Bingo. Dancing. Throwback music. Prizes. If you like the sound of all of these things, then you should go to Bingo Loco.
With my birthday being at the end of the month, to celebrate with friends I went to Bingo Loco. Now, I hadn't heard of Bingo Loco before until my cousins told me about it and raved about how much fun it is, so I decided to go.
Essentially, Bingo Loco means Crazy Bingo. And to be honest, it is a bit crazy.
Bingo Loco happens every third Saturday of a month and they have events all over the UK and even further afield including Ireland, North America, Australia and the UAE. My friends and I went to one in Essex and it was by far the most amount of fun I've ever had on a night out.
I say night out, we were home before 10pm so if you're not a big fan of late nights or have other commitments at home etc, Bingo Loco could be the best thing for you.
The way that we decided to do it was to go for a late lunch beforehand to make sure that we had eaten a substantial amount before going to Bingo Loco. And that was lovely because we got to have a nice meal at Prezzo, chill a bit beforehand and then made our way to Bar and Beyond, where Bingo Loco was held.
When we got to Bar and Beyond, there was only a small queue - I think we were the fifth group in the queue. As a result, we had the choice of seats and actually ended up in a really good spot; we were close to the bar, could see the stage, had room for dancing, and we were near a door out of the venue that caused a breeze whenever it was open, so we didn't really get too hot.
But let's get into what actually happened during Bingo Loco and everything I saw last Saturday.
Bingo Loco - The World's Greatest Bingo Rave
I've been to some clubs before, but I can't say I've ever been to a rave or a bingo night quite like Bingo Loco.
But I would definitely go again!
The tickets are slightly more expensive than I would've liked, but I don't regret paying that amount to go. In fact, for everything you get and could win at Bingo Loco, £22 isn't extortionate.
However, moving away from the tickets...
Once we had our table and were given our bingo cards, we went to the bar, got a drink and then were just chatting. In the background, they were playing some music and it was the 90s-00s music, giving throwback vibes but everyone there knew practically every song.
Doors opened at 5pm and people had until 6pm to get seated because that was when Bingo Loco officially started. It lasted for three hours until 9pm and time really does fly when you're having fun.
With everyone ready to start playing Bingo, the organisers would explain the rules, call out some numbers and then play some songs.
So, the idea is there are three rounds in total. Rounds one and two have three games and round three has two games. After each game, there's the opportunity to win a prize and the big prize at the end is a holiday.
The first game of each round requires you to have one horizontal line of bingo numbers checked off. The second game is two lines and the third game is three lines.
My friends and I came close quite a few times, but we didn't win. However, whilst the prizes are part of the game, you'll still have lots of fun.
The calls for some of the numbers aren't exactly traditional bingo numbers. For example, there was no Legs Eleven, but there was Thirty-Nine Sweet Caroline, in which the song then played and everyone got up on their feet and danced.
When I say people dance, people were dancing on booths, tables, chairs, you name it. I didn't dance on any furniture, I stayed with my feet on the floor, but I did dance a lot.
And I'm glad I did because the songs were great, everyone joined in, and nobody cared whether they looked silly or like a Strictly professional. Fun was the aim and fun was what we achieved and when you look back on photos and videos from Bingo Loco, it'll make you smile. Or at least, it has for me.
One of the highlights for me was when Taylor Swift's song 22 was played because that is the age I'm turning in a few days so I was able to belt that out (probably not in tune, but nobody cared), but I also loved when Sweet Caroline was played because I have a great video of myself and my friends singing along to it.
So I guess this blog post was me trying to convince you to try Bingo Loco. Honestly, it was amazing and there are so many things I loved about it. But one thing I know can play on people's minds is when you go for a night out, the expectations are for women to wear heels and dresses and doll themselves up. And whilst you can do that at Bingo Loco, you can also wear jeans and trainers and just be yourself.
If you fancy a night out - that's not too late - with your friends where you can dance, drink, sing, and have tons of fun, you should try Bingo Loco.
Until next time...