Find Romance on Main Street, Bethlehem

Single and looking for love?

Historic Downtown Bethlehem is just the place you want to be on Friday night and Saturday when it hosts Matchmakingfest—a festival designed to allow singles—gay and straight—to mix and mingle at a number of different events at venues along and near Main Street.

The activities include speed dating at the Apollo Grill, tea tastings at Granny McCarthy’s and a “build your own dessert together” event at the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.

The festival is modeled loosely on the world famous Lisdoonvarna Matchmakingfest, which lasts for the full month of September in Ireland’s County Clare.

To participate, you will need to buy a passport for $20 at this Website. Nervous about meeting new people alone? You can bring along attached friends: Wingman/wingwomen passports cost $15.

The event hinges somewhat on the use of dating cards offered by datingaccessory.com, an Emmaus-based business that provides dating advice and a unique system of meeting people on the run.

On the front, the card says: “You Caught my Eye.” On the reverse of the card a disclaimer reads “If you are involved, I apologize ... please take this as a compliment.”

Everyone who pre-registers for the event will get a personal set of these dating cards at a pre-party mixer under a tent in the Sun Inn Courtyard from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. The event will include some fun games to help break the ice.

Kim Petruska, owner of datingaccessory.com, will be offering tips and tricks on using the cards. She’ll also be offering “Dating 101” seminars for men and women on Saturday to help you get your flirt on.

The event continues all day Saturday, with flirty and romantic-themed events at venues throughout the historic downtown, including a Moravian “Lot” matchmaking event at the Historic Bethlehem Museums and Sites (you’ll need to go to find out), a best women’s legs in a kilt competition (turnabout on the traditional St. Patrick’s Day competition in Downtown Bethlehem) and an after-party at the Bethlehem Brew Works.

The Downtown Bethlehem Association has been motivated to promote Bethlehem as a romantic place ever since Kelly Ripa noted on her morning television in show in February 2012 that the city was rated by the Website Foursquare as the second least romantic city in the country.

“To us, those are fighting words,” said Mayor John Callahan, who pitched this event at a recent news conference. “We’ve put together a couple of events, which clearly show that Bethlehem is a city of romance.”

For more information on Matchmakingfest, go to the Downtown Bethlehem Association website.