Guides
What happens at a singles night.
Who goes, how the evening runs, what it costs, and how it differs from speed dating.
A singles night is an evening in a bar or a venue where everyone who comes is single and has come to meet someone. There are no set dates and no timer. A host welcomes you, the room is set up so that talking to strangers is the ordinary thing to do, and you stay for as long as you like.
That is the difference from any other night out, where you cannot tell who is single, who wants to be spoken to, and who is waiting for a friend. At a singles night that question is answered at the door.
Poise lists singles nights run by independent hosts, city by city. As of 27 September 2026, there are 65 nights listed, in 22 cities. This is what to expect at one.
How do singles events work?
You book a ticket with the host, turn up at the time on the listing, and the host takes it from there.
- You book. Tickets are sold in advance, on the host's own page. Few hosts sell on the door.
- You arrive. The host checks you in. At many nights that means a name badge and a drink.
- You meet people. Some hosts open the night with a game or a question, to give the room a reason to talk. After that, who you speak to is up to you.
- You stay or you go. There is no set end to your evening. Most nights run for three hours or so, and people leave when they are ready.
Some hosts build the night around something to do: a quiz, a game, an evening in a bookshop. A night like that is often listed as a singles social, and it suits anyone who finds a room full of small talk hard going.
What is the difference between a singles night and speed dating?
Speed dating is structured, and a singles night is not. At speed dating the host seats you, and you meet everyone in the room for a few minutes each. At a singles night you choose who to talk to.
Speed dating gives you a conversation with everyone. A singles night gives you longer with the people you take to, and nothing with the ones you do not.
What ages go to singles nights?
Most hosts set a night by age, so the room is made up of people of roughly your own. There are nights for people in their twenties and thirties, and nights for people over forty and over fifty.
As of 27 September 2026, nights listed on Poise include: 21 and over, Ages 40 to 59, 50 and over, Ages 30 to 49 and Ages 21 to 45. On Poise the age range is printed on each listing, so you can see who a night is for before you book.
Are singles events mostly women, or mostly men?
It varies by host and by night. Some hosts sell a set number of tickets to men and to women, to keep the room even, and say so on the listing. Others sell to whoever books, and a room can lean one way.
If it matters to you, read the listing before you book, or ask the host. Every listing on Poise names its host and links to the host's own page.
How much does a singles night cost?
As of 27 September 2026, nights listed on Poise cost between £15 and £25. The host sets the price, and you pay the host when you book.
A ticket covers the whole night, and some hosts include a drink. On Poise the price is printed on every listing before you open it, so you can compare nights without clicking through each one.
Are singles events worth it?
They are worth it if you would rather meet people face to face than by message. You spend one evening in a room of people who are single, and you find out at once whether you like talking to them.
Nobody can promise that you will meet someone. What a singles night changes is the odds: everyone you speak to is single, and willing to be spoken to.
