Want to make friends in Canberra? Try this.

Posted on 10 February, 2025

Is it just us, or does it feel harder than ever to make meaningful connections?

You know the ones we mean – the friends, colleagues and professional connections who share similar goals and ambitions, who just ‘get’ where we’re at in life. They share your passion, drive and ambition. They understand what you’re going through. They know exactly what you mean when you give them ‘the look’ and utter the words ‘Xaden Riorson would never’.

Sorry, we got a bit off-topic there. But you get the point.

Whether you’ve just moved to Canberra, are looking to expand your friendship circle, or meet like-minded people who are in the same stage of life as you, it can feel hard to make friends in our cool little capital. But that’s where Friends with Her comes in – and it’s back for 2025.

A casual and free networking event series focused on creating connections in a relaxed, small group setting, Friends with Her was founded in 2023 by Claudia Harrison McKee and Madeline Bonfini.

The idea for was sparked after the pair – who met at university – reconnected in their graduate days and realised they had more in common than they ever thought.

“We quickly realised we were very like-minded and we started catching up monthly to chat about our ambitions, passions and ideas,” says Claudia.

“The monthly catch-ups also enabled us to have that accountability and space to celebrate the career wins we had. These were conversations that we didn’t often have with friends and family, and we were excited to be able to bounce ideas off each other.”

“It made us think, there must be other people out there who would love to be able to do the same. We wanted to create a community where people can support each other throughout career. The value proposition to many people can mean different things, at different stages of their career.”

The HerCanberra team totally agrees – which is why we partnered with Claudia and Madeline to help bring it to life.

Open to people of all gender identities (not just those who use her/hers pronouns), Friends with Her is about bringing together interesting people to have interesting conversations and be a space where others come to meet fascinating individuals.

Running every other month in 2025, the evening runs from 6 pm to 7 pm and is an unstructured mingle where, as Claudia and Madeline put it, you’ll find “interesting conversations with people you know or want to know”.

And to kick it off, the first Friends with Her x HerCanberra networking event will be taking place on Thursday 13 February with a special (and wholesome) Galentine’s Day theme at Cabo.

Sound like your cup of tea (or should we say cup of daiquiri)?

Tickets to Friends With Her x HerCanberra are free (you’re welcome to buy your own drinks and snacks at Cabo on the evening) but numbers are strictly limited, so make sure you reserve your place via Eventbrite.