In April, we all promised ourselves that we would stay connected with our uni friends. Now, as I enjoy the second half of my summer break, I realize that I’ve made no plans to hang out with any of my classmates. 

But we still have time. The rain is finally gone, and we can enjoy the rest of our summer together. 

It may feel awkward, but if you’d like to reconnect with your new uni friends, reach out to them. Send them a text. Break the ice by joking that you both forgot to stay connected. It’s never too late, and your uni friends are likely thinking about you too. 

If you’re looking for fun activities and events to invite your friends to, here are a few of my favourite ideas.

If you like to host, invite a group of friends for a summer-themed social.

Shark Week begins July 26, and I’m excited to share that I’m planning a shark-themed party for my friends. 

I love Shark Week, but there are many other fun summer themes that you can use. You could have a barbecue, a beach party or simply invite people over for snacks and to enjoy the sun.  

I have a lot of vegetarian friends, and one who frequently attends my family’s barbecues. There are many fun veggie barbecue alternatives to experiment with, like grilling veggie kebabs, adding tofu or meat alternatives or doing a vegetarian chilli party. 

If hosting sounds horrible, invite your friends to a festival. 

It can be expensive and time-consuming to host parties. Going to a festival is a great alternative. 

Summer in Edmonton is incredible because there are so many festivals. The people of this city understand that we only have nice weather for a short period, so we pack together as many events as possible. 

Festivals are the perfect opportunity to meet your friends in a casual setting. 

Taste of Edmonton , Edmonton’s foodie festival, runs July 16 to 26 in Churchill Square with more than 50 Edmonton restaurants and food trucks attending. This iconic festival is a great way to try something new and enjoy delicious food with your friends.

The Edmonton Heritage Festival also runs August 1 to 3 in Hawrelak Park. You can enjoy the diversity of Edmonton with performances, a market and more. Or you could volunteer ! 

Volunteering is another great way to spend time with your friends and contribute to the community. 

You could invite your friends to volunteer at the Edmonton Food Bank as a group or do a river valley trash clean up. The City of Edmonton has a list of volunteer opportunities , and Explore Edmonton has many more.  

Explore Edmonton provides a full event calendar every month.

Explore Edmonton is an organization that acts as an information hub, sharing news about events, festivals and more happening in Edmonton. It’s helpful for locals and tourists alike. You could invite your friends to one of their many events.

I love the Explore Edmonton event calendar because it consolidates events from multiple festivals and community groups. There are details for theatre productions, themed Riverhawks baseball games , Pride events and more. Their calendar is always up to date. It’s my guide to Edmonton all year long.

I appreciate event calendars because they list so many different activities. They make it easy to invite a friend to a pre-made event that you can simply show up to without any preparation. 

It doesn’t matter how you spend time with your friends as long as you have fun. 

By July, I start to miss my uni friends, but we don’t have to wait until September to see them. It only takes one text or phone call to see your friends again. 

Don’t be afraid to be the first one to reach out. The memories you’ll make together will be worth it.