If you forgot to shoot your shot during cuffing season, don’t worry, you can still find a winter warmer buddy or potential spouse at The Muggle Snuggle at The Tradies, Dickson on Saturday 20 July. A winter wonderland, the singles social event encourages single Canberrans to leave their homes and make new connections.

“I think a lot of people in Canberra hibernate in winter. They forget to come out and meet people and have fun and do things,” says Kali Dalton, event organiser and founder of Canberra Social Singles.

The evening of fun blends structured activities and self-led socialising to a tee. Start with a few get-to-know-you games before mini-speed dates and a smorgasbord of canapes. Want to know if your perfect match likes pineapple on pizza or what their life goals are but aren’t sure how to ask? Conversation starter cards are included to ease any first date jitters.

“I just think that sitting down and doing speed dating can be a bit boring when you’re doing it with 10 or 15 different people, so we’ve got a few silly games,” says Ms Dalton.

Serving just snacks, attendees are encouraged to eat dinner beforehand or grab a meal from the restaurant and bring it into the event.

Wizards are welcome but leave the wands at home, this one isn’t Harry Potter-themed. Ms Dalton believes the word Muggle has become part of our collective vocabulary.

“Everybody knows what a muggle is these days, or most people do and it’s just a bit of a play on words. It’s not Harry Potter themed, it’s more winter-themed.”

A single mother to a child with disabilities, Ms Dalton struggled to find the time to connect with other people. Thinking there must be more people in the same boat, she launched the Canberra Social Singles Facebook group. Nearing 900 members, events vary from adult-only to child-friendly, so that all members, young and old, get the chance to catch up.

“A safe space, where single people could get together and meet somebody and be social and do things like go out to the movies. It’s not a dating page so much as a social page for people who happen to be single but there’s a lot of people on there who want to date.”

“One thing people say to me is they wish they had come sooner… I think a lot of people are quite anxious about meeting new people, but when they come, they find that it was actually really good.”

The Muggle Snuggle is the second event hosted by the Social Singles; the Valentine’s themed Cupid’s Arrow was a toe in the water for the organiser. Feedback said that people wanted more one-on-one time with other guests, which has been heard. There will also be matchmakers around on the night to take notes of any sparks.

Unfortunately, there isn’t an even spread of the sexes as yet. At most meet-ups, women outnumber number men roughly three to one. While the women are mostly happy to mingle amongst themselves, Ms Dalton would love to see more men in attendance.

“I would love to say to the men, especially, don’t be intimidated. Come along and get out there.”

To encourage Canberra men to leave their caves and come socialise, Ms Dalton is offering all male CD readers $10 off their ticket with the code CSS10.

Mingle with other singles at The Muggle Snuggle at The Tradies, Dickson on Saturday 20 July 6pm; eventbrite.com.au

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