Ideas for a singles event?
December 17, 2012 12:13 PM Subscribe
Looking for activity ideas for a singles night in a small restaurant. What doesn't make you cringe?
I'm helping a friend organize a singles night in her small organic restaurant. There will be a smallish indoor space, a bigger grassy back yard, and a flat surface / potential dance space in front.
We're looking for ideas of activities that will get people talking and mixing. It's a multicultural community of Latinos and anglos. Most attending will probably be in their 30s through their 50s.
Ideas that have been nixed:
- Speed dating or anything resembling it (roundly rejected by Latino friends)
- You have a lock and have to find the person who has the key(considered too likely to make you feel like you're stuck with that person)
- Open mic, karaoke, or anything like it
Ideas under consideration:
- Optional salsa or tango lessons. They could be going on in the dance area without interfering with mingling elsewhere.
- At some point, have everyone sit in a circle; go around that circle and spend a minute or two on each person to have them answer the question "Who are you?" however they want to answer it.
We're coming up short. What activities have you participated in that you thought were fun or at least useful? What activities should we avoid? Do we event want activities? Thanks!
I'm helping a friend organize a singles night in her small organic restaurant. There will be a smallish indoor space, a bigger grassy back yard, and a flat surface / potential dance space in front.
We're looking for ideas of activities that will get people talking and mixing. It's a multicultural community of Latinos and anglos. Most attending will probably be in their 30s through their 50s.
Ideas that have been nixed:
- Speed dating or anything resembling it (roundly rejected by Latino friends)
- You have a lock and have to find the person who has the key(considered too likely to make you feel like you're stuck with that person)
- Open mic, karaoke, or anything like it
Ideas under consideration:
- Optional salsa or tango lessons. They could be going on in the dance area without interfering with mingling elsewhere.
- At some point, have everyone sit in a circle; go around that circle and spend a minute or two on each person to have them answer the question "Who are you?" however they want to answer it.
We're coming up short. What activities have you participated in that you thought were fun or at least useful? What activities should we avoid? Do we event want activities? Thanks!
Any activity that causes singles to cringe is probably the right idea. Isn't the point to make them step out of their comfort zones?
posted by nickerbocker at 12:22 PM on December 17, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by nickerbocker at 12:22 PM on December 17, 2012 [3 favorites]
I'd be super annoyed by the "Who are you?" thing. I HATE having to do "team building" things like that.
Cooking class? Wine tasting?
posted by cooker girl at 12:23 PM on December 17, 2012 [14 favorites]
Cooking class? Wine tasting?
posted by cooker girl at 12:23 PM on December 17, 2012 [14 favorites]
I have to disagree with nickerbocker. They're already out of their comfort zones by going to a dating event. No reason to torture further. The wine tasting sounds like a good idea. Or cheese and charcuterie pairing with discussions about what's being eaten? Since it's a restaurant, centering it around food makes sense (and may bring in repeat customers).
Dancing with strangers, especially dancing where you have to touch one another, can be a huge hurdle for some people.
posted by loriginedumonde at 12:28 PM on December 17, 2012 [4 favorites]
Dancing with strangers, especially dancing where you have to touch one another, can be a huge hurdle for some people.
posted by loriginedumonde at 12:28 PM on December 17, 2012 [4 favorites]
Forced socialization that wouldn't suck:
Everyone brings a bottle of wine in a paper bag to hide the labels. Numbers are used to link the bags to the people. Everyone is grouped into sets of 6, three men and three women. Each gropu rates the wine from another group, ranking them from best to worst.
First place from every group gets a prize from the dollar store and a little blue ribbon they can pin to their clothes. Maybe last place gets something too. After the ranking is done (keep it short and quick!), the wine is put on a table and people drink it until it's gone.
Hopefully each small group will interact during the rating phase, getting to know each other and feeling each other out for chemistry. The free wine will remain a social lubricant for the rest of the night, and people with prizes or markers for best/worst will have instant conversation starters.
Difficulty: reduced income from alcohol sales for the restaurant.
posted by jsturgill at 12:31 PM on December 17, 2012 [3 favorites]
Everyone brings a bottle of wine in a paper bag to hide the labels. Numbers are used to link the bags to the people. Everyone is grouped into sets of 6, three men and three women. Each gropu rates the wine from another group, ranking them from best to worst.
First place from every group gets a prize from the dollar store and a little blue ribbon they can pin to their clothes. Maybe last place gets something too. After the ranking is done (keep it short and quick!), the wine is put on a table and people drink it until it's gone.
Hopefully each small group will interact during the rating phase, getting to know each other and feeling each other out for chemistry. The free wine will remain a social lubricant for the rest of the night, and people with prizes or markers for best/worst will have instant conversation starters.
Difficulty: reduced income from alcohol sales for the restaurant.
posted by jsturgill at 12:31 PM on December 17, 2012 [3 favorites]
Is there a full bar? If so and if you can find the right instructor, maybe optional cocktail lessons? It would be a little more interactive and unexpected than a wine tasting, but still not too awkward and a good conversation starter.
posted by oinopaponton at 12:32 PM on December 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by oinopaponton at 12:32 PM on December 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for the ideas so far! The restaurant doesn't have a liquor license, though it's possible that people could bring alcohol without problems (we're not in the US).
posted by ceiba at 12:35 PM on December 17, 2012
posted by ceiba at 12:35 PM on December 17, 2012
I think games are the best. Perhaps someone can teach Texas Hold-em poker, and then play some hands. Another fun one is Bunko or Craps.
You could have a Tupperware party. I was in my twenties and my hip friends had a Tupperware party, it was a scream and we all had a blast.
A cooking demonstration. Have everyone pay a fee, and put together 3 nights worth of meals. You provide the ingredients and the instructions.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:37 PM on December 17, 2012
You could have a Tupperware party. I was in my twenties and my hip friends had a Tupperware party, it was a scream and we all had a blast.
A cooking demonstration. Have everyone pay a fee, and put together 3 nights worth of meals. You provide the ingredients and the instructions.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 12:37 PM on December 17, 2012
Well, you need people to initiate conversations with strangers and you want to encourage them to talk to more than one stranger. I like the conversation Bingo strategy because it spawns conversations, if people play along, or can be completely perfunctory if they don't.
posted by crush-onastick at 12:43 PM on December 17, 2012
posted by crush-onastick at 12:43 PM on December 17, 2012
The last wedding I was at didn't really get going until someone started kicking a balloon around. Within seconds a big circle had formed and everyone was playing that game that everyone knows how to play instinctively, namely 'don't let the balloon hit the ground'. Some things are universal.
posted by PercussivePaul at 12:51 PM on December 17, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by PercussivePaul at 12:51 PM on December 17, 2012 [3 favorites]
Well you can do high-end chocolate tasting. I have seen some people clear up big time doing that.
I'd advise against organized games. Some people really hate games (other people tend to not understand this at all. Not a good situation).
posted by Namlit at 2:26 PM on December 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
I'd advise against organized games. Some people really hate games (other people tend to not understand this at all. Not a good situation).
posted by Namlit at 2:26 PM on December 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
Two true things and one lie.
Everyone must be prepared to reveal three things about themselves. Two are true and one is a lie. Spot the lie.
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 5:10 PM on December 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
Everyone must be prepared to reveal three things about themselves. Two are true and one is a lie. Spot the lie.
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 5:10 PM on December 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks, everyone! I'll pass all these ideas along.
posted by ceiba at 6:53 PM on December 17, 2012
posted by ceiba at 6:53 PM on December 17, 2012
What about a game like Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity? You can participate without worrying too much what people think--if your contribution doesn't make sense, maybe your cards are just crappy.
posted by A dead Quaker at 8:22 PM on December 17, 2012
posted by A dead Quaker at 8:22 PM on December 17, 2012
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posted by thelonius at 12:17 PM on December 17, 2012 [4 favorites]