Vienna dating events swap swiping for pub quizzes

Many people in Austria use dating apps but still meet their partners through friends, work or social events, ORF reports. Two Vienna-based organisers are responding with offline events such as pub quizzes and games nights.

About 360 million people worldwide use dating platforms. In Austria, almost half of the population has met someone for a date after getting to know them online. However, research by IMAS, the Institute for Market and Social Analyses, shows that most people still meet their partners through mutual friends. Work, parties, clubs and bars rank ahead of online platforms.

‘Dating tired’

Psychotherapist Ines Gstrein says the contradiction has less to do with technology than with the effect of constant searching. People are not tired of relationships, she says, but of dating.

Online dating can create the feeling that there is an endless choice of potential partners and the illusion that someone even more suitable may still be available. Over time, this can become exhausting and cause psychological stress.

Gstrein says face-to-face encounters are important because people become curious through someone’s presence, voice and facial expressions. Digital dating platforms should not be rejected entirely, she adds, because they can also lead to good relationships.

Events for meeting offline

Sonja Windhager and Hanna Moser found online dating too demanding and forced, so they founded qest in June 2026. The company organises paid events including pub quizzes and games nights, designed to help people talk and get to know one another more casually.

Most participants are between 20 and 32 years old. The organisers say qest is open to anyone who is actively dating and willing to meet new people, regardless of gender or sexuality. Its next event, a pub quiz at Krawallbar, is scheduled for 23 September, with tickets costing 20 euros.

Windhager says all participants are single, which makes the atmosphere more relaxed. If people are interested in each other, they can arrange a date; otherwise, they can simply enjoy the evening.

Another option is faund, founded by Laura Eisl and Janet Otter. The event series aims to make meeting people feel lighter and serves a wider age range. It currently focuses on people in their late 20s to early 40s, but also organises monthly events for people over 50 and younger participants.

Eisl and Otter decided to create faund after concluding that dating and meeting people should not be associated with frustration. In April 2023, they sent a form to their friends inviting single people to sign up for a party for singles. The invitation reached more than 100 people within a week.

They founded faund at the end of 2025. Participants need a membership, which can be obtained more quickly through a recommendation from an existing member or by answering a series of questions. The next event is a pub quiz on 14 September, with tickets costing 25 euros.

For people who continue using dating apps, Gstrein recommends limiting the time spent on them and making an effort to move into genuine personal contact.