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 141 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.

Mon16Nov
SocialToronto
13:30–15:00

Learn and play Scopa, Humber Summit Library, Toronto

Toronto Public Library – Humber Summit

On Monday 16 November the Humber Summit branch of Toronto Public Library, in the north-west of the city, invites visitors to learn and play La Scopa in its lower-level auditorium. Scopa is a traditional Italian card game, more than a century old. The word means broom in Italian. The library says the game combines memory, skill, strategy and a little luck, and that it is easy to learn but hard to master. You can come with friends or make new ones over a classic pastime. The language is English. The session starts at 13:30 and finishes at 15:00. A card game in a library is a gentle way to meet people during the day and learn something new that you can play at home afterwards. The listing does not state a price, so check the official page before going. «La Scopa: Learn and Play a Traditional Italian Card Game» Starts 13:30, ends about 15:00. Source: Toronto Public Library events.

Official page ↗See who's going in Meet & Mint
Mon16Nov
SocialToronto
18:00–20:00

Evening board games, Deer Park Library, Toronto

Toronto Public Library – Deer Park

The library invites you to come with friends or make new ones in the community while playing Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, Snakes and Ladders, Clue, chess, checkers, backgammon, Uno or any card game you can think of. The language is English. It starts at 18:00 and finishes at 20:00, which leaves time after work. A library games night is a relaxed way to meet neighbours in a city where many people live alone. The listing does not state a price, so check the official page before going. «Board Game Meet-Up» Starts 18:00, ends about 20:00. Source: Toronto Public Library events.

Official page ↗See who's going in Meet & Mint
Tue17Nov
SocialToronto
18:30–20:00

Tuesday Cards and Chitchat drop-in at Guildwood library, Toronto

Toronto Public Library – Guildwood

Guildwood branch in Scarborough, by the Guildwood Plaza, hosts a casual Tuesday evening for adults who want to meet new people over traditional card games, board games, checkers or chess and a good chat. The listing does not state a price, so check the official page before going. «Tuesday Cards and Chitchat» Starts 18:30, ends about 20:00. Source: Toronto Public Library events.

Official page ↗See who's going in Meet & Mint
Wed18Nov
CultureToronto
18:00–19:00

Meet the winner of the 2026 Giller Prize

Toronto Reference Library

The newly crowned winner of Canada's Giller Prize talks about the winning book with journalist Mark Medley at the Toronto Reference Library, followed by questions and a signing. Big literary nights draw keen readers who are happy to compare notes in the signing line. The listing does not state a price, so check the official page before going.

Official page ↗See who's going in Meet & Mint
Sat21Nov
LearningToronto
10:00–11:30

Drop-in writers group, Gerrard/Ashdale Library, Toronto

Toronto Public Library – Gerrard/Ashdale

The Gerrard/Ashdale branch of the Toronto Public Library, on Gerrard Street East in the east end of the city, hosts a bi-weekly writers group on Saturday morning. The library describes it as a supportive and positive place for inspiration and encouragement, open both to people who are just putting pen to paper and to seasoned writers. Each session begins with a short writing prompt as a warm-up, and afterwards members have the chance to read a portion of their own work aloud and receive feedback from the group. Sharing is optional, so newcomers can listen first. The listing does not state a price, so check the official page before going. «Ashdale Writers Group» Starts 10:00, ends about 11:30. Source: Toronto Public Library events.

Official page ↗See who's going in Meet & Mint
Thu26Nov
FoodToronto
19:00–20:00

Bubble Tea Making Workshop for Adults

Toronto Public Library – S. Walter Stewart

A hands-on session where adults learn to make a classic milk bubble tea and practise mixing and decorating. Space is limited, so register online or by phone; preparing drinks side by side is an easy conversation starter. The listing does not state a price, so check the official page before going.

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. "Learn and play Scopa, Humber Summit Library, Toronto" 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-in18 listed
Game nightsThe game provides the topic and something to doEnjoy light competition or puzzlesFree or a small table feeDrop-in, two to three hours28 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 141 listed events (social, learning, culture); start with "Learn and play Scopa, Humber Summit Library, Toronto" and "Evening board games, Deer Park Library, Toronto" 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?

Many are free: 0 of the 141 events we list for Toronto, 0 of them in the next 30 days. Others list a price on the official page.

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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