Checking in at a dating event in a bar in Guildford, Olivia Miller-Davis is understandably apprehensive. Even bringing a friend with her doesn't remove the awkwardness at the start of the night. "It's always nerve-wracking when you're meeting new people," the 28-year-old admits before downloading an app that will match her to other daters based on their star signs.
This is speed dating 2026-style and Olivia, like many people we speak to, is here because she's fed up of "endlessly swiping" or as some describe it "app fatigue". She says she hates judging people with "really limited information and just a couple of pictures" because she doesn't feel she can "really fully commit" with so little to go on. According to a recent study from online regulator Ofcom 11% of adults use dating sites but it suggests the time we spend on them is dropping, from a peak of almost four hours a month in 2023, down to three hours last year.
Olivia's first match on the night is Edward and he agrees that recent dating trends leave him feeling cold. "I mean, they're designed so that you don't find 'the one', because they want you to come back and use the app forever. They don't want you to get married from the app." The event is organised by Love at First Sign, a dating company that uses an app to match people based on astrological connection, but most people are just using it as an icebreaker.
Director of events Lissy Cleminson says the way people date is changing and a big factor is more home working since Covid, which means people do not meet in offices or on the commute. "The little meet-cutes don't happen so much when you're at home with your shirt up top and your pyjamas down bottom," she jokes. As you may expect at a dating event many of the singles told us they were keen for that in-real-life or IRL experience.
There are a lot of #SingleTok and #Singlelife accounts on TikTok and Instagram reviewing dating events. Candice Gallagher runs an account called @Candilicious and recently went to 10 different dating events in 10 weeks. She describes herself as an entrepreneur and thinks in business terms dating events deliver "much greater return on investment".
The 40-year-old says all too often dating online can lead to "chat graveyards" with very limited conversation. "At a dating event, everyone is single, everyone's ready to mingle, and your chances of having a good conversation are much greater." Many people at the event in Guildford agreed dating events were better value for money because "you get to meet a range of people" in person for a similar cost to one date from an app. These events typically cost around £15 to £30 and often include a drink and activity or icebreaking gimmick, in this case an app that is used throughout the night.
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