Las Vegas speed dating for single men and women, with a brush in your hand the whole time. Draw your date through the glass, paint between conversations, and leave with a painting made from every person you met. Sip and paint, or puff and paint where the venue allows.
A clear glass panel stands between you. You look straight at each other through it and trace each other's face on the glass for sixty seconds. Nobody can look away, and nobody draws a masterpiece. That's the point.
Why it worksIn a classic study, strangers who held unbroken eye contact for two minutes reported more affection for each other afterward. Mirror portraits give you a reason to hold that gaze without it feeling strange.
"You look beautiful in oil," he said. She smiled. "You should see me in person." That's the art of a hot date: introduce yourself with a little confidence, ask a question you actually want answered, give a compliment you mean, and when someone makes you blush, look them in the eye and say thank you.
Dawn opens with a short lesson: how to introduce yourself with confidence, start a conversation, and give and receive a sincere compliment. Then you practice it, one date at a time, with a brush in your hand. About two hours and forty-five minutes, start to finish.
Show your ID, get your numbered name tag and a drink. Dawn's quick lesson: present yourself, start a conversation, give a real compliment.
About six minutes each. Mirror portraits through the glass, then paint whatever you like on her canvas while you talk. "Brushes down" at five minutes.
Match cards are collected. Drinks, snacks, and a puff break where the venue allows it.
Everyone gets a canvas and Shantalle leads a guided painting. Seating is open, so sit next to the person you can't stop thinking about.
Group photo with the canvases. Take home your art and your bag to go. The next day you receive the compliments your dates wrote about you, and your mutual matches arrive with a compliment.
Match cards are filled in before the party half, so the yeses you give are the yeses you mean.
A brush takes the pressure off. The painting gives you something to talk about when small talk runs out.
Open seating in the second half means you get to find that one person again.
A drink in one hand, a brush in the other. The classic version of the night, at regular bars, lounges and galleries.
Puff if you wish. These nights run only at licensed lounges that allow consumption, and we always say so on the listing.
At the end of Dawn's speed dating nights, guests fill out a comment card and score the night from 1 to 5. Here's what thirteen handwritten cards say so far.
rated "Was it fun?" a 4 or a 5
rated "Likely to return" a 4 or a 5
average score for fun
average across fun, value, venue, presentation, info, return and share
rated "Likely to share" a 4 or a 5, and 92% rated overall value a 4 or 5
singles you meet face to face in one night
From 13 handwritten comment cards collected at Dawn Weir's Las Vegas speed dating nights, 2026. Scores are on a 1 to 5 scale; a "+" written past the 5 is counted as a 5. Twelve of the thirteen guests also wrote a comment by hand.
Each night has its own format. Some happen during the dates, some after, some are for couples, and some only happen once the lights go out. Tap any piece to read its placard.
Each woman's canvas starts with one heart already drawn in the center. She paints it however she likes. Then every date adds whatever he wants: a word, a doodle, a flower, a joke, a color that reminded him of her. No rules, no right answers, just everyone being open.
Try it. Pick a color and paint anywhere on the canvas, then send in the next date.
Painting on a date isn't just cute. Researchers have studied eye contact, stress, novelty, laughter and creativity for decades, and the findings point the same way: doing something creative together brings people closer.
Move over the painting to add a stroke.
Strangers who held unbroken eye contact for two minutes reported more affection and liking for each other.
That's why mirror portraits come firstKellerman, Lewis & Laird, 1989After 45 minutes of making art, 75% of adults had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, whatever their skill level.
Calmer people flirt betterKaimal et al., Drexel University, 2016Couples who did something new and exciting together reported higher relationship quality than couples who did something routine.
Painting your date beats dinner and a movieAron et al., 2000Looking at art people find beautiful activates the brain's reward area and the caudate nucleus, a region also linked with romantic love.
Art and attraction share wiringIshizu & Zeki, 2011Adults who made art for ten weeks showed stronger connections in the brain's default mode network, tied to better resilience under stress.
Creativity is exercise for your mindBolwerk et al., 2014People who tapped in time with someone liked that person more than people who tapped out of sync.
Side-by-side brushstrokes do the sameHove & Risen, 2009Couples who spent more of a conversation laughing at the same time rated their relationship as closer and more supportive.
Somebody's portrait always gets a laughKurtz & Algoe, 2015People with stronger humor ability also scored higher on intelligence and verbal creativity, and a good sense of humor is rated attractive.
Creative play warms up your witGreengross & Miller, 2011Lower stress frees up your attention. When your hands are busy and your cortisol drops, it's easier to make eye contact, ask a real question and say the compliment out loud.
Painting is a small, new problem to solve with someone. Novelty and creative focus wake up the parts of the brain we use for learning, and a curious mind makes better conversation.
A painting gives you an easy thing to joke about, and nobody expects a masterpiece. Low stakes plus a shared laugh is how most good first dates feel.
Dawn: Speed Dating, Ready for the Real Thing. Present yourself, engage, and give and receive a sincere compliment.
Dawn is a Las Vegas confidence and relationship coach, stand-up comedian and community builder. She hosts 420 SpeedDating and PrimeTime Speed Dating, and she founded The Love Effect, UR-Amazing and Compliments for Change. Before the first bell rings at any of her nights, she teaches singles how to introduce themselves, keep a conversation going, and give a compliment that lands.
On stage she's Red Dawn, winner of the Big Joke Book on Netflix's KillTony Mania, creator of Hot Mic Hot Wings and host of The Red Dawn Show. She's the author of Dawn Compliments the World, and her nights bring together the Not For Nothing Love Show, The Giving Water and My420Love communities.
"You were amazing before you got here. We're just here to help you see it."
Shantalle believes a paintbrush can do what words can't. She sees art as a way for people to breathe, create and feel human again, and she leads every stroke step by step, so first-timers end up with something they're proud of.
Through Puff Paint Educate she brings that to adults 21+: slow down, learn something new and let your soul show up on the canvas. She's also launching The Healing Canvas, a nonprofit that brings art as healing to the wider community.
"Puff, paint and get educated. Learn art, the plant and its purpose. It's not about the high."
Stills and clips from Dawn's Las Vegas speed dating nights.
A good meetup with useful information on introducing yourself and giving compliments. It was easy to ask questions.
Drew · PrimeTime Speed DatingI was pleasantly surprised. It was fun and informative, with great advice and a good venue.
Paula · PrimeTime Speed DatingI enjoyed the well thought out tutorial. Great job. Loved your energy. Keep up the great work.
Guest comment cardFun time!! (and a 5 for the hostess)
Guest comment cardAwesomely arranged!
Guest comment cardThanks for a great time!
Kat · PrimeTime Speed DatingI loved it.
Guest comment cardI came in at the end, but the little I caught was great!
Rick · PrimeTime Speed DatingSome paint only shows up when the lights go out. Our After Dark classes use UV-reactive paint and blacklights, and the After Midnight edition starts late and ends later. Flip the switch.
The Layers of Love canvas under blacklight. Every date adds his own mark in UV-reactive paint, so her canvas glows brighter as the night goes on.
Mirror portraits in the dark. Sixty seconds, glow markers on the glass, eyes on each other. Then the lights come up and you see what you drew.
Masks on at the door. At the stroke of midnight the lights cut to blacklight, the masks come off, and every canvas gives up its secret.
The Two Halves heart in glow paint. Hang the halves side by side at home and they light up together when the lamps go off.
Glow necklace code, worn all night
A couple paints one heart across two canvases pushed side by side. At the end of the night they split it, and each takes half home. When they move in together, the two halves hang side by side and become one painting again.
"I knew at the second color you chose."
Don't read until we move in"Here's to every wall we hang this on."
Matched at Hot Date Wet PaintPainted together, one heart across the seam.
A date night built around the Two Halves heart. Made for Valentine's Day, anniversaries and long-distance couples who finally get a night together.
Matched at speed dating? We invite you both back for a discounted second date to paint your Two Halves heart.
Bring both halves back. Paint a connecting piece, and your story goes up on the Reunited wall.
We're choosing the Las Vegas venue and setting the first dates now. Space is limited, so pre-sign up below and you'll be contacted as soon as a date is secured.
Date and venue coming soon.
Pre-sign upDate and venue coming soon.
Pre-sign upDates coming soon.
Pre-sign upOwn a lounge, gallery or bar that would love a room full of singles painting? Email DawnURAmazing@gmail.com or call (702) 808-2305.
Catalogue of contents · one per guest
Every guest shows a government photo ID at the door. No exceptions.
Cannabis only at licensed lounges that allow it, under Nevada law and venue rules. Everywhere else, the intermission is drinks and snacks, and the bag to go covers the rest at home.
We only share a match when you both said yes. The next day, your mutual matches arrive with a compliment.
Plan a rideshare or a sober driver. Never drive impaired. Wear something paint can hit.
When a couple brings their two halves back together, their painting goes up here. The first frame is still empty.
No. The heart is drawn for you, and after that you paint whatever you like. Shantalle guides the painting half step by step. There are no mistakes here, only new colors.
Single men and single women, 21 and over. Everyone shows ID at the door. Couples have their own nights in the Couples Series.
You mark yes, maybe or no on your match card after each date. We only share a match when both people said yes. The next day you receive the compliments your dates wrote about you, and every mutual match arrives with a compliment.
Dates are coming soon. Space is limited, so pre-sign up free below. Everyone on the pre-sign-up list is contacted once a date is secured.
Puff & Paint nights run at licensed lounges where consumption is allowed, and we say so on the listing. Sip & Paint nights are drinks only. Either way, the bag to go has you covered at home.
After Dark nights use UV-reactive paint and blacklights at a regular evening time. After Midnight is The Midnight Salon: doors at 11:30 PM, masks off at midnight, and the hidden words appear all at once.
Your painting, your mirror-portrait photos, your bag to go, and hopefully a match or two.
Yes. We love capturing the night for social media. Tell your host if you'd rather stay off camera.
Space is limited at every Hot Date Wet Paint night. Pre-sign up now, free, and you'll be contacted as soon as a date is secured, before tickets go on sale to anyone else.