Anyone who thinks Valentine's Day is mainly for couples may have to do a double take this Saturday as a flurry of singles events takes over the city.

Gone are the days of staying home if you don't have a partner on Feb. 14, with several charitable organizations, promoters and downtown hotspots throwing shindigs aimed only at singles.

With names such as "No Sweetheart Required," "Anti-Valentine's Day After Work Party," "Open Hearts" and "Second Shot at Love," parties are targeting the singles market while debunking the ideology that Valentine's Day is only for those in love.

Laura Bilotta, co-owner of singles' organization "Single in the City," says having a singles event has become more conventional as singles lean towards meeting other singles through methods such as online dating and speed dating.

"A lot more people are coming out, and the trend has been there and steadily growing, especially in a big city," she says.

"It's more accepted now," Bilotta says of her Valentine's bachelor and bachelorette auction at the Open Hearts event taking place this Saturday at the Radisson Admiral Hotel at Harbourfront.

The event has been running for four years with proceeds going to a different charity each year.

Bilotta says she's expecting up to 200 people to attend on Saturday, saying the fundraiser is meant to perk up singles feeling down at this time of the year.

"You see all this lovey-dovey stuff in the stores and you think start thinking you don't have anybody to give you anything," she says.

"Instead of sitting around, it's basically finding something to do with yourself and getting out."

And getting out is exactly what singles across the GTA will be doing this weekend. A search of popular city resource website toronto.com turns up 11 listings for big singles parties taking place on Valentine's Day.

Hotels like the Westin Harbour Castle, Intercontinental in Yorkville and clubs like Schmooze and LoKi Lounge are among the venues hosting these events.

But it's not just about the parties. Charitable organizations such as Habitat for Humanity are using Valentine's Day to draw out singles for a good cause.

The fourth annual Singles Build on Saturday is being touted as "a chance to meet Mr. or Mrs. Right" while laying drywall.

CEO Neil Hetherington says if people are looking to find somebody in life, it makes sense to find someone with similar values.

"Those are the relationships that last and when you're working with the Habitat for Humanity you know all the people volunteering at least have core values that you inhibit yourself," he says.

Hetherington says participating in the event can be a really good starting point for a relationship.

"We've had people get married, we've had romances start, we've had people have babies out of it. There's some real amazing things in addition to people helping a community that needs help," he says.

Both event organizers say the age of people attending can vary between young and old, however on average people in their thirties participate.

For more information on singles events on Valentine's Day visit toronto.com for a list of events happening across the GTA.