EVENT START-END | 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm EST, with optional mingling from 9:00 pm - 9:30 pm
DOORS OPEN | 6:45 pm EST (Guests who are not in line to check in by 7:10 pm cannot be accommodated)
WHERE | Beacon Hill Books, 71 Charles St, Boston, MA 02114
AGES | 30s: This event is centered on people in their 30s, but we welcome guests a year or two outside of that range who would feel comfortable dating people in the above age group. If you are outside of this age range, don't worry-- we have a lot of other events on our calendar, including all-ages events, that might be a better fit!
FOOD/DRINKS | A full lineup of delicious, locally sourced drinks and food will be available for purchase from Beacon Hill Books’s cozy cafe
PARKING / PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION | Limited parking may be available at nearby garages, but public transportation is recommended.
ACCESSIBILITY & OTHER VENUE DETAILS | The ADA entrance is through the cafe courtyard. There is an elevator on every floor and an accessible bathroom on the 2nd floor. For ASL and any other accessibility needs, please see more information here.
COVID-19 PROCEDURES | Masks will be recommended but optional.

About this event

Want to get off your dating apps and meet someone in real life, but where you don’t have to find out that every cute person at the party is unavailable? Do you think that IRL speed dating is generally awkward and weird? So do we. That’s why we’re putting a Skip the Small Talk twist on dating.

We'll be offering "big talk" conversation prompts to get you started, and we'll have lots of structure to make sure that you actually talk to people and that it's not awkward.

Not feeling like answering a particular question? No worries, we'll have plenty to choose from, like, "When are you the happiest?" and, "If you were going to become close friends with me, what would I need to know about you?"

We'll give you ground rules to make sure you feel comfortable and safe sharing as much of yourself as possible while still feeling in complete control of how much you share.

There will be food and alcoholic as well as nonalcoholic drinks for sale!

Check-in for this event will begin around 6:45 pm. Please do your best to arrive before 7 pm so we can begin as close to on time as possible. Please note that there is an arrival cutoff, meaning that if you are not in line to check in before 7:10 pm, unfortunately, you will not be able to participate and we will not be able to offer refunds.

Skip the Small Talk is dedicated to providing an inclusive, welcoming environment for everyone. Check out our safety policy here: Skip the Small Talk Safety Policy

Who is this event for?

You would probably have a good time at this event if all of the following are true of you:

- You are aged 30-39 (up to a few years older or younger is cool, too, and if you’re not in this age range, feel free to check out our other events)
- You are monogamous (polyamorous events are also often available— feel free to check out www.skipthesmalltalk.com/calendar)
- You feel a connection to the identity of “woman” and you are interested in dating women. Gender nonconforming folks who feel connected to the identity of “woman” in some way are absolutely welcome. (We also host events which include folks who don’t feel a connection to the identity of “woman”)

If any of the above statements are NOT true of you, you might want to see if our other events are a better fit. We do our best to accommodate as many different demographics as possible given limited capacity for our speed-dating events, and we are always working to include more! Any suggestions for how we can be more inclusive? Please feel free to reach out to us at info@skipthesmalltalk.com.

This event is trans-inclusive. We do not tolerate transphobia at this or any of our events.

We can only accommodate a limited number of guests at this event, so please plan to grab a ticket as soon as you think you'd like to join us.

Want to Attend for Free?

We are proud to offer “Understudy Tickets” for free. If you purchase a free Understudy Ticket, you agree to show up to our event at or before 7 pm, check in, and wait until we assign everyone to their first table. If you are assigned to a table, that means you are welcome to participate in the entirety of the event for free! If you are not assigned to a table, it means we regrettably were not able to fit you in, and you are free to do what you’d like for the rest of the night (we recommend hanging at Beacon Hill Books or exploring nearby, but you’re of course also welcome to head home if you’d like). We never know in advance how many Understudy Ticket holders we will be able to accommodate, but we prioritize who we let in based on who arrives first, so we recommend checking in with us early.

Ready to Skip the Small Talk with Us?

Grab a ticket since entry is on a first come first serve basis and we tend to sell out in advance for these-- once we are out of tickets, we will NOT be able to accommodate folks at the door.

Want to check out what else is going on at Beacon Hill Books? Check out their full event calendar here.

If you want to be the first to hear about our events so you don't miss out on tickets before we sell out, feel free to join the Skip the Small Talk Mailing List