I don’t think I’ve done a Valentine’s Day post on Syllable in the City before. Because I’m single, cynical, jaded and think that’s just about love in general. Don’t even get me started on the retailers cashing in on 14 February. Personally, I will have my car serviced on the day while I knit with my mother and gossip about everything.

However, when a press release about speed dating in a blackout came across my desk, I was intrigued. Not enough to try it out myself – not this time (yes, I’m hiding behind my budget; car services are expensive!) – I thought some of my readers may be brave enough to try it out. By the way, there’s a shortage of guys attending *hint, hint*.

The press release read like this, more or less:

SINGLE + ESKOM = Dating in the Dark. Just kidding. But seriously, the dating scene in Johannesburg is about as unpredictable and uncertain as the February Load Shedding, leaving all of us singles wondering how we can indeed secure a hot meal at 18:30.

And before we have to spend Valentine’s Day swiping left on tinder until our phone battery dies, we’re offering all the singles out there a different kind of dating experience… and, hopefully, a different kind of electricity too. Dating in the Dark offers an alternative to modern ‘blind’ dating: one that is intended to bring back a time where the spark is spurred on by conversation and personality, not by predetermined common interests, mutual friends, and travel destinations that prevail in one of many curated profile pictures online.

We’re setting the stage for speed dating, but with one key difference: you won’t get to see your dates, because all of it happens in the dark. It’s fun and risk free, and the match making is easy… You get to mark down the date(s) that you were interested in, and only if there is mutual interest will we share contact details for both parties. Better than that, we will even sort out your first official date with a ticket to the theatre. To book your seat at Dating in the Dark at here, and purchase the ticket relevant to YOUR gender & sexual orientation for R120.

No refunds will be done, so please show up. We can’t promise you will find love/romance/fun – but we can promise a night of dates on 5 February 2015.

So, please get the single guys you know to go out there and try something different. And if you or someone you know gives this a shot, tell me all about it!