The saviour we needed to rescue us from a term filled with sub-par Cambridge clubbing, Bongo’s Bingo is a far distance from the bingo hall where your grandparents spend their Saturday nights. All the rules of the traditional game remain: everyone receives their own bingo ticket and pen, and plays for either a line or a house each round. But that’s about where the conventionality of the game comes to a stop. Each round of bingo is sandwiched between mini raves, which are complete with iconic club classics and dancing on tables, and there are plenty of weird and wonderful prizes to win, ranging all the way from a cardboard cut-out of the Grinch to £750 in cash. Sophie’s personal favourite prize was the disco ball bike helmet, which she’s remained bitter about not winning, despite not actually owning a bike.

“If this is what middle age looks like, then the future is bright”

As a group of second-year students, we quickly noticed that we were not the target demographic for the event. While the average night out in Cambridge is dominated by undergrads (along with the odd creepy PhD student), we probably brought the average age of the event down by around 20 years upon entering. Although it felt a tad awkward to be surrounded with people our parents’ age whilst the host, an effervescent scouse bingo DJ named Micky Pickles, made countless jokes about 69ing, it quickly became apparent that our fellow bingo players were more than ready to bring the party. The awkward dance circles and football lads in shirts and ties of Wednesday Revs were swapped out for a fifty-something mother of three throwing some shapes on top of a table. As Cambridge students we’re often told that our years at University are the best of our lives, but if this is what middle age looks like, then the future is bright.

But fear not bingo purists, when the music stops everyone’s focus returns quickly to the grid of numbers in front of them. And for those who have never played bingo before: you’re in for a treat! Bongo’s Bingo will add the perfect element to your night out which you might not have even realised you were missing: an activity. Even Wilf, a complete bingo first timer with crippling dyslexia, was soon totally enthralled by the world of lines and numbers in front of him, as well as the chance to win a hot pink Henry Hoover. The genius of centering the event around bingo means that there’s plenty of opportunities to sit and natter with your friends, to get up and join in the dancing, or to simply let your host take the reins whilst you focus on winning yourself a giant inflatable Santa costume.

“It was hard to judge whether the whole night had actually been a fever dream”

Situated tentatively at the back of the hall, we were painfully sober compared to those around us, but as the game got going and the drinks started flowing, we were all more than ready to get involved. Thankfully, none of us were called up to participate in one of the event’s infamous tie-breaker dance battles, but we did more than our fair share of dancing in the aisles, and even conga-ed around the room. By the end of the night, we were up at the front, waving our glow sticks in the air and dancing alongside the on-stage dancers (shirtless men who had previously been dressed up in dirndls and plaited wigs). Waking up the next morning, it was hard to judge whether the whole night had actually been a fever dream.

So, is Bongo’s Bingo worth it? It ticks all of our boxes (or should we say dabs all of our numbers) for a great night out: fun, inclusive, and a little bit silly. While we may have left empty handed, the adrenaline rush of trying to keep track of a bingo grid to the tunes of Dizzee Rascal more than made up for it. Whether you’re looking for somewhere to take your nan or a group of your best mates (or both!), choose Bongo’s over Wednesday Revs.