Now you can find local events and potential dates on Tinder

Tinder is expanding its In-App Events feature to nine cities beyond the initial test case in Los Angeles, with more to come at the end of September. It sounds like Party or Facebook Events are included in the dating app.

Tinder tested Events in Los Angeles earlier this year as a way for singles to get off the app and meet people IRL. It coincides with the influx of offline dating events and the tendency to try to find a date anywhere other than one’s phone — say, a running club.

Now, in the US, Events are also available in New York City, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, and Phoenix. In Europe, it was launched in Berlin, Munich, Zurich and Geneva. The app plans to launch Events in another 26 cities over the next few months. While Tinder didn’t share the full list, he told Mashable that San Jose and Baltimore are among them.

Those in eligible cities can access the Events tab in your Tinder app, where you can browse local events, mark interest, see who else is interested in attending, RSVP, purchase tickets, and check in and get an “Attend” badge on your profile. You can also match with other attendees.

During the Los Angeles test, Events drew engagement from 66 percent of all relevant active users in the market – meaning they opened the Events tab and interacted with information, such as browsing events. (Only Photo Verified Users can access Events fully.)

Most of the acquisitions in the test were from Gen Z users; 71 percent of children aged 18-24 years involved in Events, which was more than users aged 25 and over (63 percent), according to Tinder.

More than half (53 percent) of users who engaged with the Events tab returned the following week, indicating that they were interested in what it had to offer. Another sign was the success of at least one event: The 60-person ceramic candle class sold out within a day of the event’s partner promotion, according to a press release shared with Mashable.

Users also want to attend DJ nights, game nights, art classes, hikes, and group runs. More than 60 events were held in Los Angeles during the pilot.

Accessing the Events tab is free on Tinder. Individual events may be free or require ticket purchase from the event organizer, depending on the event.

The Events tab comes at a time when Tinder and another major dating app, Bumble, are using IRL events while simultaneously improving AI. When Tinder announced the Los Angeles Events pilot in March, it also introduced its AI matchmaker, Chemistry.

Bumble, meanwhile, is throwing its own events in New York City this summer. But the app angered some users when founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd announced it was doing away with swiping and importing AI information.