The singles choosing IRL dating events over apps

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.

Checking in at a dating event in a bar in Guildford, Olivia Miller-Davis is understandably apprehensive.

As well as helping users find out more about each other in advance of dates, through interactive music and astrology features, it has introduced "double date mode" for friends who want to date together.

New research from Match Group, which owns Tinder and Hinge, suggests that out of those who had ever had a romantic relationship, about 21% of baby boomers surveyed met their most recent partner at a pub, bar or club.

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 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.

And a couple of recent studies suggest the monthly cost of dating - from apps to entertainment and clothes - can add up to around £130.

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".

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.