Haystack Dating Reviews 

Review for Leeds event at Carousel bar, 22/10/2026

Had a bad experience with the last event I attended. I figured I'd give them a second chance, especially as this event sounded right up my alley. Either I have bad luck, or the Leeds events are always poorly managed.

As before, the gender balance was very poor (mostly men), the hostess seemed very disinterested in actually hosting, and it was unclear what we were supposed to do.

Eventually, people started just mingling with other groups, the hostess gave up managing anything and just brought out a load of tokens for the games and let us get on with it. Once again, I feel very short changed for the £30 I paid to attend.

They say they use algorithms to match you with other people in small groups, but this was done via nothing more than a notepad. I also noticed they say they email you to allow you to pass your number on to someone you're interested in, but on both occasions, this never happened.

On the plus side, met some nice people, but everyone agreed on how poorly managed this event was. Never attending one again, for sure.

Was at the recent event In Glasgow at golfang. It was a good night although the mix of males and females was definitely more weighted towards males (I know this is maybe not a reflection of the company but of the people booking) that being said I also noticed a disparity in the age range there were some people who were clearly out with the age range expected of 20s to 30s and some of the group matching for the rounds of golf were very wide and uneven . I know most of these are things that haystack cannot control but I think a bit more of a push for numbers like more local advertising(canvas local venues with flyers and posters for example)and a better restriction on the age range filters(maybe even set up multiple age range brackets for events or a age limit of sign up)would help with this. Either way it was nice to just be able to get out the house chat to people and get back into the dating scene

I was incredibly nervous about booking a solo surf camp holiday in Portugal, but I took a leap of faith and went for it, and I'm so glad I did!

From the moment I booked, the Haystack team were amazing. I emailed them numerous times before the trip with questions and concerns, and they always replied quickly and helpfully, which really put my mind at ease.

Before the holiday, we were invited to join a WhatsApp group where everyone could get to know each other, share travel plans, and arrange airport transfers together. It was such a great idea and made arriving in Portugal feel much less daunting.

One thing that really stood out was that Haystack had booked out the entire hotel, meaning everyone around you was there as part of the trip. As a solo traveller, this made me feel incredibly safe and helped create a real sense of community from the very beginning.

The weekend itself was an absolute success. I genuinely made friends for life and don't think I've laughed so much in years! There was always something going on if you wanted to stay busy, but there was also a lovely pool and plenty of space to relax, chat, and unwind.

Although it was a surf camp, there was absolutely no pressure to surf. Quite a few people chose not to and that was completely fine. The lessons were split across three different time slots, which meant there were always plenty of people around the hotel to spend time with, whether that was relaxing by the pool, grabbing a drink, or walking into town together.

The Haystack team were an absolute dream throughout the weekend. They went above and beyond to make sure everyone felt included, comfortable, and safe, creating such a welcoming atmosphere for everyone.

I honestly couldn't recommend this experience enough. I came away with unforgettable memories, amazing new friendships, and a huge smile on my face. I cannot wait for a reunion and am already counting down the days until they release the next surf camp. If you're on the fence about booking, take it from someone who was terrified to do it alone, just take the leap. You won't regret it! 😊

I've just returned from the Surf trip in Lisbon and WOW!! Haystack are an AMAZING team! Great trip, great location, and I met some of the most amazing people! I have never laughed so much in years! I'm hoping I'm still single next year so I can go back! Would highly recommend x

Just came back to London from the Haystack Dating surfing trip in Peniche, Portugal.

We had such an unforgettable time! I managed to completely forget about work and relax into the trip’s vibe. The surfing, the great venue and the crazy local clubbing were all part of it, of course, but meeting great people was the important bit. I’m still surprised by how many interesting, funny and talented women and men came together on this trip. I met people I’d love to stay in touch with and see again. I would happily join another trip and definitely recommend the experience.

As for love? I didn’t find it. But I could have. And that is a precious feeling to come home with.

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

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