Dating, in person.
Slow dinners, singles borrels, blind dates and speed nights in Amsterdam. Hosted by people who know how to make a room feel like one, for the part of the city that prefers conversation to swiping.
Coming up.
10 events · next 4 weeks
Sober Singles Event at Café Conrad
No tickets to sell. No algorithm to feed. We exist so the good hosts in Amsterdam can actually be found. The slow dinners, the borrels, the singles nights worth dressing for.
Connection, not conversion. If you host one, write in. We'll come to the first one. [email protected]
Will it be awkward?+
Less than you think. Speed and slow dating events are designed for awkwardness, there's a host running the rounds and a bell that resets the conversation every few minutes. Singles borrels are more like a friend's birthday party where everyone happens to be single.
Can I come alone?+
Yes, that's how most attendees come. Hosts usually balance the room by bracket and gender. Coming alone signals to others you're open to meeting people, which is the point.
How much does a singles event cost in Amsterdam?+
€10–€20 for casual borrels, €25–€50 for structured speed dating, and €40–€85 for blind dinners with a meal included. Drinks usually extra.
What age groups are events split into?+
25–35 and 35–45 are the two most common brackets. Some hosts run 30–43 or 28–40 to bridge them. The age bracket is always stated on the event page.
How do you choose between speed dating, slow dating and a borrel?+
Speed dating if you want quantity and a structured exit from each chat. Slow dating if conversations under 5 min stress you out. Borrel/singles party if you want to walk in, talk to whoever, leave when you want.
Are these events for serious dating or just casual?+
Both, depending on the host. Slow-dating dinners and 'pitch your friend' nights skew toward people looking for relationships. Late-night singles parties skew more casual. The host's copy usually tells you which.
How do you decide what to list?+
We come to a host's event before we list them. We skip anything that reads like a dating-app marketing funnel, and we don't run paid placements.
What's the difference between speed dating, slow dating, a borrel and a blind dinner?+
- Speed dating.
- Structured rounds of short conversations (4–6 min each). You talk to 8–12 people in one evening and tick names you want to see again.
- Slow dating.
- Fewer, longer conversations, usually 3–4 partners across 15–25 minutes each, often paired with a drink or small plate.
- Singles night / borrel.
- Open mingling event in a bar. No structured rounds, you walk up and talk. The Dutch word 'borrel' just means casual drinks.
- Blind dinner.
- Pre-matched seating at a long table, sometimes by the host based on a short questionnaire. You eat dinner across courses with curated company.
- Mixer.
- Generic term for a singles event with food, drinks and light structure (icebreaker games, table rotations).
Where in Amsterdam do these usually happen?+
- Centrum / Reguliersdwarsstraat.
- Most ticketed singles parties happen here. Bigger crowds, easier to walk in and out.
- De Pijp.
- Smaller bar-based borrels, 25–35 crowd. More conversation than dance floor.
- Oost (KNSM, Indische Buurt).
- Slow-dating dinners and curated blind tables; quieter venues, food-led.
- Westerpark.
- Daytime sober-singles events and outdoor mixers in the warmer months.
If you host a singles night, slow dinner or speed-dating event in Amsterdam, write to [email protected]. We come to one before listing.