Chicago
Where Do Desi Singles Go in Chicago? Devon Avenue Deserves a Dating Show.
175,000 South Asians in the Chicago metro area
We're Coming to Chicago!Chicago is on the tour list. Sign up below and help us get there! Everyone on the list gets tickets first when we announce.
Chicago has the second largest South Asian population in America after the NYC/NJ corridor, and somehow nobody has built a proper desi dating night for this city. Devon Avenue alone could fill a venue twice over. Schaumburg, Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook. The suburbs are deep with desi families, which means there are thousands of single South Asians scattered across Chicagoland who are tired of the same rotation of apps and aunty setups.
The show that sells out in New York every few weeks: real contestants go on live dates on stage while a packed room watches, reacts, and picks favorites. Afterward, the whole crowd mingles. It's the opposite of sitting alone on your phone hoping the algorithm blesses you. Chicago's fragmented desi scene needs exactly this kind of unifying event.
The Chicago desi scene is massive but weirdly fragmented. You've got the Northwestern crowd, the UChicago crowd, the UIC and IIT crowds, the downtown tech workers, the suburban professionals. Everyone knows other desi people, but the circles don't overlap enough. This show puts everyone in one room.
We're building the Chicago waitlist now. When we announce a date, the waitlist gets first access to tickets. If you want to be on stage as a contestant, apply below and you'll be in the system when we arrive.
If you've ever said there's no way to meet people in this city while living in a metro area of 9 million, this is your sign to stop blaming the city and start showing up.
Chicago's desi scene has everything except a singles night
Devon Avenue is the most famous South Asian street in America. The suburbs from Naperville to Schaumburg hold six figure desi populations with their own temples, mosques, gurdwaras and banquet hall circuits. Northwestern, UChicago, UIC and IIT keep the student pipeline full. And the actual singles in all of this are dating through the same two apps as everyone in Ohio, because Chicago's desi social calendar is built around families, festivals and alumni networks rather than around two single people meeting.
The second largest South Asian metro in the country runs on imported dating infrastructure. Chicago deserves its own room.
What a Garam Masala night in Chicago will look like
A West Loop consultant and a UIC med student who have never met, on stage, going on a first date while a few hundred Chicagoland desis vote on their chemistry. Comedian hosts keep it moving, the crowd keeps it honest and the mixer after finally puts the city and the suburbs in one room without a wedding invitation.
Chicago has been on our shortlist since the first waitlist numbers came in. for presale access, or apply to be a contestant and give Devon Avenue something new to gossip about.
No Chicago dates are live yet. The show tours nationally and sells out every stop. Watch full episodes while we make our way to you!
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Questions About Chicago Shows
When is Garam Masala Dating coming to Chicago?
No date is confirmed yet. Chicago is a top priority for fall 2026. and you will hear from us as soon as a venue and date are locked.
Will the show be in the city or the suburbs?
We are evaluating venues accessible to both the city and suburban desi communities. Waitlist members will be first to know.
Can I apply to be on the show before a Chicago date is announced?
Yes. Apply now. Applications stay active for 12 months. Chicago applicants will be prioritized when we confirm a Chicago date.
How many people attend a Garam Masala Dating show?
Our NYC shows sell out at 250 people. Touring shows typically run 100 to 200 depending on the venue.
Is there Indian speed dating in Chicago?
Chicago gets desi speed dating nights a few times a year, mostly downtown, mostly quiet. The live show format works differently: 90 minutes of comedy and a real blind date on stage first, so by the time the mixer starts the room already feels like a party, not a waiting room.
Where do South Asian singles in Chicago actually meet?
Devon Avenue for food and family errands, garba and Diwali events on the calendar, downtown desi club nights a few times a year and the campus orgs at Northwestern, UChicago and UIC. Community everywhere, singles events almost nowhere. That is the gap we fill.
Will the show draw from the suburbs too?
Yes. Naperville, Schaumburg and the northwest suburban desi corridor are half the reason Chicago is on the shortlist. The venue will be transit and parking friendly so the suburbs show up.
From the Journal
Also coming to: Champaign , Milwaukee , Madison , Indianapolis , Detroit