Working as a freelancer means I’m brilliant at managing my clients, deadlines and projects – but switching off properly? Yeah, I’m not so great at that bit. When your laptop is always within reach and your phone never stops pinging, work has a way of creeping into every spare moment. Which is exactly why, every now and then, you need something in your life that forces you to properly step away. That’s where a night like Bongo’s Bingo comes in!
Nights out in the pre-smartphone era
As an elder millennial, I came of age in the bars and clubs of Liverpool in the late 90s and early noughties, and I have THE best memories of dancing the night away down Mathew Street. Pre smart phones, we truly lived in the moment and I so clearly remember thinking those days would never end. How could I ever tire of that feeling? You know the buzz I am talking about…..
Well sadly, tire of it I did and since having my eldest in 2010, I have had just one what I would call ‘traditional’ night out in Liverpool as well as going on a few hen dos. And whilst I have given them my best shot, by midnight I have been completely broken and full of anxiety about how I will cope the next day!
Rediscovering fun
For a long time, that basically meant my “night out era” was behind me. The thought of late-night clubs, packed dancefloors and the inevitable next-day exhaustion just didn’t appeal anymore. But I still missed THAT feeling – the music, the laughter, the pure escapism of being out with friends and not thinking about anything other than what was happening in the moment. That’s when I discovered Bongo’s Bingo, and suddenly the idea of a night out felt fun again rather than exhausting!!
The first time I went was in 2021, when someone in our group of school mums suggested it – we all deserved a proper night out after the endurance test of the previous eighteen months! They’d been before and said what an amazing night out it was. I didn’t need much convincing – they hooked me with their talk of trainers, had me listening with mention of the 8pm start time, and fully hooked in with the promise of being home and in bed by 12pm!
It didn’t disappoint
Well the night came and went in a blur of flinging glowsticks, dancing on benches, cardboard cut-outs of celebrities being waved around, completely unhinged dance-offs, not particularly traditional bingo calls, the likes of which you’d not hear at your Nan’s bingo hall, mad prizes (Henry Hoover or a mobility scooter anyone??), Coco Pops flying across the venue and random singalongs to 90s and 00s anthems. And as promised, all wrapped up just after 11 and home by midnight. Literal heaven!
I’ve been three times since – once just with my sister, the next time with mums and dads from my daughter’s football team and most recently with the team from my last workplace who ranged in age from 30 to mid fifties. And I have to say, that is one of the parts I love best about Bongos – the absolute inclusivity.
Bongo’s Bingo isn’t just nostalgia – it’s growing
And it seems that I’m not alone in my opinion. Whilst I’ve been out of the game raising babies, the game has inherently changed. According to this article in the Guardian, a combination of Covid, the cost of living increasing, the younger generations being more health conscious and the rise of Instagrammable experiences have meant that the likes of Bongos Bingo are only growing in popularity. And I am absolutely here for it! As a freelancing mum in her forties, I have to say that it’s hands-down the best way to press pause, forget work for a few hours, and just enjoy being in the moment, old school.