Players Bingo, Camden Town
Players Bingo - Credit: Archant
Eyes down and dabbers at the ready for a retro night of live music, juicy burgers, sticky cocktails and prizes at the Mecca Bingo
Players Bingo in Camden Town - Credit: Archant
Darts, bowling, crazy golf, now bingo, it seems no popular pursuit is safe from being colonised by Millennials having a fun night out.
If Gen X-ers were happy to sit in the pub smoking and telling jokes, the next lot of joyseekers like combining eating and drinking with a retro activity.
On Thursdays and Saturdays Mecca Bingo in Camden Town elbows aside the blue rinse brigade with their shopping trolleys and cuppas, and reinvents itself as the altogether cooler 'Players Bingo'.
On our night, we collected bingo cards and those all important dabbers and proceeded to the red velvet lounge bar for sticky cocktails.
Diabetics should probably avoid the Blue Rinse of rum, coconut cream, pineapple and ice cream with blue curacao.
Top of the Shop for me was the Players concoction of vodka, raspberries, blackberries, pomegranate, lemon juice and soda.
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Passing through a 'Player's Tunnel' and descending into the windowless bingo hall feels like entering a gameshow - with a sequin-clad compere, live band, comic patter, and prizes.
Seated at neat little booths of four, waiters bring you pretty decent burgers, fries, onion rings and - what else - bingo wings, then it's time to get your Eyes Down.
The numbers come thick and fast so don't drink too many rum punches or you'll miss those legendary bingo calls 'legs 11' 'two fat ladies' or kelly's eye' - not to mention the chance to win an inflatable canoe.
If you have sensory processing issues this assault on the eyes and ears might not be for you, but the Millennials seemed to be unironically enjoying themselves, and it's all a lot of glilzy fun, with cabaret and loud live music between the games.
Players Bingo, Inverness Street, Camden Town. Tickets £12 players-bingo.com
