Dating apps spent the better part of the last decade convincing us that romance could be outsourced to an algorithm. Swipe right, answer three prompts, upload a photograph in which you look approximately 17% more interesting than you do in real life, and wait for technology to find you a person.

Now they want us to leave the house.

The League launched in India in November 2025 and has made curated real-world experiences part of its dating proposition. Bumble partnered with Puma for a singles run in Bengaluru on November 12, 2024, followed by a Mumbai edition on February 15, 2025. Tinder hosted a pickleball mixer in Delhi on February 9, 2025. These are not just dating events in the traditional sense; they are attempts to give singles something to do while they meet each other.

The League India singles event | Photo Credit: Instagram/Parth Taco

But do people actually want to be in a room full of strangers who all know why they are there?

A YouGov study commissioned by The League and reported in August 2026, surveying more than 500 single dating-app users across Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, found that 69% said their dating-app conversations rarely moved beyond small talk. Ninety per cent said they would attend curated offline dating experiences, while 82% said they would take someone they met in a structured offline setting more seriously.

The formats people preferred were revealing: cultural events such as art, theatre and film topped the list at 49%, followed by professional networking events at 48%, intimate dinners at 46% and creative workshops at 45%. Around 51% said verified or screened communities were important to feeling comfortable at such events.

So........

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