Pitch-a-Friend to Host Denver Singles Festival at McGregor Square

Over a dozen dating and social groups are coming together this week to try to achieve the impossible: Helping people find love in Denver.

Pitch-a-Friend will host 22 organizations and hundreds of attendees for a massive singles festival in the McGregor Square plaza on Friday, September 12, starting at 5:30 p.m. The first-of-its-kind event will include speed dating, mixers and, of course, Pitch-a-Friend's Shark Tank-style slideshow presentations from people trying to set up their single friends.

"People really want to get off the apps and connect in person," says Amanda Borowski, the Denver chapter host for Pitch-a-Friend. "Why not bring everyone together for one epic night of single connection?"

The festival is free to attend, with RSVPs provided via the Two Birds Fit app. Participants will fill out a profile and receive a list of other attendees deemed to be good matches for them. From there on, it's a "choose your own adventure," Borowski says.

Participants can try to track down their matches, or join in the many activities on the schedule. There will be two rounds of speed dating hosted by Skip the Small Talk at 5:45 and 7:30 p.m., and two rounds of Pitch-a-Friend pitches at 6:30 and 8 p.m.

The Pitch-a-Friend segments will be hosted by local drag icon Jessica L'Whor. Each round will feature six singles, whose friends give five-minute presentations about them, aiming to sell them as potential romantic partners to an audience of strangers. As a special treat, each round will also include pitches for two adoptable dogs from Taysia Blue Rescue, presented by the pets' foster parents.

In between the pitches, there will be a Dating in the Dark show, in which a bachelor/bachelorette chooses between three dates while all of the parties are blindfolded, by questioning the prospective love interests on stage.

Other romantic opportunities include board game speed dating from Quirk Events, signups for Swing Don't Swipe dating events, and a presentation from author Tim Molnar on his book, Date Smarter: A Strategic Guide to Navigating Modern Romance.

The event will have an LGBTQ-specific section featuring Bexy Events and Lez Run Denver.

Not looking for love? The festival has platonic offerings such as a flip cup table by Volo Sports, tarot card reading, pot decorating from Plantiness, splatter painting with Splat2Go, and appearances by the Friendship Mixer, Denver Pub Crawl and Ignite Denver. Plus, it's pet-friendly, with booths by Oat Paws dog ice cream, Bougie Tailz pet treats and Colorado Sun Hemp Pet Care.

The festivities will conclude with a dance party led by DJs from Denver EDM Friends.

"There's something for everyone," Borowski says. "If you've ever been interested in checking something out, this is where you can go to check all of it out at once."
Pitch-a-Friend has become a major success in Denver, holding over thirty events since it launched in the city in December, with two more coming this month. Over 250 people have signed up for the unconventional dating experience, resulting in at least two confirmed official relationships so far, according to Borowski.

While Pitch-a-Friend is active in more than four dozen cities across the world, the Denver chapter is the first to host this kind of collaborative festival with other local dating companies, Borowski says. She hopes it will become an annual affair; she's already considering a second Valentine's Day festival in February.

"Denver singles are incredible," she says. "They're adventurous, they're willing to put themselves out there, they're not just going to stay at home on the apps. They want to get out, our city is so fun."

There may be hope for Denver singles yet.

Pitch a Friend: Pitch-A-Fest begins at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, September 12, at McGregor Square, 1901 Wazee Street, Denver; admission is free.