Just like couples have the annual Valentine's Day to celebrate their love, singles also have their own special day once a year.

Single's Day, or guang gun jie, literally meaning "bare sticks holiday," is targeted at the unattached among us. It was first started in the mid-1990s by some students at Nanjing University, and the date, November 11 (11/11), was chosen because, numerically, it represents four solitary single-value digits.

A growing custom on Single's Day has been to partake in the day's now traditional meal - four deep-fried dough sticks and one steamed meat-stuffed bun. But if you fancy something more than just comfort food this coming Sunday, then the Global Times has found some events and parties in the city where you may just be lucky enough to find the "one."

Blind-dating games

Probably the biggest happening this weekend will be a Single's Day Masquerade, organized by OK, Deal! Club that takes place on Saturday, November 10 at The Geisha starting at 8 pm (390 Shaanxi Road South 陕西南路390号, 6403-0244).

"We have been organizing this single's day party for more than four years," said Josie Chen, the founder of OK, Deal! Club. "Free masks will be given out to add that little bit of mystery, and there will be blind-dating games. We also prepare a fun 'lock and key' game to help guests find their match."

In "lock and key," every woman is given a padlock and every man gets a key. The goal is to match the right key with the right padlock. And each time a couple manages to unlock the padlock, they will both receive a prize. "After a padlock is unlocked, the pair both get another lock and key so they can get jump back into the fray and meet more people," Chen told the Global Times.

Chen said these annual single's parties are attended by between 80 and 150 people, and that most are professionals aged between 25 and 45 years old.

Other activities during the party will include an 8-minute speed dating round, a belly dancing show and a salsa dancing workshop.

"We offer this platform so that people can meet each other," said Chen. "Some of the couples continue dating after the parties, and also I know from some members' feedback that several couples have got married after meeting at one of our parties."

The entrance fee is 150 yuan ($24) per person with RSVP, 180 yuan per person at the door and 130 yuan for any woman who is accompanied by a man paying the full price. The entry price includes two complimentary drinks.

Also on Saturday, the CD Soho Club (4 Hengshan Road 衡山路4号, 5469-9898) is throwing a Let's Date party. At the entrance everyone will get a traffic-light colored bracelet - green for singles, red for couples, and orange for people whose love lives are "complicated," in typical Facebook terminology. The club is hosting an open bar for 100 yuan from 9 pm to 4 am.

It's fun to have fun

For Shanghai's LGBT community, 390 Shanghai (390 Panyu Road 番禺路390号) is throwing a Single's Party on Saturday night. "Over the past few years Single's Day has become a popular occasion to mark in Shanghai's LGBT community," said DJ Sacco who is one of the organizers of the party.

"We are giving out stickers at the door; green for single, yellow for those in an open relationship, and red for those who are already taken," said DJ Sacco. "It is a fun way to have fun during this new holiday."

The party starts at 10 pm and goes on until late. Admission is 50 yuan which gets customers a free drink.

On Sunday, the actual Single's Day, head to Mao Livehouse (308 Chongqing Road South  重庆南路308号, 6445-0086) for their Lock Love Rock Party. To help Shanghai singles find a partner, party organizers have prepared a number of  interactive games, including a version of the aforementioned lock and key game. The organizers also promise live music during the evening. Admission is 120 yuan at the door, and 100 yuan in advance.

Alternatively on Sunday, you can head down to Phebe 3D Club (10 Hengshan Road 衡山路10号,6555-9998). Entry is 100 yuan for an all-night open bar. The party starts at 9 pm.

Brown Sugar in Xintiandi (181 Taicang Road 太仓路181号, 5382-8998) will be hosting its Sunday Single's Night Fever event. Women receive a free glass of champagne and men will get the chance to compete in a contest in which one of them will be crowned Most Eligible Bachelor at the 2012 Single's Day Party. Entrance is free of charge.

If none of the above options work out, you can always head on over to the "marriage market" in People's Square where you can find the personal details of hundreds of similar singletons. Happy hunting!