Singles events – what are they and how do they work?

A singles event is an activity or event created for people who are single. Unlike a regular activity, you know from the start that the other participants are single too. But singles events don’t have to mean speed dating, name tags and a few minutes with each person. Today, there are many ways to meet singles in real life. You can cook together, play pétanque, go to a wine tasting, meet for after-work drinks or discover a new restaurant. The activity gives you something in common from the start and makes it easier to get into natural conversations.

The format varies between different organisers. At MinglMe, you choose an activity that you would genuinely enjoy doing. You book your spot and then meet a small group of other singles in a similar stage of life. There’s no specific person you have to date and no guarantee of romance. Instead, the idea is to create more opportunities to meet people in real life. Maybe you click with someone. Maybe you simply have a really fun evening. Both are great outcomes.

Singles events can take many different forms. The important thing is to choose something that suits you. It could be dinners and food experiences, wine or cocktail tastings, pétanque, padel and shuffleboard, cooking classes, workshops, after-work events, city walks and other experiences. When you choose something based on what you enjoy, the activity is worth going to regardless of who you meet. And you’ll meet people who share at least one interest with you. That’s the idea behind activity dating: getting to know people while doing something together instead of starting with a traditional date.

Speed dating usually involves several short dates during the same evening. The focus is immediately on deciding whether there’s a romantic interest. At an activity-based singles event, the format is more relaxed. You do something together and conversations happen naturally along the way. You can spend more time talking to someone you enjoy, get to know several people in the group and see how it feels without having to evaluate every interaction as a date. For some people, speed dating is a perfect fit. Others prefer getting to know people through a shared activity. Read also: Speed dating or activity dating – what’s the difference?

Absolutely. At many singles events, it can actually be an advantage. When you go with a friend, it’s easy to stick with that person. If you come on your own, it often feels more natural to talk to others. After all, the whole point of a singles event is to meet people you don’t already know. So you don’t need to find someone to bring with you in order to go. Read more: Can you go to a singles activity on your own?

For many people, dating today starts with a profile, a match and a chat. But it doesn’t have to. If you want to meet singles without dating apps, you need to create opportunities to actually meet new people in real life. Singles events are one way to do that. You don’t have to try to figure out who someone is from a few photos and a profile. You’re in the same place, doing something together, and can see how meeting each other actually feels.

Of course, you should be single, but you don’t have to go in thinking that you need to find a partner that very evening. Being curious about meeting new people is enough. When the pressure to immediately find “the right person” disappears, it often becomes easier to genuinely get to know someone. And if there’s no romance? You’ve still done something fun instead of sitting at home swiping.

Age isn’t everything when it comes to whether two people are a good match, but your stage of life can matter a lot. That’s why MinglMe’s activities are organised so that you meet other singles who are roughly the same age and at a similar stage of life as you. It makes the group more relevant without deciding who you should be attracted to. The rest still has to happen between two people.

MinglMe offers singles activities in Stockholm and Gothenburg, with more cities on the way. In Stockholm, you can find singles activities such as dinners, tastings, sports, workshops and other social experiences. You can also read more about singles activities and singles events in Gothenburg. The selection changes regularly – the idea is that you should be able to find something you would genuinely enjoy doing even if it weren’t a singles event.