Dating articles
Been on an event, holiday or tried online dating? Help others make an informed choice by adding your rating.
Rate event companies
Rate holiday companies
Rate online dating companies
Find singles near you now! Free to join.
Speed dating history
Speed dating is a formalised matchmaking process or dating system whose purpose is to allow single people to meet a large number of new people in a short space of time. Its origins are credited to Rabbi Yaacov Deyo of Aish HaTorah, originally as a way to help Jewish singles meet and marry. "SpeedDating", as a single word, is a registered trademark of Aish HaTorah, whereas "speed dating", as two separate words, is often used as a generic term for such events.
The first speed dating event was held at Pete's Café in Beverly Hills, towards the end of 1998, with several commercial companies offering similar dating events across the United States soon afterwards. By 2000, speed dating had really taken off, perhaps boosted by its glamorous portrayal in shows such as Sex and the City. Speed dating is hugely popular partly as it's said to save time; it's quite possible to assess romantic compatibility very quickly, with first impressions largely permanent.
And some trivia…
- A 2005 study at the University of Pennsylvania found that most people made their choices within the first three seconds of meeting.
- A 2006 study in Edinburgh found that dialogue concerning travel resulted in more matches than dialogue about films.
- The TV news magazine 20/20 once sent both a male and a female set of twins to a speed dating event, with one of each set wearing pheromones. The study found that the ones wearing pheromones received more matches.
Browse speed dating by area
England
Bath (20) Bexleyheath (8) Birmingham (24) Bournemouth (13) Bridgnorth (5) Brighton (34) Bristol (23) Bromley (2) Bromsgrove (3) Burton on Trent (1) Cambridge (8) Canterbury (7) Cheltenham (1) Chester (4) Chislehurst (9) Colchester (2) Crawley (2) Didsbury (3) Exeter (21) Guildford (10) Hagley (2) Harrogate (1) Hornchurch (2) Ipswich (1) Kingston Upon Thames (10) Lanarkshire (2) Leamington-Spa (3) Leeds (20) Leicester (9) Liverpool (12) London (187) Maidstone (4) Manchester (14) Milton Keynes (9) Nantwich (1) Newcastle (15) Newcastle-Under-Lyme (1) Northampton (3) Norwich (11) Nottingham (17) Oxford (13) Penshurst (1) Plymouth (5) Portsmouth (6) Reading (13) Sheffield (9) Shrewsbury (1) Solihull (3) Southampton (18) Southport (1) Southsea (2) St Albans (5) Stoke-on-Trent (2) Stratford upon Avon (2) Sundridge Park (1) Swindon (5) Telford (2) Tunbridge Wells (1) West Wickham (1) Windsor (7) Wolverhampton (3) Yarm (1) York (18)Ireland
Bangor (1) Belfast (2)Scotland
Aberdeen (6) Edinburgh (30) Glasgow (18)Wales
Cardiff (11)A selection of the latest speed dating events
Thu-11-Mar-10
Speed Dating - £7 Off Last Few Places!
Where? Clerkenwell House, London, EC1N 8JE
Who for? Age 28-38
How much? £14.95
Company? Speed Dater
Details | Check availability
Speed Dating In Newcastle On 11/03/2010
Where? Tiger Tiger, Newcastle, NE1 5RE
Who for? Age 25-36
How much? £20
Company? Slow Dating
Details | Check availability
Speed Dating In Bath On 11/03/2010
Where? BlueRooms, Bath, BA1 2EB
Who for? Age 22-28
How much? £22
Company? Slow Dating
Details | Check availability
Speed Dating In Southampton On 11/03/2010
Where? Oasis Bar, Southampton, SO14 2BS
Who for? Age 26-38
How much? £15
Company? Slow Dating
Details | Check availability
Speed Dating In London On 11/03/2010
Where? Verve, London, WC2H 9NY
Who for? Age 26-38
How much? £22
Company? Slow Dating
Details | Check availability
Speed Dating
Where? Pitcher and Piano, Exeter, EX4 3RP
Who for? Age 18-30
When? 19:30
How much? £16
Company? When the music stops
Details | Check availability
Speed Dating
Where? Chilli White, Leeds, LS2 7DA
Who for? Age 23-35
How much? £19.99
Company? XFactor Dates
Details | Check availability
Fri-12-Mar-10
Speed Dating
Where? Sound London, London, WC2H7NA
Who for? Age 21-31
How much? £21.95
Company? Speed Dater
Details | Check availability
Speed Dating
Where? Chislehurst, BR7 5PQ
Who for? Age 40-65
When? 8:30pm
How much? £20
Company? Single Scene Dating
Details | Check availability
Speed Dating - Graduate Professionals - £5 Off Special Launch Price! (reg Price £23.95)
Where? Avalon, London, E1 6JE
Who for? Age 24-38
How much? £18.95
Company? Speed Dater
Details | Check availability
Speed Dating
Where? On Anon, London, W1V 9LA
Who for? Age 21-31
How much? £16
Company? When the music stops
Details | Check availability
Speed Dating
Where? Cellar Bar, London, WC1B 5AD
Who for? Age 30-45
How much? £20
Company? When the music stops
Details | Check availability
Special offer on this event!
Speed Dating
Where? The Square Pig Wine Bar, London, WC1R 4QG
Who for? Age 23-35
How much? £22.5 Now only £18
save 20% on last remaining tickets with VIP4
Company? XFactor Dates
Details | Check availability
Speed Dating
Where? Oceana Southampton, Southampton, SO15 1RE
Who for? Age 18-30
How much? £16
Company? When the music stops
Details | Check availability
Sat-13-Mar-10
Saturday Night Out With The Flirt Diva: Flirt Schmooze And Shimmy!
Where? Central London Meeting Place TBC, London, TBC
Who for? Age 24-40
How much? £55
Company? Speed Dater
Details | Check availability
Speed Dating - Graduate Professionals
Where? Kanaloa, London, EC4A 3BQ
Who for? Age 24-38
How much? £23.95
Company? Speed Dater
Details | Check availability
Speed Dating
Where? Kasbar in Espionage, Edinburgh, EH1 2HE
Who for? Age 23-35
How much? £16
Company? When the music stops
Details | Check availability
Special offer on this event!
Speed Dating
Where? Stanza Bar, London, W1D 5DY
Who for? Age 23-35
How much? £22.5 Now only £18
save 20% on last remaining tickets with VIP4
Company? XFactor Dates
Details | Check availability
Sun-14-Mar-10
Speed Dating
Where? The Living Room, Chester, CH1 2DY
Who for? Age 30-45
When? 19:00
How much? £15
Company? Fast Love
Details | Check availability
Speed Dating
Where? The Living Room, Chester, CH1 2DY
Who for? Age 21-35
When? 19:00
How much? £15
Company? Fast Love
Details | Check availability
Search for singles events near you
Hannah, 21
Claire, 27
Laura, 23
Neil, 35
Las, 29
Christian, 35Enjoy all the offers, discounts and latest events mailed direct to your inbox.
Time to get serious – a professional photo shoot costs less than you think!
The best dating profiles, those with good photos, get a whopping 15 times the response of those without so if you’re thinking image isn’t important? Better think again! Check out our amazing value dating photo packages and radically increase your dating success!
Another great way to meet that special someone...
Along with internet dating, social events and personals ads, personal introduction agencies provide hitherto undreamed of opportunities to meet wonderful people for friendship and love. Online and offline dating make the winning combination in the search for the perfect match. Read more about the leading introduction agency in London.