A date in Spanish is una cita. Una fecha is on the calendar.

Tengo una fecha con Ana sounds like you've circled a day on the calendar, not like you're taking her to dinner.

You said

Tengo una fecha con Ana esta noche.

What it means: I have a calendar date with Ana tonight.

A local says

Tengo una cita con Ana esta noche.

I've got a date with Ana tonight.

Why: Fecha is a day on the calendar. A romantic date, or any appointment, is una cita.

Heading out of a shared flat in Guadalajara

Me voy, tengo una fecha con Ana.

Your flatmate frowns. "¿Una fecha? ¿Cuál, el quince?… Ah, ¡una cita! ¡Suerte!"

English date covers two things, and Spanish keeps them apart. Una fecha is a day on the calendar: ¿qué fecha es hoy? (what's the date today?), fecha de nacimiento (date of birth), fecha de caducidad (expiry date). A romantic date is una cita: tengo una cita, nuestra primera cita (our first date). So tengo una fecha con Ana sounds like you and Ana share a deadline.

Cita isn't only romantic. It's any appointment: una cita con el dentista, una cita en el banco, and to book one is hacer una cita or sacar cita. Context does the work, and if there's dinner and candles involved, everyone knows which kind you mean. A blind date is una cita a ciegas, which translates almost word for word. If someone asks ¿tienes cita? at a clinic, they mean an appointment, not a romance.

For dating someone over time, the verb is salir con: estoy saliendo con alguien (I'm seeing someone), ¿quieres salir conmigo? (do you want to go out with me?). Once it's official, Mexico says somos novios, and mi novio or mi novia is your boyfriend or girlfriend. And the fruit, in case it comes up at the market, is un dátil.

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Also worth knowing

Spanish	English
¿Quieres salir conmigo el sábado?	Do you want to go out with me on Saturday?
¿Qué fecha es hoy?	What's the date today?
Tengo cita con el doctor a las diez.	I've got a doctor's appointment at ten.

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Questions people ask

How do you say date in Spanish?

For a romantic date or an appointment, una cita. For a calendar date, una fecha. The fruit is un dátil.

How do you say I'm dating someone in Spanish?

Estoy saliendo con alguien. Once it is official, somos novios, and the person is tu novio or tu novia.

How do you ask someone out in Spanish?

¿Quieres salir conmigo? is direct and normal. Lighter: ¿te gustaría ir por un café? (would you like to go for a coffee?).