Interested in dating in New Orleans? If you’re looking for a truly unique and interesting dating experience, look no further! Also known as “The Big Easy” and “The Crescent City”, New Orleans is a genuine melting pot of all cultures, backgrounds, and walks of life. NOLA is a wonderful place to meet all types of singles, no matter what type of relationship you are searching for. You simply have not lived until you have visited New Orleans, so give it a try, and maybe even meet your soulmate while you’re there!
With tons of tourist attractions, bars and restaurants, shopping places, voodoo shops (there are a HUGE amount of these!), street performers, dancing, and if you’re lucky enough to visit around Carnivale season, the parades! The locals will welcome you, literally, with open arms, and a drink in their hand. This city is so culturally beautiful and diverse, you will never run out of things to do, and you will never want to leave!
Best New Orleans Dating Sites
For Singles: Match.com
For Professionals: Elite Singles
For Seniors over Age 50: OurTime
For Gay/Lesbian
The best platform for the LGBT community would have to be Match.com. All popular dating sites allow you to go narrow your search down to gay and lesbian matches, but Match.com is considered one of the most LGBT friendly dating site on the internet. And with New Orleans’ extensive LGBT community, being #4 in the nation, there are SO many singles to explore!
For Hookups: Adult Friend Finder
When you aren’t in the market for any long-term relationships, AdultFriendFinder is perfect! Whether you’re looking for a little fling or just an overnight or weekend-long hookup, AdultFriendFinder in New Orleans will do the trick. NOLA has a huge bar scene, leading to heavily packed establishments, so more options! You’ll be matched up in no time with tons of singles in the New Orleans area! LGBTQ+ friendly, as well.
Best Dating Apps in New Orleans
If you plan on looking for love in one of the most romantic places in the world, you’re bound to need some help narrowing down your options. And with New Orleans being so culturally diverse, there are so many different, unique people to meet, the easiest way to get the full effect of all potential partners is to explore a few dating sites that cater to the New Orleans area! Here are our favorite two sites:
Bumble
Zoosk
Best Dating Bars for Singles in New Orleans
With The Crescent City’s booming bar scene, there are literally HUNDREDS of bars all over the city to choose from. These 3 are some of the most recommended spots:
The Sazerac Bar
This cocktail bar has a very elegant old-world aesthetic that anyone could appreciate! The decor and atmosphere are just so nostalgic and delicately old fashioned, this hotspot is not one to be missed. Order some of your favorite classic drinks, enjoy the environment and get to know someone!
Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar
One of the oldest bars around, literally serving drinks since the 18th century, this cozy & casual scene is a great place to meet up for a first date or to just meet someone new. You get drinks and a show, with live music performances and just a great little spot to try out!
Napoleon House
You can have drinks and grab some grub here at this fine establishment! From po’boys, to muffalettas, to other creative creole dishes, olde time bar has indoor and outdoor amenities! You can dine indoors or explore the courtyard in a 1914 type classic bar/restaurant. Yet another great meetup spot, or a place to meet new folks!
Speed Dating in New Orleans
When you want to meet lots of available locals in one place, speed dating is a good option to look into! New Orleans has several hotspots you can hit up to meet lots of guys and gals at one location. The city has lots of events to offer that they do year-round with a few packages to choose from to enhance your experience with speed dating. Most of the locations keep their speed dating events so casual and chic, you’ll hardly even notice that you are at an event! Here is a link to all upcoming events for singles interested in speed dating, updated frequently.
New Orleans Dating Events & Clubs
With the wide variety of locals and tourists, there are TONS of events for people searching for a specific environment of folks to be around. There are literally events going on almost every day of the week for people who enjoy yoga and fitness, outdoor adventures, tech-savvy people, 50+ aged people, “nerdy 30s”, non-English-speaking events, and so many more! You can find them all here.
Dating Chat Rooms in New Orleans
Some people prefer keeping things strictly online; if you are one of those people, hitting up some of New Orleans’ local chat rooms may be the best option for you! Here are our favorites:
Personals in New Orleans
There are thousands of classified personal ads in the greater New Orleans area that you can feel free to explore! Many, many people are most certainly looking for the same things that you are, more likely than not, so if you feel that this is the best option for you to check out, then here are our recommendations for personal ads in New Orleans:
Things to Know about New Orleans Dating
- You can make plans ahead of time for dates rather than scramble at the last minute
- You will experience some of the BEST food you’ve ever allowed to hit your taste buds in your whole lifetime
- You’ll likely end up coming home covered in glitter– whether you and your date decide to hit up the strip club or not!
With a population of barely under 400,000 (in the year 2004 the population was closer to 500k, but Hurricane Katrina drove a lot of people out of the city due to the loss of their homes) there are a LOT of potential partners to choose from! Here are the specifics of races, religions, and sexualities of residents of New Orleans.
Race
- 60% of the population is African American
- 33% are Caucasian
- 5.3% are Hispanic or Latino
- 2.9% are Asian
- 1.7% are to or more races
Religion
According to the US census, only 64.9% of NOLA’s residents consider themselves religious.
- 36.3% are Catholic
- 12.2% are Baptist
- 5.1% are other variations of Christianity
- 3.1% are Methodist
- 1.2% practice Judaism
*The remaining percentages are 1% or less*
LGBTQ+
New Orleans is actually #4 in the Top 10 Metro Gay areas in the U.S., and is one of the most LGBT friendly cities in the country! They host huge Pride parades every year, throughout the month of June (Pride month). A whopping 5.1% of New Orleans’ inhabitants are part of the LGBTQ+ community! So your options are literally endless, with the thousands of people who are part of the LGBTQ+ family, if that is what you are interested in and looking for.
Wrap Up
In conclusion, the New Orleans dating scene is completely diverse, unique, and definitely something that every single should try in their lifetime if they are in that area. With tons of different bars and restaurants to try out, to thousands of people to meet and get to know– whether just as a friend or as something even more– The Big Easy is one of the most fun places you can travel to and prospect.
Tourists are always welcome, and the city greets new residents with open arms! You can find yourself dining in one of the finest restaurants you have ever been to one hour, and the next hour you’re stumbling down Bourbon Street, with a hand grenade (a popular drink down there, not a live weapon!) meeting some of the most interesting people you will ever encounter in your life!
So whether you just want to visit, or plan on planting your roots here, New Orleans is always somewhere you can call home.
