(NewsNation) — Burnt out from dating apps, many singles are returning to the old school practice of finding romance via speed dating.
Speed dating events surged 63% in the first few months of the year compared to January-April of last year, according to ticketing platform Eventbrite. Additionally, attendance at dating and single events surged by 42% from last year, and were higher than pre-pandemic, Eventbrite reports.
“The number one complaint I hear is that people are experiencing dating app fatigue,” Maria Avgitidis, CEO of matchmaking company Apage Match, told CNN. “We have to go back to dating like it’s 1988.”
Avgitids added in-person dating events are a way to recreate “third spaces” that existed before apps and allow singles to spontaneously get to know each other.
Iposos found that 45% of Baby Boomers met their partners through a set-up or work compared to 26% of Millennials and Gen Z.
While it’s become a primary form of dating, 53% say their personal experiences have been very or somewhat positive on dating apps, according to the Pew Research Center. Additionally, 46% say they’ve been very or somewhat negative.
Dating apps, which boomed during the height of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, have been drooping.
“You are overwhelmed; there’s so much activity, and so many people, and everyone starts to look the same, and conversations are dying,” Hinge CEO Justin McLeod told the Financial Times, acknowledging dating app fatigue among some singles.
Meanwhile, dating apps are shifting to keep up with the trend by facilitating in-person events.
Apps like Thursday throw events in major cities. Additionally, Bumble launched Bumble IRL, which invites singles to “start the chat in person” at in-person gatherings.
