The ancestor of what we know as the game of bingo was first invented in Italy in the 16th century, but it took over four hundred years to finally catch on in the UK as bingo halls popped up all over the country from the 1960s onwards. Although the traditional British bingo hall has seen something of a decline in recent years, you can still play this classic game in most British towns and cities, including Brighton. And if you’re in any way familiar with Brighton, you won’t be surprised to find out that it isn’t just traditional bingo that’s on offer here!
There are all sorts of weird and wonderful variations of bingo to be played in Brighton. From the classic bingo hall experience to a comedy bingo show led by two mulleted Australians, or the ‘crazy mix of traditional bingo, dance-offs, rave intervals and audience participation’ that is Bongo’s Bingo, there is something for everyone, from seasoned bingo players to complete newbies. Whether you know your ‘two fat ladies’ from your ‘old age pension’ or you won’t have a clue when the caller announces ‘tickety boo’, it’s ‘eyes down’ for our list of where you can play bingo in Brighton.
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Our top picks for playing Bingo in Brighton
Buzz Bingo
- 1 Freshfield Way, Brighton and Hove, Brighton BN2 0LE
- Buzz Bingo
Over in the Kemptown area of Brighton, just to the east of the city centre, is where you’ll find Buzz Bingo, the new name of the Gala Bingo brand. Buzz Bingo is the only classic bingo hall experience in Brighton, where live bingo games are available to play every single day. Buzz Bingo like to mix up the classic format with special themed events such as Abba Bingo, the 90s and 00s-inspired Bada Bingo, and Boogie Bingo, where classic tunes from your favourite musicals are thrown into the mix alongside the number-calling. You can play a game of bingo at Buzz for as little as £3 and they have a food and drink offering, so you can settle in for a game with your bingo marker and a cuppa too! The Buzz Bingo hall is easily reached by many of the main Brighton bus routes, and it has a large car park too, or if you fancy a stroll then you can walk from the city centre in twenty minutes or so.
Bogan Bingo
- Komedia Brighton, 44-47 Gardner Street, Brighton, BN1 1UN
- Bogan Bingo
From the classic bingo hall to something completely different… Bogan Bingo offers up a comedy game show based around the extraordinary combination of ‘classic 80s anthems’, ‘appalling choreography’ and ‘two mulleted Aussie bingo callers’. Now we think it’s fair to say that if you head to Bogan Bingo expecting the traditional British bingo experience you might well get a bit of a shock, but if you’re searching for bingo in Brighton then there’s a decent chance that you are after a somewhat alternative take on the classic format. If you fancy a bingo experience that has been described as ‘simmering chaos’, ‘nothing short of glorious’ and ‘devastatingly hilarious’, then Bogan Bingo is the event for you. And wait, there’s more! Once a month Bogan Bingo turns it up a notch so that you can start your Saturday off with a bang by going to Bogan Bingo Bottomless Brunch. A ticket for Bogan Bingo is £13.50 per person, including fees, and for the Bottomless Brunch version, it’s £41.50 including a delicious brunch meal and unlimited drinks for an hour and a half.
Bongo’s Bingo
- PRYZM, Kingswest, West St, Brighton, BN1 2RE
- Bongo’s Bingo
Bongo’s Bingo has taken the traditional bingo format and turned it up to a thousand, and the tagline on their website is 100% true – ‘quite simply, there’s nothing else like it’. Bongo’s has been something of a revelation in the world of bingo, with the slightly bonkers, hedonistic take on the game taking place all around the UK and the world. Self-described as ‘a crazy mix of traditional bingo, dance-offs, rave intervals, audience participation and countless magical moments’, we can assure you that you will not have experienced bingo like this before! In Brighton, Bongo’s Bingo takes place in the PRYZM nightclub located right in the centre of the city and there are currently tickets available for the Queen & Christmas-themed ‘Bongo’s Will Rock You’ events on the first three Saturdays in December, the rest of the time Bongo’s Bingo generally pays Brighton a visit once a month. Ticket prices range from £13 early-bird tickets to £19 general tickets, and there’s a £3 booking fee.
If you fancy a game of bingo in Brighton, then you’ve certainly got some very different options! If it’s straight-up bingo you’re after in a proper bingo hall with games available any day of the week then Buzz Bingo in Kemptown is definitely the venue for you. Buzz is one of the leading bingo hall chains in the UK and offers a licensed bar, food and drink, and up to five games a day, plus it is within easy reach of the city centre. Aside from the traditional bingo hall offer of Buzz Bingo, the Brighton bingo offering takes the form of events mixing bingo with all sorts of other fun. Bogan Bingo is a comedy game show at Komedia led by two Aussies with mullets – what more could you want? The ‘simmering chaos’ of Bogan Bingo is a hilarious take on the classic bingo experience, and if you want more then there is even a Bogan Bingo Bottomless Brunch! And finally, we have Bongo’s Bingo, which has led something of an alternative, hedonistic bingo revival in the UK and beyond in recent years. Combining bingo with dancing, drinking and who knows what else, Bongo’s Bingo is ‘a wild shared social extravaganza and a night of pure nostalgic escapism’ which takes place at PRYZM in the centre of Brighton.
