Haystack Dating Reviews 

I got a last minute ticket to the event in Bristol and I am so glad I did! Dating feels so scary and pressured at the moment but this format meant that I got to chat to loads of people in a fun, low pressure way. And get unreasonably competitive at the same time! Lucy (the rep) was so welcoming and put me right at ease. She even checked in throughout the night which was so lovely. Will definitely be going to the next event!

The event was well planned and the staff was amazing. Couldn’t ask for better hosts. They were very welcoming and tried their best to accommodate everyones needs.big shout out to Millie, Felix and Lucy.

Attended an event in Bristol and it was not a great time. The group I was with (Allocated via matchmaking / algorithm) practically disbanded 20 minutes into the night which was a shame, particularly when other groups didn't have this experience.

I was also hopeful having signed up to Haystack that there would be an "...amazing, very subtle team on hand to help facilitate introductions". My experience was that there was one rep who told me my group number then was not around to facilitate introductions for the rest of the night. This was a significant draw to the event for me so it was disappointing this didn't happen.

Ultimately I would say if you're an extrovert you'll be fine here, but considering the group advertises "...we don’t just aimlessly launch you into a room of people and leave you to it like other dating events do". This couldn't be a more accurate description of my experience.

For anyone who wants to make genuine connections with wonderful people, you have to check out Haystack events.
The event in Bristol was absolutely fantastic. Very well organised and the matching algorithm works so well that it felt like I was spending time with people that I'd known for years.
Special thanks goes to Lucy (the Bristol one XD) for being such an amazing host, making sure that the activities were running smoothly and people were having a good time.
Would love to see more Haystack events in Bristol!

Love the concept and it's great to get these events in Bristol when other cities normally get the fun.

Was a great way to meet people and the activities definitely helped smooth off the edges.

Here's the "BUT" - too many groups meant that people got bored and started drifting between groups to interact - either you have faith in your matching criteria and have a host that will.enforce the group OR you do larger groups and let natural chemistry evolve.

I will definitely go to another one but there probably is still.some fine tuning to do on format.

Awesome night out. Really great way to meet people and have a good time! Team 2 for the win! Would have loved a little more organised mixing of people (instead of the same group staying together, although I did love my group) and maybe some name tags with ways of knowing interested ( for the people in the group that had less main stream opinions. Would have helped identify people)
But over all despite not finding anyone I was interested in. Had a great night and would 100% recommend and go again!

Had the most amazing time, great vibes, great venue, and they put you in group full of people who you’ll love getting along with!!

Attended a few haystack events in London and can say I thoroughly enjoyed them all from both a dating side and social side, I've been lucky enough to find a partner and made some great friends along the way.

The haystack team make you feel very welcome from the get go and feel they genuinely care.

The events are fun and varied with activities that definitely help break the ice and can't recommend attending London events enough for single people.

You can tell this whole company is a genuine passion project. Everything was so well organised from start to finish, and the reps on the night were brilliant, warm, switched on, and clearly proud of what they’re building. You can really feel Lucy’s energy running through the whole thing. The people who come to the events are also so lovely. All in all, just a great company with great events!

Quick honest review
Significantly unbalanced male / female split with many tables only men and it wasnt a gay event! Lol .

The organisers have no interest in matching people but only want to enjoy the party as if they are guests. Clearly no passion for their business .

Drinks prices very expensive and not allowed to buy drinks at any other bar area in the same building .

You will meet people of course their is alot of people there but their is no guarantee who you will meet or if it wull be 5-1 with 5 men surrounding every pretty girl .

We left the event went to a normal bar and actually ended up having more meaningful connection with some women we met there . Ironic ah or no surprise.

At £30 x200 = 6k + whatever they get from the pop up bar too , you would really expect some level of matching intelligence not just a blagg .

Jeff

This is a review of the Leeds event on 20th August 2026.

I took the bad reviews with a pinch of salt, especially as I hadn't spotted any specifically for events in Leeds. I was drawn to the idea that there could be more women than men but, just like every other dating event I've been on, it was mostly men.

The games on offer were very shoddy, and I feel like the near £30 was an absolute waste, especially considering I've been on similar events and paid much less. I don't think I'll be attending more in future.

It started out well I was greeted by Lucy and her team members. The main issue being that when the first groups that went off to golf and came out there were was no one to guide to the 2nd half. When we came out there were bits of paper on the table to try and sort yourselves into and the group I was in, was missing as well as another.

So it does feel that the half of the event that were ‘chatting in groups’ first got the full experience.

Others that I spoke to including the staff seemed surprised that the team had left so I wasn’t the only one expecting a bit more guidance.

I think it’s a great concept and the ratios seemed pretty good, I will say that other than the women in my group there wasn’t any potential connection.

Would I give dating events another go? I think so

Lucy,Ollie and everyone who work for the Haydtack Dating were brilliant. The best dating event I ever attended. It was super easy to chat to different people. Highly recommended

I went to my first ever dating event in Manchester and was so disappointed. I walked in and it wasn’t clear at all who was there for the event and who was just there for a Friday night with their friends. The girl organising it was sweet but left halfway through, which I thought was really bad - I would have liked somebody there for the whole night who I could go to incase I had any worries etc. Overall, I essentially spent £30 to play a game of bowling and very little else - such a shame as Haystack’s marketing is great but the night in Manchester was a massive let down.

Been to an event tonight in Manchester.. Was stuck sat on a table for 2 hours with around 9 other ppl ( would ov been 3 if I didn't choose to move to the other table we were split up from) before bowling, that got boring fast as we had to play for an hour with 5 ov us.. Then it Was pool and ping ball for an hour, when I asked someone where the host was, I was told she had already left 🤷🏼‍♀️ , we was split up into groups. So didn't get to interact with the other group. There should ov atleast been an introduction to the other group at 10pm when games finished. But 4 hours in is abit late anyway 🤷🏼‍♀️ we all just left, Poorly run , I won't be attending another one.

I’ve been to a few Haystack events now including both their Ski and Surf trips and I can say they genuinely do things differently.

The host/reps do an amazing job of making things feel fun and unpressured. I have met some amazing people and friends through this company (and had some great dates 👀) and I would really recommend trying out an event if you’re on the fence.

I say this as someone who has tried Thursday, dating apps etc - all of my best dating experiences have come through Haystack by far - a big part of that is the host’s energy and vibe attracting like minded people and putting on fun events x

I enjoy going to these events (have only been to the London ones though).

I attended the London Bridge Vinegar Yard event last week, and there were roughly 300 people there. Personally, I prefer the larger venues because you get the chance to meet lots of people and often run into familiar faces. That said, it depends on what you're looking for. The smaller venues tend to be better for games and structured activities, while the larger ones are better for socialising and often have live music.

The gender ratio generally seems fairly balanced, with perhaps a slight majority of women. It's more balanced now than before since they've started capping tickets.

As feedback, it would be helpful if pens were handed out alongside the Haystack cards, since many people don't carry one. It might also be useful if Haystack staff wore something distinctive so attendees could identify them more easily.

All in all, the events are great. Some of the negative reviews I've seen seem to be related to venue-specific issues or expectations that don't match the format of the event itself. At every event I've attended, I see plenty of people having fun, making connections, and in some cases even leaving together.

I had a nice afternoon at the Bristol pub quiz, positive that it was reasonably balanced between genders and everyone was friendly and chatty. Good idea to rotate the teams between rounds.

The hosts were welcoming and proactive is supporting introductions and matches. They used the space as well as they could.

Unsure if £30 was worth the pub quiz plus a free drink..I was expecting less dating questions and more like a proper pub quiz with different rounds. I would likely do another event.

A nice bank holiday event at Steam in Bristol with a decent ratio of men to women - better than other dating meet ups I’ve been to. No match for me this time but the two hosts were absolutely lovely and friendly and brought energy to the quiz. A big group stayed on and I know one of my friends that went has a follow up date that she’s excited about!

Not quite 5* for me only because I would probably steer away from a quiz on the pitfalls of dating and possibly look to lower the £30 ticket price if Haystack can afford to.

Would go to another event and recommend it to friends! Thanks Haystack :)

£30 for a ticket when all they did was print a list of "fun facts" via word on an A4 for 1 round and called it a day.
The venue was nice but as we got to the area we weren't even allowed to order any drink (mind you this is not an open bar, nor do you get a free drink - just for the event they offered limitations on what you did with your own money).
The event then started, most ladies were moved around in the same group so you're not even getting a different table ambiance. Their "fancy algorithm based grouping" seemed just based on age. Ratio was off too with max 3 men per table.
Essentially a lot of money for an event that put zero effort in.

Oh sorry I forgot to mention, there was a cornhole game + a big connect 4 near the bar... In the busiest bit of the area... For approx 240 people to enjoy together...

@Haystacks your sad excuse of a reply would make me lower my score if I could. You have a great concept, you had a great venue, but the execution was lazy and you know it.
Also the bar problem wasn't due to a long queue. It was upon arrival, before the tables even started that we were told we couldn't order everything on the menu because we had a haystacks wristband. This was said at both bars within the assigned area.