The most important thing to know about Dating Sunday

Dating Sunday is almost here. 

Landing in the sweet spot between the winter holiday season and Valentine's Day, Dating Sunday — typically the first Sunday of the year — is when eager singles emerge from hibernation to swipe on dating apps in droves. The term traces back to 2016, when apps took notice of the post-New Year's Day frenzy. In 2020, Match's chief dating expert Rachel DeAlto went so far as to call the day the "Super Bowl of dating apps."

When is Dating Sunday this year?

With this kind of marketing, it's easy to have high expectations for Dating Sunday, which falls on Jan. 4, 2026. As a seasoned veteran of both the day and dating apps in general, however, I'm here to tell you that those hopes may not be met. You may not find the love of your life on Dating Sunday — and that's OK.

To the apps' credit, there are stats behind the hoopla: OkCupid typically sees a 70 percent increase in user activity on Dating Sunday. Tinder estimates that 10 percent of all January swipes occur on that date as well.

The reasoning behind it also makes sense. People may take time off dating during the holidays to focus on family, yet the time can remind us of our singleness; December is "proposal season," after all. Plus, January is often seen as a "fresh start," and daters may have newfound optimism to go out and find a partner. Throw in the close proximity to Valentine's Day, and it's totally logical that our thumbs are a-swiping. 

Liubomyr Pivtorak, chief product officer at Hily dating app, says Dating Sunday isn't just about an increase in traffic to the apps. "We see a sharp increase in matches and conversations, with people replying faster and sustaining longer exchanges than usual," says Pivtorak. "It's the moment when motivation is still high and everyone’s giving dating a real try, right before that drop-off kicks in.”

I understand why Dating Sunday falls when it does, but I believe starting out the year with it could be detrimental. If you fail to find a match on Dating Sunday, you may think it's somehow a sign of what's to come during this year, that 2026 is doomed to be like last year and the year before. 

This isn't true. One day — or even a month — of swiping won't determine what the rest of the year will be like. The most popular apps (like Tinder and Bumble) have millions of users, and they'll be active well beyond Dating Sunday. There will be more opportunities beyond the first two Sundays of the year. Perhaps the days in between may be lucrative too! Or the days, weeks, and months afterwards.

"If you’re not careful, you can burn out before you’ve even started," says Sylvia Linzalone, dating expert at UK-based dating app Wisp. "The danger is treating it like a sprint, when dating is really a marathon."

"Dating Sunday isn’t about finding ‘the one’ in 24 hours," Linzalone says. "It’s about starting the year with clarity. Use the energy of the day to set better habits – whether that’s messaging with more intention, meeting sooner, or being clearer about what you want." 

Remember: How Dating Sunday shakes out won't be a predictor for the rest of the year. Don't participate if you don't want to; you can find love another time. Those excited singles won't vanish when Monday rolls around.

If you do want to put your best foot forward, however, by all means do it. On Dating Sunday, experts recommend that you complete your bio and include at least three photos of yourself. You want a potential match that puts in the effort, so you should do so too.

I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir in terms of managing expectations. Just remember what Linzalone says: it's a marathon, not a sprint.

This article was first published in 2022 and republished in 2026.