Review: World Championship Rebel Bingo

By Londonist Last edited 176 months ago
Review: World Championship Rebel Bingo

inflatableballbingo.jpg
Everybody wants to win the ball
The strict instructions sent to us with the ticket confirmation gave the location of the party - the Village Underground in Shoreditch - and warned that under no circumstances were we to discuss the night with anyone. When we arrived outside the venue a huge spray painted sign informed us that we had found the ‘International Health and Safety Convention’ - our cover story for what was in fact a dirty game of secret bingo!

With nobody bothering to check our tickets on the door, we were ushered in by girls dressed as health and safety inspectors who hectored us about our apparently ‘lethal’ outfits and pointed us in the direction of the long queue to buy bingo slips. The place was packed, and a palpable sense of excitement grew amongst the relaxed and friendly crowd as strangers drew on each other and danced to the great party music provided by Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw and Men in Masks.

When the compere and his two assistants (dressed in some rather amazing outfits) finally took to the stage at 10.30 they were greeted with huge cheers which grew to a deafening volume as the first prize of the night was revealed - a vast, completely impractical yet very covetable inflatable ball. The winner of each round had to be the first to run to the stage and hug the MC and the rowdy young crowd and some brilliantly rude rhymes reeled off at a highly impressive speed by one of the girls on stage meant the event was far from your typical bingo night.

Although the prizes weren’t particularly impressive - a light up umbrella and a huge teddy bear being pretty standard, all were received with huge excitement by the winners who jumped up on stage and told the crowd that they had waited their whole lives to win Rebel Bingo. The 3rd and 2nd prizes (of £50 and £100 respectively) were the most traditional offerings of the night, and by the time the top prize of an electric motorbike was claimed everyone was having such a good time that didn’t care if they won anything at all.

By Yasmin Kaye

Last Updated 27 July 2009