Come Alone by Meet & Mint Events you can go to on your own

Not a date · Toronto

Meet people in Toronto without a dating app.

If dating apps have worn you out, try the opposite: a group, a task and a host. We list 113 upcoming events in Toronto where nobody expects a date.

See this week's picks How to go alone

Picks

Tonight and this week in Toronto nobody on a date

Six upcoming events, soonest first, free ones preferred and a mix of categories. Check the official page before you go.

Thu22Oct
Free
CultureToronto
18:45–19:45

Dance With Us! Ballet movement session with the National Ballet

Toronto Public Library – Toronto Reference Library, Beeton Hall

At the Toronto Reference Library, teaching artist Tanya Howard, a former First Soloist with the National Ballet of Canada, demonstrates music and choreography from well-known ballets and invites participants to try some gentle ballet-inspired movement. You can also look at costumes from the company and learn how they bring performances to life; joining in the movement is optional. It is free with registration, and you can visit the «A Legacy in Motion» exhibition before or after. «Dance With Us! Led by The National Ballet of Canada» Starts 18:45, ends about 19:45. Source: Toronto Public Library events.

Official page ↗See who's going in Meet & Mint
Fri23Oct
Free
SocialToronto
18:00–20:00

Intro to Dungeons & Dragons for adults, York Woods library

Toronto Public Library – York Woods, Program Room

York Woods library in North York invites adult beginners to learn the basics of Dungeons & Dragons, one of the world's most popular tabletop role-playing games. No experience is required and you do not need to bring anything: pre-generated characters are provided. It is free but space is limited, so register online or by phone; a shared adventure is a natural way to make new friends. «Intro to D&D for Adults» Starts 18:00, ends about 20:00. Source: Toronto Public Library events.

Official page ↗See who's going in Meet & Mint
Sat24Oct
Free
SocialToronto
14:00–15:30

Book Lovers Speed Friending at Parliament Street library, Toronto

Toronto Public Library – Parliament Street

Parliament Street library in Cabbagetown hosts an afternoon of speedy book chats designed to help readers make new friends. Whether you love the classics, thrillers or literary fiction, you rotate through short conversations with fellow book lovers over tea and cookies. It is free, but spaces are limited, so register to guarantee a spot; it is made for people coming alone. «Book Lovers Speed Friending» Starts 14:00, ends about 15:30. Source: Toronto Public Library events.

Official page ↗See who's going in Meet & Mint
Tue27Oct
Free
SocialToronto
18:00–20:00

Tuesday evening board games for adults, North York Central Library

Toronto Public Library – North York Central Library (E-Learning Lab, 2nd floor)

North York Central Library, on Yonge Street above North York Centre station, hosts a weekly evening of modern and classic board games for adults on its second floor. Expect Codenames, Bananagrams, Exploding Kittens, Sushi Go, Scrabble, chess and many more. It is a free drop-in, and the library invites you to come with friends or make new ones at the table. «Board Games for Adults: Tuesday Evening» Starts 18:00, ends about 20:00. Source: Toronto Public Library events.

Official page ↗See who's going in Meet & Mint
Thu29Oct
Free
CultureToronto
18:00–20:00

Film Club: A Haunting in Venice at Brentwood library, Toronto

Toronto Public Library – Brentwood (Community Room)

The adult film club at the Brentwood branch in Etobicoke gets into the Halloween mood with Kenneth Branagh's A Haunting in Venice (2023): a retired Poirot reluctantly attends a séance in a decaying palazzo, and when a guest is murdered he is pulled into a world of shadows and secrets. Rated PG, 103 minutes, shown with English closed captions. Free; take a seat in the community room and stay to talk about it afterwards. «Film Club: A Haunting in Venice (2023)» Starts 18:00, ends about 20:00. Source: Toronto Public Library events.

Official page ↗See who's going in Meet & Mint
Sat31Oct
Free
LearningToronto
14:30–16:00

Real Ghosts: Hallowe'en talk by author Peter Roe, Mimico library

Toronto Public Library – Mimico Centennial (Auditorium)

Author Peter Roe (Haunted Town Halls, The Complete Paranormal Investigation Handbook) visits the Mimico Centennial library by the lake in south Etobicoke on Halloween afternoon. He shares field discoveries of The Searcher Group, Canada's oldest paranormal research team, now in its 47th year, mixing chills with a real love of Ontario's vanishing heritage buildings, tools of the trade and a good dose of humour. Free, for adults, in the auditorium. «Real Ghosts: A Hallowe'en Exclusive» Starts 14:30, ends about 16:00. Source: Toronto Public Library events.

Official page ↗See who's going in Meet & Mint

Formats

Where you talk without pressure

These formats give you a task or a topic, so you never have to open with small talk. Pages for Toronto:

How to go alone

Five steps for your first time

  1. Choose a single event with a clear start time and a host. "Dance With Us! Ballet movement session with the National Ballet" is a good candidate.
  2. Read the official page first: date, price, language and whether a place has to be reserved.
  3. Arrive ten minutes early and tell the host you came alone. Hosts usually seat or introduce newcomers.
  4. Bring one easy opener: ask what brought people here, or whether they have been before. Give yourself a one-hour minimum, then decide.
  5. Go a second time. Familiar faces turn a first outing into a routine. In Meet & Mint you can see who else is going.

Alternatives to dating apps

What actually works, compared

A neutral comparison of five ways to meet people through shared activities. None needs a profile; the last column shows what we list for Toronto.

FormatWhy conversation startsWorks well if youTypical costCommitmentIn Toronto now
Dinners with strangersA shared table and a host who seats youLike longer one-to-one conversationThe price of a mealOne evening, often booked aheadnone in our data yet
Run clubsYou move at the same pace and talk on the movePrefer doing something active to small talkOften free or low costWeekly; talking is optionalnone in our data yet
Language cafésEveryone is practising, so starting a chat is expectedWant a ready-made reason to talkFree or the cost of a coffeeDrop-in17 listed
Game nightsThe game provides the topic and something to doEnjoy light competition or puzzlesFree or a small table feeDrop-in, two to three hours24 listed
VolunteeringA shared task and a teamWant to meet people with similar valuesFreeRegular shifts matter more than one visitnone in our data yet

Questions people ask

Where do people in Toronto meet without swiping?

Pick an activity rather than a venue. Toronto has 113 listed events (social, learning, culture); start with "Dance With Us! Ballet movement session with the National Ballet" and "Intro to Dungeons & Dragons for adults, York Woods library" and go twice.

Will I be the only one on my own at events in Toronto?

Not at all. At hosted events many people come alone, which is why the formats work. Arrive early, mention to the host that you are new, and you will be placed at a table or in a group.

Are these dating events in Toronto?

They are group activities, not dating events. You go for the activity and the company; any romance is a side effect we cannot promise.

What does it cost to go out alone in Toronto?

All 113 listed events in Toronto cost nothing (16 in the next 30 days); a few ask you to register first.

I'm new to Toronto and shy. Where do I start?

Pick something where you do things rather than only talk, such as a game night or a guided walk. Commit to one hour. In Meet & Mint you can chat with the group before you arrive, which makes the first minutes easier.

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How it works

Meet & Mint in Toronto: how it works

  1. Find an event on Come Alone or in the Meet & Mint map and open the official page for the details.
  2. Join alone in the app: you see how many people are going and can read the group chat.
  3. Say hello before in the chat, so the first minutes at the venue are with names you know.
  4. Meet at the event and decide afterwards whether to go again. Nobody is on a date.

Meet & Mint

See who's going, then go together

Meet & Mint shows events and people near you on one map. Join an event alone, chat with the group, meet at the event. Free on iPhone and Android.

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