to introduce you to your next best friend, but we can help you reach the place where you can recognize them when they show up.

Because sometimes, the first step toward finding community is healing the parts of you that stopped believing you could belong.

🧡Book a free consultation with Tonya.