Dating apps have been on the receiving end of a lot of justified criticism lately. The complaints are all the same—failure to connect, disappointment, the general soul-erosion of human attraction. People are logging off, and they’re going somewhere. More specifically, they’re going to play mahjong.
According to a July 2025 Forbes Health survey, nearly four in five app users say they feel burned out from swiping. Eventbrite looked at where those people are turning instead, pulling U.S. platform data from the first half of 2026 and comparing it to the same window in 2025. The filter was events that combined hobby activity with connection-oriented language — “singles,” “come solo,” “find your people.”
Experiences using “meet cute” language are up 117%. Trivia nights up 403%, attendance up 388%. Mahjong up 235%. Bird watching meetups, Pilates socials, plant swaps, pottery—all up. None of which are explicitly about dating, that’s the appeal.
According to Eventbrite General Manager Andrea Parodi. “For a long time, people kept dating in one box and hobbies in another,” Parodi said. “What we’re seeing is that line starting to dissolve. When you remove the pressure of a forced introduction, there’s less chance the night feels like a letdown, and more room for an organic spark to happen.”
Singles Are Ditching Dating Apps for Mahjong, Trivia Nights and Other IRL Events
Eventbrite’s own Social Study confirms the logic: 58% of young adults want socializing to be a secondary part of an experience rather than the main event, and 69% want events that combine different interests. The singles mixer, with its name tags and awkward mingling, was always a slightly depressing proposition. Showing up to learn mahjong with other people who also want to learn mahjong is a totally different thing.
Lisa Hinsberger, founder of Chicago’s Mahjong Social Co., has watched it play out firsthand. “I’ve watched complete strangers sit down together for a beginner lesson and leave with plans to meet again the following week,” Hinsberger told Eventbrite. “While mahjong may be the reason people initially come together, the relationships are often what keep them coming back.”
Tinder recently expanded its Events feature, and Bumble is investing in its own IRL dating events this summer, suggesting the apps have read the room. Tinder and Bumble betting on IRL events says something about the state of the apps today—but at this point, anyone who’s survived a bad Hinge date in a dingy bar will probably take trivia night over another round of that.
The post Dating Apps Are Dead. Here’s Where Singles Are Meeting in 2026. appeared first on VICE.
