Bongo's Bingo: A Crazy Mix of Bingo AND Raving
Forget what you know about bingo. This isn’t your nan’s Thursday night daub-fest.
Here’s all you need to know about Bongo’s Bingo:
- Bongo’s Bingo Overview
- Watch: The Bongo’s Bingo Experience
- What to Expect
- Tickets & Booking Information
- Upcoming Dates & Locations
- Games & Prizes
- Food & Drink Options
- Bongo’s Bingo Theme
- Bongos Bingo Reviews
- Q&A with Jonny Bongo
What is Bongo’s Bingo UK?
The Bongo’s Bingo bingo experience blends classic bingo with a full-on night out (and a load of unexpected prizes).
Perfect if you’re looking for something different to the usual night out, Bongo’s Bingo is genuinely the most fun audience participation you’ll ever have. An incredible, full-throttle, booze-fuelled, confetti-blasted, mad experience where dancefloors meet daubing, and a round could end in a lip sync battle or mobility scooters dance off. Iconic prizes are the name of the game. Expect chaos, carnage, and very little sitting down.
This is a bingo event that you won’t forget. Let’s get this Bongo’s Bingo review started!
Watch: The Bongo’s Bingo Experience
Bongo’s Bingo Event Overview
From a humble pub in Liverpool to a nationwide phenomenon, Bongo’s Bingo is now the UK’s loudest party-bingo takeover with nearly 70 venues.
Bongo’s Bingo UK started in 2015 in the Baltic Triangle of Liverpool, the brainchild of Jonny Bongo and Josh Burke who thought: ‘what if we smashed together traditional bingo with club nights, rave music, live performances, and wild prizes?’ The result: a total game-changer (and eventual winner of Time Out’s Most Original Night Out Award) that’s taken daubers by storm.
From the early start when Sweaty Betty, their first dancer joined them on stage, fast-forward to 2025 and Bongo’s Bingo UK shows are taking place in tons of cities, including international stops like Ibiza. We’re talking more than 5 million players over the past 10 years. A place where flashing lights, sing-along anthems, and stage invasions are the norm.
What to Expect at Bongo’s Bingo
Henry hoovers. Karaoke machines. A wild shared social extravaganza. Welcome to the immersive and inclusive world of Bongo’s Bingo.
From the moment the doors open you’ll feel the buzz. Upon entry you’re greeted with a wristband, a bingo ticket, a raffle ticket, the all-important felt tip pen, and soon it’ll be time to party.
The vibe is a mashup of the traditional bingo but with intervals of pounding anthems and games taking place in between. The seating is normally bench-style (but unlike Wagamama’s, don’t be worried about knocking elbows with the rando next to you – everyone is here to party). Whenever the bingo pauses between 1 line, 2 line or full house, it makes room for the DJ to drop a beat. Have a boogie or head to the bar because it’s standing-room-only time… pure nostalgic escapism.
Once the host shouts “Let’s play bingo!” the room explodes. Expect incredible scenes, even Coco Pops rain.
Bongo’s Bingo Tickets & Booking Information
If you want to know how to attend Bingo’s Bingo, buy tickets early to avoid sellouts (the party waits for no one).
Bongo’s Bingo tickets vary depending on location with prices ranging from £15 up to £21. They’re released in waves so keep your eyes peeled for new dates on the Bingo’s Bingo events page.
While there are daytime shows at noon at certain locations, evening doors typically open at 5pm or 6pm, giving you the chance to head to the bar and get into the party spirit. The traditional bingo (if you can call it that) kicks off around 7:30pm and you’ll have a good few hours of fun.
Note: only one small bag per person allowed. Group booking tickets are available (enter together to sit together) and there may be the option to book extra add-ons if you’re going all-in with your crew. Whether it’s your birthday or just a weekend session, it’s first come first served, so arrive early for the best spot in the place.
Buy Bongo’s Bingo Tickets here.
Bongo’s Bingo Upcoming Dates & Locations
The Bongo’s Bingo revolution is in full swing lighting up venues and dropping the bass across the UK, in 69 cities, every Friday and Saturday night.
From London to Glasgow, there’s a Bongo’s Bingo event near you.
Whether it’s a Friday at Scunthorpe’s Baths Hall or Lincoln’s Engine Shed, or a Saturday blowout at Newcastle’s Boiler Shop or Brighton’s legendary PRYZM, Bongo’s Bingo venues are built to house the wildest show in bingo.
You can expect Bongo’s Bingo dates year-round exclusively at weekends, with bonus shows for holidays, festivals, or limited-edition themes like the 90s Special. Find Bongo’s Bingo dates near you on the events page or head over to Instagram. Shows sell out quickly as they’re especially popular with hen dos and big group night outs, so book early (and maybe throw in a hotel too. Just in case).
Bongo’s Bingo Games & Prizes
Bongo’s Bingo takes the classic bingo game and cranks it up. At Bongo’s Bingo bingo, games are fast-paced from the first line. At Bingo’s Bingo, anything is possible: call bingo too early and prepare to be roasted, or call it at the same time as someone else and it’s dance-off or conga line time!
You’ll lose control when you see some of the prizes you have the chance to win, too. Each round ends with a raffle prize draw, ranging from simply cash (that they call “night-changing money”) to Henry Hoovers, space hoppers, wavy inflatable tubemen, giant pink unicorns, disco helmets, a David Attenborough or The Rock cardboard cutout, and more random, quirky surprises.
Bongo’s Bingo Food & Drink Options
Some Bongo’s Bingo venues offer something to eat, but think burgers and hot dogs – not a sit-down dinner (this is confetti-in-your-drink kind of thing). On entry every venue will have a fully stocked bar and there’s plenty of breaks to grab a refreshment before getting back to the party.
Bongo’s Bingo Theme
At Bongo’s Bingo, your outfit is part of the party.
What to wear at Bongo’s Bingo bingo events? While there’s no official dress code, this is the inclusive world of wild costumes and themed looks. Whether you’re a Spice Girl or rocking glitter from head to toe, the more creative, the more you’ll blend in. There’s no limits… expect everything from neon rave gear and leopard print to ABBA-style drag. Themed nights like the 90s Special, Halloween takeovers, or Ibiza weekenders encourage a costume-happy atmosphere and the girls in outrageous outfits regularly end up on stage.
Simply put: wear something you can dance (and possibly perform a mobility scooter drive-by) in.
Bongos Bingo Reviews
Bongo’s Bingo has become a media magnet, with headlines raving about its wild mix of bingo, beats, and chaos.
- Bongo’s Bingo Jonny and Josh on BBC Breakfast: “People now don’t settle for the norm. They expect more from a night out now so you have to be creative. We won’t stick with the exact same format. Every time they come they’re going to have some solid foundations but it’s going to change week on week – different prizes, different jokes, different music”.
- ITV News: “It’s the smash hit event that’s turned bingo on its head. People go for the bingo but they also go for the music, the people – you can go from a Celine Dion power ballad to the Macarena to a rave within 10 minutes, and everyone is just chatting because it’s long benches and I’ve met so many amazing people.”
- Time Out – Bongo’s Bingo arrives in Williamsburg, NYC: “Millions of people have experienced the event, which organisers describe as “competitive socialising.” It’s all part of the most bonkers, surreal, and energetic night rolled into one glorious party,” event organizers say. The immersive and inclusive shows typically range in size from 500 to 3,500 people ranging in age from 21 to 96—basically anybody who’s down for a night of berserk bingo. It’s definitely not your grandma’s old-school bingo game. Even celebs have been drawn to the show. Samuel L. Jackson showed up unannounced at a Bongo’s Bingo event in Glasgow last year”.
- The Guardian: “That was one of the fantastic things about the night; the game itself is so simple and one you’d think you would get bored of, but Bongo’s transforms the game into one of dancing drag queens, everyone’s favourite songs and – of course – prizes, there is no way anyone could get bored at Bongo’s.”
Q & A with Jonny Bongo – Founder of Bongo's Bingo
What is the Bongo’s Bingo experience?
We find that Bongo’s Bingo unites players for nights of magic and mayhem in a wild immersive experience. As the UK’s original bingo rave phenomenon, we’ve rejuvenated the quintessentially quaint British pastime of bingo with nostalgia-induced revelry, rave rounds, dance-offs, audience participation, en-masse Karaoke, crazy prizes, mad moments and much more in a dose of pure and unadulterated escapism.
Since launching in April 2015, Bongo’s Bingo is now the most talked about night out in the country with millions of tickets sold.
Why is your event/show different from other live Bingo events?
For us it’s all about the experience for every player at every show we have across the UK and beyond. We immerse everyone for a few hours in pure escapism and invest heavily into making Bongo’s Bingo the ultimate bingo night out – the production, the prizes, the hosts, the dancers, the special guests and more all create a truly unique experience which is a world away from any other bingo events.
We pack in as much detail as we can. It’s mad how things like a Henry Hoover has become I think the most popular prize to win but equally, the joy from winning Coco Pops or a space hopper is unbridled. But it’s more than just winning – it’s literally being there and sharing the experience with your friends, family and everyone in the room.
We’re proudly at the fore of the UK’s experience economy and competitive socialising – a lot of people are looking for immersive nights out over passive ones.
Where did the idea for Bongo’s Bingo come from?
Myself and Joshua Burke – we are Bongo’s Bingo’s founders – came up with the idea based around a raucous pub quiz I had been hosting for years in Liverpool. Combining this with Josh and his years of promotion across the city, we wanted to create a completely different night out. So, some of the energy and chaos from the pub quiz evolved into the DNA of Bongo’s Bingo. It’s been a completely crazy journey ever since that show in April 2015 to where we are today.
When did you begin running shows/events?
Our first show was in April 2015 in Liverpool. We now host shows in over 40 locations around the UK and globally and are proudly the original and defining bingo rave night out. Last year we also took our XL concept across the UK, with crowds of over 3500 people per show in Liverpool which was mind-blowing to see.
How do you see live bingo continuing to evolve in the next decade?
Bingo has been around for centuries so we’re certain live bingo like ours will continue in its popularity over the next decade. Bingo itself is a shared social experience just more low key and the original game is played and celebrated by us at Bongo’s Bingo. And of course, we have amped everything else up considerably.
Competitive socialising is all about playing and competing with your friends and family, but also feeling engaged and connected with the whole room and that’s what brings everyone together because Bongo’s Bingo is also a shared social experience.
Feeling immersed in our experience is key. We believe that the demand for shared immersion will deepen looking at the years ahead – ultimately people want to be together as one having fun with us, that’s why they keep coming back to us and we keep having new customers too. We want everyone to leave with a big smile on their faces – and they always do.
Bongo’s Bingo considers Liverpool its ‘spiritual home’. Why?
Well, Bongo’s Bingo started in Liverpool and our HQ is in the city. Also CONTENT is the Bongo’s Bingo’s purpose built venue and an iconic setting for our shows on home turf – so the city is very much our spiritual home.
Bongo’s Bingo is arguably the most successful and biggest Bingo Party brand in the UK, if not the world. Do you feel any responsibilities in being at the forefront of the bingo party movement?
Well, that’s class of you to say so! We believe this too and of course being the original bingo rave is important to us. But we don’t rest on our laurels – we’re constantly refining and innovating and adding new details, working on new partnerships, prizes and plans which all help enhance the experience for everyone.
We work hard to create something which at its heart respects traditional bingo whilst being totally new. It’s an honour more than anything to be regarded at the forefront of the bingo scene and we are immensely proud of how far we have come and of the huge ongoing support from all our customers. Ultimately, it’s all about having as much fun as possible with us.
More Bingo Events
If Bongo’s Bingo is not quite your style, then check out our reviews of these other fun bingo events.
Live Bingo News
3min 
3min 
3min 
2min 
