Speed Dating | Ages 30-45

Original Dating are running a speed dating night at Manahatta on Thursday 29 October, aimed at people in their early thirties to mid-forties, with a year or so either side fine. It's a straightforward setup: you get a Passion Passport™ on arrival to note down everyone you meet, and the dates themselves last four minutes each. The women stay seated while the men move around the room, and there's a break halfway through to grab a drink and catch your breath. The whole thing runs for about two hours.

The matching happens after the night. You log in to the Original Dating website and mark each person you met as Yes, No or Friend. At 5pm the next day, the matches are calculated and you can message them privately, so nobody ever sees a No. It's a tidy way of doing it — you only hear from the people who also said yes.

One guest who went to a session in July 2026 called it 'very lively, lots of people to meet', with a welcoming, informative host and a modern, bright venue. If you're on your own, that's a useful bit of reassurance: the host is there to check you in and keep things moving, so you're not just left to figure it out yourself.

Manahatta is at 28 Rose Street, EH2 2QA, with Edinburgh Waverley as the nearest station. The night starts at 19:30, and doors open half an hour before, so you've got plenty of time to get settled before the first round begins. Tickets are £25, sold separately for men and women, and there are none on the door, so you'll need to book in advance.