A few ground rules first
- Plan the trip home. Pick plans you can walk to or reach by transit, or book a taxi in advance.
- Nobody has to partake. A good 420-friendly date works just as well if neither of you uses anything.
- Know your local rules. Where you can consume in public differs by province and city. When in doubt, keep it at home.
- Keep trade out of it. A date is never the moment to arrange cannabis for anyone.
First dates (keep it simple and public)
- A long walk with a destination. A waterfront, a lookout, a market at the end of it.
- A food market or food hall. Lots to try, lots to talk about.
- A rep cinema or comedy show. Shared reactions are an easy icebreaker.
- A board game café. Low stakes and a little competitive.
Second and third dates
- Cook together. Pick a recipe neither of you has made.
- A gallery or museum late opening. Most big cities have them.
- A hike on an easy trail. Bring water and snacks, and tell someone where you're going.
- A record shop crawl. Each person picks one album for the other.
At-home ideas (when you know each other)
- A themed movie night with snacks you make together.
- A puzzle and a playlist.
- Painting or sketching, terrible art encouraged.
At home is where most cannabis-friendly couples who do partake choose to, because the rules are simplest and nobody needs to get anywhere afterwards. Agree on it together, and keep in mind that intimacy needs both of you thinking clearly. See cannabis and consent.
Seasonal Canadian ideas
- Winter: skating, a winter festival, a sauna or spa day.
- Spring: cherry blossoms, farmers' markets opening up.
- Summer: outdoor concerts, beaches, festivals.
- Fall: apple picking on a bus tour, leaf walks.
Our city pages have local ideas for Toronto, Vancouver, Montréal, Calgary, Ottawa and Edmonton.
Looking for someone to try them with? Sign up.
Ideas for different personalities
For homebodies. A cooking night with a shared shopping trip beforehand. A vinyl evening where each person brings three records. A jigsaw puzzle and a pot of tea. These are best once you've met a few times and feel comfortable at each other's place.
For outdoor types. An easy hike on a well-marked trail with a picnic at the end. A paddle on a calm lake through a rental place. Snowshoeing on a groomed path in winter. Keep the first outdoor date short and close to town, and keep it sober; nature is better enjoyed with a clear head when you're still getting to know someone.
For creatives. A drop-in pottery or painting class. A visit to a gallery followed by sketching in a café. A poetry reading or open mic. If you both chose Cannabis & Creativity, you'll have plenty to talk about without any cannabis at all.
For food lovers. A food market crawl where you each pick one thing to share. A cooking class. A tour of a neighbourhood known for one cuisine. Snacks are, unsurprisingly, a strong theme on cannabis-friendly dates.
For culture fans. A late opening at a museum, a rep cinema double bill, a local theatre production, or a comedy night.
Low-cost ideas
Dating doesn't need to be expensive. Walks, picnics, library events, community festivals and park concerts all cost little or nothing. A thermos of coffee and a good view can beat an expensive dinner. Suggesting a low-cost plan also takes pressure off both people.
Rainy and cold-day plans
Canadian weather wrecks a lot of outdoor plans, so have a backup. Board game cafés, bowling, a covered market, an indoor climbing gym for beginners, or a museum all work. In deep winter, a warm café with a window seat is a classic for good reason.
When you'd like cannabis to be part of a date
If you've met a few times and both want to share cannabis, plan it for a private place where it's legal, usually at home. Talk first about what each of you is comfortable with and how much. Start low, especially with edibles, which can take a long while to take effect. Have food and water around, and make sure both of you can get home safely, or that staying over is genuinely welcome. And remember that partaking together never implies agreeing to anything else.
Dates with someone who doesn't partake
If your date doesn't use cannabis, pick ideas that work for both of you, which is almost all of the ones above. Don't use beforehand in a way they'll notice, and don't make it the topic. A great date with a non-user is simply a great date.
Planning tips that work everywhere
- Suggest a specific time and place rather than "sometime."
- Choose somewhere easy for both to reach.
- Have a short version and a long version in mind, so either of you can leave gracefully.
- Check the weather and opening hours.
- Tell a friend where you're going.
How to suggest a date in a message
A clear, specific invitation is easier to say yes to than a vague one. A few examples:
- "Would you like to walk the canal on Saturday afternoon? There's a café at the end."
- "I've been meaning to try the market on Sunday. Fancy meeting there around eleven?"
- "Coffee near your station on Thursday after work? An hour, no pressure."
Each one names a day, a place and a rough length, which makes it easy to accept, adjust or decline politely.
Conversation starters for a first meeting
Good first-date conversation comes from curiosity rather than an interview. Some openers that tend to work:
- What's a perfect Sunday for you?
- What's something you've changed your mind about in the last few years?
- What would you show a visitor in your neighbourhood?
- What's the best thing you've eaten this month?
Cannabis may come up, and that's fine, but there's no need to steer toward it. You've both already said where you stand on your profiles.
Accessible dates
If either of you has a disability, a chronic condition or simply low energy some days, choose plans with seating, entrances without stairs and nearby washrooms. Galleries, conservatories, accessible trails and cafés with space between tables all work well. It's fine to ask a match what makes an outing comfortable for them; most people appreciate being asked.
Dates around kids
For parents, the best plans often fit into a few hours without the kids: a weekday lunch, an early evening walk, a Saturday morning market. Be honest about your schedule, and keep cannabis well away from anything involving your kids.
After the date
A short message the next day goes a long way: "I had a great time at the market, would you like to do it again?" If it wasn't a match, a kind, honest note is better than silence: "I enjoyed meeting you, but I didn't feel a spark. Best of luck." Either way, the other person knows where they stand. If anything during the date made you uncomfortable, report it; you don't need to be certain to raise a concern.
Ideas that suit a first meeting in winter
When it's dark by five, a first meeting still works if you keep it short and warm: a conservatory or greenhouse, a library reading room with a café, a skating loop followed by a hot drink, or an early dinner at a counter-service spot where nobody has to commit to three courses. Pick somewhere with a coat rack and seating, and agree on an end time in advance so neither of you has to invent an excuse to leave.