Weekend hook-ups: plan a Friday worth having
By Lottie Williams, Head of Content
Updated
Not everyone is a same-night person. Some people like a plan: a midweek chat, a Friday drink, and the whole weekend to see where it goes. Weekend hook-ups are for them.
Free this weekend
Free tonight has a weekend setting. Choose "This weekend" and people nearby can see you are available until 4am on Monday, when it switches itself off. There is a "This week" setting too, which lasts seven days.
Pair it with "Weekends" in "When are you free?", so people who are always about on a Saturday find you every week, not just this one.
Plan midweek, meet at the weekend
The best weekend hook-ups start on a Tuesday. Chat for a couple of days, get a feel for each other, try a video call if you both prefer, then pin down a time and a place. By Friday you are meeting someone you already like, not a stranger.
"This weekend?" is one of the quick openers for a reason. It is direct, friendly and easy to say yes to.
Making a weekend of it
If the first drink goes well, a weekend leaves room for more: a second meet, a lazy morning, a night somewhere neither of you lives. Talk about what you both want before you book anything, so nobody is surprised.
If you can host, say so. If you cannot, "Hotel / neutral place" is a perfectly good answer.
One-off or regular?
A weekend hook-up can be a one-off or the start of something regular. Say which with your intention tags, "One-off hook-up" or "Regular / FWB", and be honest if you are not sure yet. Our guide to friends with benefits helps if every other weekend starts to sound good.
How it works on No Strings Dating
Pick "One-off hook-up" in what you are up for, or "Regular / FWB" if once is unlikely to be enough, and say when you are free. Browse shows people nearest first, with anyone free tonight on top, and the Free tonight and Online now filters narrow it to people who can actually meet.
"Can you host?" and "How do you like to meet?" sort out the practical side before the first message. Then a quick opener such as "Free tonight?" or "This weekend?" gets things moving, so nobody has to start with "hi".
Safety, every time
Short notice is when people cut corners. Do not. These take seconds.
- Meet somewhere public first, even if you both know where the night is heading.
- Use Safety check-in: tell us who, where and when, and send the link to a friend.
- Have your own way home, a charged phone and a backup plan.
- Watch your drink, and leave whenever something feels off. You never need a reason.
- Consent can change at any point. A yes earlier is not a yes now. The Safety Centre has the rest.
Dating, not a service
Hook-ups here are between adults who both want them. Nobody pays and nobody is paid, and advertising or asking for sexual services or paid company breaks our rules. Anyone who mentions money, gifts or a "deposit" is a scammer or worse: report them.
Keep it private, too. Somewhere public is for the first drink, never for anything after it.
Quick answers
How do I find a hook-up this weekend?
Set Free tonight to "This weekend", pick your intention tags and browse people nearby who are free too. Start chatting midweek to make a plan.
How long does Free this weekend last?
Until 4am on Monday, then it switches itself off.
Should we still meet in public first if we have chatted all week?
Yes. A first drink somewhere public is quick, and it tells you more than a week of messages.
Can a weekend hook-up turn into something regular?
It can, if you both want it. Add the Regular / FWB tag and say so.
No strings dating near you
Popular cities