1. Attend a local comedy show
2. Walking/skating the river trail
3. Dinner at a local restaurant / catch a movie at Cinematheque (tie)

“I truly think (comedy shows are) a great date activity. Like, there’s a lot of people that are on dates, whether it’s a first date or they’ve been dat - ing for a while,” Karlee Liljegren, a Winnipeg comedian, says.

She started attending comedy shows as a fan seven years ago. “I haven’t stopped going,” she says.

Eventually, Liljegren became friends with a few comedians who pushed her to try some open-mic nights. At first, “I had terrible stage fright,” Lili - jegren says, but she’s been working as a comedian for three years now. “It’s been so much fun. I love it. I enjoy every minute of it.”

“There’s a lot of really good comedians out in Winnipeg,” she says. Some of her favourites in - clude Jaydin Pommer, Mike Green, Benji Roth - man, Spencer Adamus, Tyler Kotowski, Emman - uel Lomuro and Garrett LeBlanc.

For her own shows, Liljegren mentions crowd work as a way to get the audience more involved. “I’ve asked people ‘Are you dating?’ and it’s kind of a good way to lead into our material and make it a little bit more relatable.”

Winnipeggers who voted for the Uniter 30 specifically mentioned two venues where they like to take their dates. “The Handsome Daugh - ter and Wee Johnny’s for sure I think are some of the best ones in the city,” Liljegren says. They’re smaller and more intimate than bigger clubs like Rumors Comedy Club, she explains. That said, “(Bigger clubs) bring out bigger names.”

“A really good date spot is The Basement,” Liljegren says. “They have great food, really fancy drinks. It’s kind of a more fancy atmosphere if people are looking to dress it up other than the dive bars.”

Still, open-mic nights are a great option for those on a budget. “They’re always free,” Lil - jegren says. On the other hand, headliners might range anywhere from $10 to $25 per ticket.

Either way, she says, couples “come back again and again.”

Published in Volume 77, Number 12 of The Uniter (December 1, 2022)