Bongo Bingo: What is it and how can I join it?

If you were under the misconception that bingo is restricted to the older demographics of society, you’re clearly not a regular bingo player – sign up at Barbados Bingo.

Bingo is alive and well amongst young people in the UK today. Millennials made up 17% of bingo players in 2015, with the numbers steadily growing to reach 21% in 2016 and 25% and 2017.

The same upward trend is noticeable in the 35-44 age group that has increased from 21% in 2015 to 26% in 2016, keeping a steady position in 2017.

What’s more, you’ve obviously never heard of Bongo Bingo.

What is Bongo Bingo?

Bongo Bingo is bingo, but as you’ve almost certainly never experienced. If you can imagine a regular bingo game, but interspersed with impromptu raves, dance-offs and spontaneous catwalks down tables, right in the middle of the game at times.

There’s plenty of beer, there are cocktails, there are shots, and there’s a lot of high-intensity fun. The soundtrack to the entertainment tends towards trance, dance and 90s pop and there’s even the odd celebrity who drops in.

To name a few, David Hasselhoff, and the groups Five, S Club and the Vengaboys have all got involved. Yes, you did read that correctly.

How did Bongo Bingo start?

Bongo Bingo was the brainchild of the aptly-named Jonny Bongo, a genius or lunatic depending on your opinion of his creation. Whatever you think of the format, and admittedly, it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, you can’t fault his creativity.

It’s not often that someone with a love of bingo and a love of alco-fuelled techno-rave music manages to combine the two.

As Jonny’s own webpage www.bongosbingo.co.uk states:

“Bongo’s bingo is a wild shared social extravaganza with the chance to win prizes like giant pink unicorns, Henry Hoovers or a box of coco-pops. It’s immersive, inclusive and incredible. Everyone from 18 to 92 plays and parties together. There are no barriers and no limits.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves Jonny.

How can you get involved with Bongo Bingo?

If this sounds just what you’ve been waiting for, it isn’t hard to get involved. Jonny isn’t too selective about who comes through the doors to play, and Bongo Bingo has been played at dozens of places all around the world.

There’s a very helpful section of the website at www.bongosbingo.co.uk/help/contact where you can see the frequently asked questions, and you can also write to info@bingosbingo.co.uk for more information.

Finally, you can subscribe to play Bongo Bingo at www.bongosbingo.co.uk/subscribe

Here, you can see the location of the nearest venue to where you are, from Aberdeen to York – and that’s alphabetically, not geographically. The cities and countries listed include Barcelona, Sydney, Dubai, Canada, the U.S, France, Germany, and many more.

More serious prizes

If it sounds tempting, but the chance of winning a box of coco-pops doesn’t instil a burning desire to play within you, there are other prizes too.

Bongo’s Bingo has had incredible prizes in the past, including a sailboat, a Porsche and a holiday to the Caribbean.

What’s more, if you end up calling ‘Bingo!’ at the same time as someone else, you’ll be pulled into a dance-off where the best dancer takes home the prize!