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Home Blog Anchor’s Aweigh! Original Dating is Landing in Southampton ⚓❤️

Anchor’s Aweigh! Original Dating is Landing in Southampton ⚓❤️

Monday March 9, 2026

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If you’re over the dating apps and the endless swiping in the Solent and you’re ready to meet real people in the real world, we have some fantastic news. The UK’s favourite speed dating company has officially arrived in the South Coast’s busiest city. That’s right—Original Dating is launching in Southampton!

We’ve been the market leaders in London since 2003, and after successful launches across the UK, we thought it was high time we brought our famous matchmaking magic to the home of the mighty Spitfire.

Why Southampton?

Southampton has it all—vibrant nightlife, a gorgeous waterfront, and a massive population of eligible singles who, frankly, deserve a better way to meet than a buggy dating app. We believe you shouldn't have to commute to London to find a high-quality date. We’re bringing the capital’s busiest and best-organised events right to your doorstep.

The Venue: Monarch Cocktail Bar

A great date needs a great backdrop. For our Southampton debut, we’ve partnered with the stunning Monarch Cocktail Bar on Oxford Street. It’s stylish, sophisticated, and serves some of the best signature cocktails in the city. It’s the perfect spot to settle those pre-dating nerves and enjoy a fun, relaxed atmosphere.

How it Works

New to speed dating? Don’t sweat it. We pride ourselves on running the most relaxed events in the UK.

  • The Crowd: You’ll meet around 15-20 singles in one fun night. 
  • The Dates: Each date lasts about 4 minutes. It’s just enough time to see if there’s a spark, but short enough that you’re never stuck in a dull conversation.
  • The Matching: No awkward asking for numbers! The next day, you simply log into our bespoke matching system, enter your "Yes," "No," or "Friend" selections, and by 5pm you’ll see your mutual matches.

The Original Dating Guarantee

We’re so confident you’ll have a great time (and meet someone you like) that we offer our "No Match" guarantee: If you don’t meet anyone you’d like to see again, your next event is completely FREE. If you're ready to ditch the apps? Put down the phone and come meet real people in the real world. Whether you find "The One" or just have a brilliant night out with new friends, it’s guaranteed to be a better story than "we matched on Tinder."

Our launch events are already generating plenty of buzz in Hampshire, so don’t miss out.

👉 View the full schedule and book your Speed Dating in Southampton tickets here!

See you at the bar!

The Original Dating Team

ORIGINAL DATING IN THE PRESS
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HOW IT WORKS

The beauty of Speed Dating London lies in its no-nonsense approach. You take an equal number of single girls and guys, put them in a room and give them a few minutes to chat with every other member of the opposite sex.

When you get there

Original speed dating events in London normally begin at 7.30pm. You will need to register with our hosts and to begin with they will issue you with a score sheet. This will help you to keep track of the singles that you would like to meet again and perhaps go on a date with. After a short period of mingling, your host for the evening who will run through detailed instructions and give you your starting position if you are a guy or table for the event if you are a girl.

Meet & Mingle

A London speed dating event is split into two halves, each lasting around an hour, there will be an interval at half time of about 15 minutes for speed dating London. You will have between 4 and 5 minutes with each person, after which you need to tick a box on your score sheet - "yes, I would like to meet this person again" or "no. Thanks but no thanks". Or "friend" if you'd like to get to know them platonically. Make sure that you do this after each date to keep track. Afterwards there is an opportunity for everyone to meet and mingle informally - this is often where the real action begins, so make sure you don't disappear too quickly!

Complete your score sheet

After the event you simply tick who you liked on the Original Dating website and the site works about your matches automatically. If the dates you have ticked as a "yes" have reciprocated you have a match. You will be able to view the first names and message them via our site online without revealing your email address until you are ready to. You'll be having proper first dates in no time.