Freshers Week: The Ultimate Guide to Bingo in Nottingham

You’ve survived A-levels. You’ve packed approximately 47 unnecessary things into your university room. You’ve figured out how to make pasta using one saucepan, and, somehow, you’re now responsible for feeding yourself. Welcome to university.

Freshers Week is officially here, which means one thing: it’s time to work out who your people are.

You could spend September standing around at awkward mixers, making small talk with someone called Jake from Economics while desperately trying to think of a third question to ask them. Or you could do it the Bongo’s Bingo way.

Big tunes. Dance-offs. Singalongs. Ridiculous prizes. Absolutely zero pressure to make polite conversation.

Yep. We reckon we’ve got your first big night out sorted.

Starting university is exciting, but let’s not pretend it isn’t slightly terrifying too.

You’ve moved somewhere new. You might not know anyone. Suddenly, you’re living with strangers who may or may not understand that leaving dirty plates in the kitchen for three days is not technically a personality trait.

The good news? Everyone is in exactly the same boat.

That’s what makes Freshers Week so much fun — and why we think Bongo’s Bingo is such a good way to kick things off.

You don’t have to walk into a room and immediately become the most outgoing person there. The entertainment gives everyone something to get involved with, whether you’re dancing, shouting along to a song, desperately checking your bingo card or laughing at your mate who has somehow ended up on stage.

The awkward bit tends to disappear pretty quickly.

We’ve all been there.

“Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.”

Please no.

Nothing makes a room full of nervous first-years more uncomfortable than being told to introduce themselves one by one while everyone politely nods and tries to remember their names.

At Bongo’s Bingo, we prefer a slightly less formal approach.

We give you music, games, bingo and a whole load of chaos, then let everyone naturally get involved.

You can start the night chatting to the person from the flat upstairs, end up dancing with three people from your course and somehow become best mates with somebody because you both got very excited about the same completely ridiculous prize.

That feels much more natural to us.

Traditional bingo has a bit of an image problem.

We’re here to fix that.

Bongo’s Bingo takes the basic idea and gives it a serious injection of energy. Instead of quietly waiting for numbers, you’ll get big tunes, live entertainment, singalongs, dance-offs and prizes that are decidedly not what you’d expect.

We’ve handed out everything from Henry Hoovers to mobility scooters, alongside cash and an assortment of gloriously random rewards.

So, while you might head along expecting to play a few rounds of bingo with your new flatmates, there’s always the possibility that you’ll end up taking home something completely unexpected.

And honestly, that’s exactly the kind of nonsense university memories are made of.

You’re going to spend a lot of time with your flatmates.

Possibly too much time.

You’ll learn who never buys toilet roll, who cooks at midnight, who somehow owns seventeen mugs and who says they’re “just having one drink” before disappearing until 4am.

You might as well make some good memories while you’re at it.

A Bongo’s Bingo night gives everyone something to do together without forcing the whole group into constant conversation. You can dance, sing, compete, laugh at one another and generally embrace the chaos as a team.

And let's be honest, there’s no faster way to break the ice than watching your new flatmate absolutely lose it during a dance-off.

That’s friendship sorted.

When everyone first arrives at university, the group chat is going to be chaos.

“What are you doing tonight?”

“Where is everyone going?”

“Is there a themed party?”

“Has anyone seen my keys?”

Someone will suggest a nightclub. Someone else will suggest a pub. Then somebody will announce a society event they’ve vaguely heard about, and suddenly nobody knows what’s happening.

We’d recommend getting at least one proper Bongo’s Bingo night booked into the calendar.

Not because you need every second of Freshers Week planned — quite the opposite. But having a big night that everyone can look forward to gives your new group something to rally around.

For anyone searching Freshers Nottingham and building their September social calendar, alternative bingo should definitely be on the radar.

Whatever makes you feel like going out.

Seriously.

Freshers Week is one of the few times in life when nobody will question why you’ve decided to wear something ridiculous on a Wednesday night.

Go casual. Go glam. Coordinate with the flat. Wear something you’d never normally wear.

There’s no complicated dress code for getting involved at Bongo’s Bingo. The important thing is turning up ready to have a laugh.

And maybe wear shoes you can actually dance in.

You’ll thank us later.

Nottingham has a huge student population, which means September brings the city to life in a very big way.

Everyone is looking for something to do, somewhere to go and, most importantly, people to meet.

That’s where we think Bongo’s Bingo Nottingham fits perfectly into the mix.

We’re not asking you to sit quietly and observe from the sidelines. Our nights are all about getting involved, making noise and having a brilliant time with the people around you.

It doesn’t matter whether this is your first ever university night out or you’ve already been persuaded into approximately six different plans for the week.

Come along, find your people and get stuck in.

We’d suggest arriving with three things:

• Your new flatmates.
• Your best dance moves.
• And absolutely no expectations of what might happen next.

Because that’s the fun of Bongo’s Bingo.

You might come for the bingo and end up singing at the top of your lungs. You might arrive not knowing anyone and leave with a whole new group of mates. You might spend the evening competing against your flatmates before discovering that one of them is bizarrely talented at dance-offs.

You certainly won’t be bored.

And really, isn’t that what Freshers Week is all about?

Your first few weeks at university are going to fly by.

Between lectures, new friends, questionable cooking attempts and figuring out which supermarket is actually affordable, September can get pretty hectic. So make sure there’s room in the calendar for a night that is purely about having fun.

Bongo’s Bingo is the perfect way to get your flatmates together, break the ice and start making the ridiculous university memories you’ll still be talking about in your final year.

So round up the group chat, sort your tickets and get ready for the kind of Freshers night that definitely beats standing in a circle making awkward introductions.

Book your Bongo’s Bingo tickets and make your first weeks in Nottingham count.