The Surge of Bingo Party Events in the UK

You may have the impression that bingo is just for old women, but if so, you could not be more wrong. These days, bingo is a game that people of every age are playing and enjoying.

Bingo has surely never been more popular in the UK than it is right now, even during its initial surge during the 1960s. In this era, the game is played both at bingo halls and online. 

 

People also attend party nights where bingo is part of the fun and you can find events of that sort all across the UK, including Bristol. 

 

The Traditional Image of Bingo 

 

It has not always been like this though. Bingo was very big in the UK throughout the 1960s and 1970s, but it had very little appeal to young people back then.  

 

Bingo was regarded by the teenagers and young adults of that time as something that their mums and grandmothers did while they went out dancing. In those days, the only real place that you could play bingo was in a smoky bingo hall and the image of the game was working class and oriented towards the older generations. 

 

Having been very popular for around two decades, the game gradually lost its appeal to much of its existing audience during the 1980s. That decade and the 1990s saw many of the bingo halls in the UK shut their doors due to a loss of custom. 

 

Bingo appeared to be a game in terminal decline; so, what happened to turn things around? 

 

The Emergence of Online Bingo 

 

Essentially, bingo transitioned into the digital age with the arrival of the online game. Although it first emerged in the mid-1990s, online bingo did not really take off until this century, when the internet itself became more widely used. 

 

Nowadays, bingo players head to a site like 888 ladies bingo to play their favourite bingo games. Not only is the site more accessible than a land-based bingo hall but bingo provider’s typically offer a wider range of bingo games too. 

 

Young people now are the most technologically adept generation ever and they have embraced online bingo enthusiastically. Digital gaming in general is fashionable among the younger generation and bingo is right at the top of the list. 

 

That in turn has led to the rise of the bingo party. Whether it is attending a themed party night at a local venue or hosting their own virtual bingo evening, this is something that young people have made their own. 

 

 

Many bingo players now head online to play their favourite bingo games. 

 

 

What Does a Bingo Party Event Involve? 

 

Basically, a bingo party event is one that mixes live bingo games with other kinds of entertainment. Many of them have specific themes, but there are certain elements that are common to all of these events. 

 

- Bingo games 

- Music 

- Dressing up 

- Food and drinks 

- Special guest stars 

- Dancing 

 

That is why they are known as bingo parties, because they blend bingo with the things that people generally do at parties. Although they do not exclude anyone based on age, these events are usually aimed at younger people because they are noisy and high energy affairs. 

 

Bingo parties are not the reason for the popularity of the game among the young – online bingo really created that – but they have capitalised and built on it. 

 

Top Bingo Party Nights in the UK 

 

There are hundreds of different themed bingo party nights now, but these are some of the most exciting you can try out. 

 

Bongo’s Bingo 

 

Probably the single biggest bingo party event just now is Bongo’s Bingo. This company hosts its events at locations across the country and its combination of live bingo games and a disco party has proven to be a hit everywhere. 

 

Bongo’s Bingo has been part of the bingo scene since 2015 and it provides a unique blend of traditional bingo games with music and dancing inspired by activities like raves and clubs.  

 

 

There are various party bingo nights that take place in the UK in many major cities.

 

 

Tizzy Dizzy Bottomless Bingo Brunch 

 

This London bingo party is a lunchtime rather than evening event, combining bingo with the meal known as ‘brunch.’ It takes place regularly at The Candlemaker, in Cannon Street, and is hosted by the Tina Turner Tea Lady. 

 

This Bottomless Bingo Brunch sees attendees play bingo games over tea and snacks while singing along with classic songs. 

 

While there are many regular events such as these two, bingo party nights are just as often one-off celebrations. One example of this was the recent Royal Drag Queen Bingo Night that took place to mark the Jubilee and that mixed bingo games with sing-alongs, dancing and drag performances. 

 

Bristol hosts its fair share of these, with the Bada Bingo Feelin’ Noughty event coming to town this summer. This party will see people play bingo and dance to some of the biggest pop tunes from the first decade of the new millennium.  

 

While bingo party nights may not be responsible for getting young people interested in the game, they have undoubtedly helped to energise it. Alongside the different themed variations on bingo provided by top online sites, party nights have helped to make bingo seem more relevant and up to date for the digital generation. 

 

Therefore, we can expect these parties to be part of the nightlife scene in Bristol and other areas of the UK for years to come. 

 

Bingo party events are part of the resurgence of this game that was sparked by online bingo and prove that it is now a game for young people. Both bingo and the parties are surely here to stay.