This page describes public, open and lawful venues and events, cited for what they are: places where people meet. It is neither a directory nor a recommendation; programmes change, always check before setting out.
Trans nights
London has had, since the early 1990s, a nightlife where trans women, cross-dressers and those who appreciate them meet without hiding: the WayOut Club, a weekly Saturday night founded in 1993, is the longest-running trans club night in Europe, with cabaret and a mixed crowd of trans women, admirers and friends; Transmission nights and the trans-inclusive events of the Glory, Dalston Superstore and the Royal Vauxhall Tavern complete the scene. In Paris, Escualita, on Sunday nights at the Rouge Pigalle club, has been the reference since the early 2000s; in Berlin, Gayhane at SO36, a monthly Turkish-Arab queer party since 1999, and the drag nights of Chantals House of Shame; in Amsterdam, De Trut, a Sunday queer club run by volunteers since 1985; in New York, the trans-hosted nights of the Brooklyn queer scene; in Sydney, the Imperial Hotel in Erskineville. Specialised apps (Fiorry, Butterfly, MyTransgenderDate, and the dedicated sections of Grindr, Taimi or OkCupid) are detailed on the page Dating sites and apps.
The manners are simple and non-negotiable: you address a trans woman as a woman, with the name and pronoun she gives; you do not ask about her body, her surgery or her "real name"; you demand nothing and photograph no one; and you do not mistake these nights for a marketplace — they are dances, not markets. The section Transgender explains what being trans means, rights by country, relationships and intimacy with a trans person.
Faith-based dating
- Jewish: speed dating was born with a rabbi (see Speed dating) and remains widely practised; JDate, JSwipe and the events of community centres, youth movements and synagogues (singles Shabbat dinners, trips); in the Orthodox world, the shidduch, an introduction through an intermediary.
- Christian: singles weekends and retreats run by dioceses and religious communities, young-adult parish groups, pilgrimages (Walsingham, Lourdes), Christian Connection and Catholic Match events; evangelical churches run "singles nights" and young-adult groups that serve the purpose.
- Muslim: "halal speed dating" in a hall, with chaperones or the young woman's wali, often organised by apps (Muzz, Salams) or associations in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Toronto and Sydney; weddings and Eid parties remain the first meeting place, and mothers the first network.
- Hindu and Sikh: in the diaspora, "Asian speed dating", Sikh and Hindu singles nights organised by temples, gurdwaras and associations, alongside the matrimonial sites.
The page Couples and religion says what each tradition expects of marriage and of the mixed couple.
Seniors
The tea dance of a weekday afternoon — in town halls, hotels, social clubs — has been the meeting place of the over-60s for a century and has no rival; walking groups, the University of the Third Age, organised trips and singles cruises follow. SilverSingles, OurTime and the senior sections of the big sites also run events. The page Dating after 50 covers it.
Single parents
Single-parent drinks and brunches (often Saturday morning, children welcome), Meetup and Facebook groups by city, park outings; the general sites all have a "has children" filter, and some (Single with Kids in the UK, Stir in the US) are entirely dedicated. The golden rule: do not introduce the children before the relationship is solid.
Expats and foreigners
InterNations runs monthly evenings in 400 cities; the Meetup groups "Expats in London/Berlin/ Madrid", language exchanges (tandems, "language café" nights), Erasmus parties and national Facebook groups (Brazilians in London, Italians in Toronto…) are where newcomers meet — often other newcomers. The page International dating details cultural differences and precautions.
Disability
Charities and social clubs run café meetups and outings; specialised agencies exist (in the UK, agencies for people with learning disabilities such as Stars in the Sky pioneered supported dating); ordinary singles nights welcome everyone, but ask about the venue's accessibility. Visible or invisible, the question "when to say it" has no right answer: most choose before the first date, so as not to have to handle it face to face.
And all the others
Vegan speed dating, nights for people over six foot, for redheads, for "geeks" and gamers (at conventions and board-game cafés), for metalheads, for graduates, for farmers (the Lisdoonvarna festival, agricultural shows, long before television), for the military, for naturists (inside the clubs, not elsewhere): as soon as a community exists, a night for its singles ends up existing. They all have the same advantage — you already share something — and the same risk: a small world where everything is known. The safety rules of singles events apply everywhere.