Roughly half the people who come to a Chicago First Dates event live outside the city limits. For years that meant a drive downtown, a garage, and a late night back on the Kennedy. It does not have to. We host regularly in Schaumburg and Rolling Meadows, we add western-suburb nights around Oak Brook and Westmont, and we are growing the North Shore and Southland calendars as demand fills them.
How a suburban night is different
The format is identical – ten to fifteen five-minute mini-dates, a break to mingle, matches the next day – but the room is different. Suburban events are a little smaller and a lot more local: the person across from you probably lives within twenty minutes, which is exactly what you want when you are deciding whether a second date is realistic. Parking is free, the venue is a restaurant you already know, and you are home by ten.
Picking the right night
Look at two things: the age range and the drive. Every event is organized by age band, so start there. Then be honest about distance – a Schaumburg night is easy from Arlington Heights or Palatine and a slog from Orland Park. Each suburb has its own page on this site with the nearest upcoming events and the towns around it, so you can see what is genuinely close.
When to come downtown anyway
If your age range is not on the suburban calendar this month, or you simply want the biggest and broadest room we host, come to River North. The Metra gets you to Ogilvie or Union in half an hour from most of the western and northwest suburbs, and the venues are a short walk from there.
Start with speed dating in the Northwest Suburbs, speed dating in the Western Suburbs, or the full list of speed dating locations around Chicago.