Shropshire Star

'I played bingo with hundreds of people in Wolverhampton for a box of Coco Pops' – Our review of 'fun and energetic' Bongo's Bingo

Nowhere else would you compete against hundreds of people for the chance of winning a box of cereal or a Henry Hoover, but at Bongo's Bingo, writes Isabelle Parkin.

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The crowd were climbing onto the tables and chairs to dance to the music

I joined the energetic crowd at The Hangar in Wolverhampton to play five games of bingo, which were occasionally interrupted by the hosts ordering the audience to put down their pens and join them in a 10-minute "rave".

Prizes ranged from an inflatable space hopper, to £1,000 in cash
One of the bingo hosts sprayed the audience with Coco Pops
People competitively filled out their bingo cards for the chance at winning a cash prize
The winner of the dance-off pictured on stage

Bongo's Bingo keeps the basic premise of the traditional game, but with a twist, as participants compete to win a series of prizes ranging from a box of Coco-Pops – which were later launched into the crowd when the bingo-caller decided to "make it rain" – to £1,000 in cash.

Whilst the booming music and unusual prizes set this apart from your average game of bingo, it is the hilarity of the hosts that makes this experience. Every so often, someone would excitedly shout "bingo" and wave their card frantically in the air, only to find that they were in fact wrong. This was met by the host ordering the crowd to point at the person and shout expletives.

Part of what made this experience so brilliant though was the music, with songs linked to the numbers being called during the bingo game, such as Michael Jackson's "Thriller" being played when the number 13 was called. But regardless of the song playing, the crowd were encouraged to stand up and dance every time. A sea of people stood on the wooden benches and excitedly moved to the music at the host's request, with one bench subsequently breaking in half, unable to stand the weight of four men jumping up and down on it energetically.

And the fun didn't stop there, as at one point in the game the crowd eagerly watched in anticipation when two players – who both had a winning bingo card – battled it out on stage in a "dance-off" to win a cash-prize, with the winner decided by the audience who cheered for the person they thought showcased the best moves.

So, whilst I wasn't lucky enough to have a winning bingo card and therefore missed my chance at taking home an inflatable space hopper and a giant plush unicorn, Bongo's Bingo was an energetic and fun experience and one that is definitely worth giving a go.

For more information and to find tickets for future events, visit www.bongosbingo.co.uk.