Pre-Dating Featured In: Speed dating is back! Madison singles search for love, one three- to five-minute conversation at a time
This is speed dating, a matchup strategy that first became popular in the 1990s. Recently, it’s made a quiet resurgence. For some Madison singles, it’s a reprieve from the monotony and lack of success they’ve had with online dating and trying to meet other singles in “the wild,” also known as everyday life.
by Melissa Renee Perry Emphasis. February 6, 2026 8:30 AM
Original Article: https://isthmus.com/arts/emphasis/speed-dating-is-back/
Isthmus is an independent, local news source based in Madison, Wisconsin.
… Men and women nervously shuffle around the room, drinks in hand, as they engage in a series of rapid-fire conversations, hopeful that at least one meeting could turn into something more.
This is speed dating, a matchup strategy that first became popular in the 1990s. Recently, it’s made a quiet resurgence. For some Madison singles, it’s a reprieve from the monotony and lack of success they’ve had with online dating and trying to meet other singles in “the wild,” also known as everyday life.
Typically, participants talk with each other for three to five minutes before the round ends, and then they move on to a new person. For most, awkwardness and laughter appear to blend with genuine curiosity about who their temporary partner is. By the end of the night, all participants will have met each other.
They then let organizers know who they would be interested in seeing again, and if the person they’re interested in indicates a similar interest, it’s a match! Organizers reveal match contact information, and it’s up to the pair to make the next move.
For some attendees, speed dating can be low-pressure entertainment; for others, it’s a way to form a more meaningful attachment. Ken Fager, 42, has attended several speed dating events in Madison. He says it’s been a refreshing change from the dating apps, where it can take him up to six months to match and converse with someone.
Speed dating is “the way to keep those muscles active and actually talk to a physical human being face-to-face,” he says. “I think there’s definitely value in doing that with some regularity.”
Nate Wegehaupt, 30, went to a Pre-Dating speed dating event in the summer of 2024 at The Rigby. At the time, he had gotten out of a long-term relationship, and meeting other single people through dating apps or organically was not working.
“I was happy that there was something in-person that was available,” he says. “I had tried to do other ways of meeting people in-person, like going to bars. I got some coaching from one of my female friends about how to approach women at a bar and not come off as a creep, and yeah, that did not work.”
Vintage Brewing Company, and The Rigby are Madison businesses that host speed dating events.
“To get to help somebody meet their soulmate or their really important partner, it’s an honor to be involved,” says Linda deLucca, owner of Pre-Dating, which organizes Vintage Brewing Company’s monthly speed dating at the restaurant’s Whitney Way location. Pre-Dating organizes speed dating events in more than 100 cities and has been holding singles events in Madison since 2006.
For Rory Nienajadlo, director of operations for Vintage, Pre-Dating’s events have been a good way to bring in more patrons. Pre-Dating rents the brewery’s event space and manages all the promotion, which makes it an easy lift on the restaurant’s end.
While there have been some success stories of long-term couples that met via a Madison speed dating event, it’s more common for attendees to walk away with a fun story, or even a new friend.
“We always say in our descriptions that no matter what happens, you’re going to have fun, you’re going to meet new people,” Hornung says. “You might not meet the love of your life.”
As for Ken Fager, he hasn’t found love yet, but he hasn’t given up and encourages others to do the same. He remains open to attending local speed dating events.
“As the hopeless romantic that I am, I like to believe that to just keep trying is going to be the only way to figure this out. It’s not going to happen overnight,” he says. “ I hope that’s the case for everyone else that goes to these.”
Full speed ahead
Upcoming speed dating nights
• Pre-Dating’s Singles Lock and Key Party at Seminole Tap: Feb. 12, 6 p.m.
• Pre-Dating’s Monthly Speed Dating Event at Vintage Brewing-west: March 3, 6 and 8 p.m.
