Remember bingo? The beloved pastime of British pensioners, haunting drafty village halls in forgotten seaside towns?
The yawn-inducing lottery game – in which a compere reads out a list of random numbers, and punters tick off their picks, shouting “bingo!” to signal a win – might be the antithesis of fast-paced, dazzlingly modern Dubai.
But now one nightspot is aiming to drag the beleaguered pastime kicking and screaming into the 21st century.
Cheese-tastic party starters Societe, at Marina Byblos Hotel, have put their own spin on the game. Dubbed “Bonkers Bingo”, the new weekly night will see guests greeted with a bingo card on entry, and trestle tables lining the normally raucous dance-floor.
TV face Layne Redman will be the official master of ceremonies, calling out the numbers, dishing out prizes and, apparently, “insults”. Whether they will be more inventive than crowing “two fat ladies” – Bingo-speak for the number 88 – remains to be seen.
Drawn scores will be decided by lip-sync tie-breakers battles, while painfully ironic prizes include will include a mobility scooter, cat diapers, doughnuts and inflatable toys.
"From the moment the guys at Bonkers Bingo got in touch with me, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of," said Redman, best known as co-presenter of Out & About on Dubai One.
“Bingo is such a British institution, loved by the older generation back home. Taking something like that and transforming it into this crazy party night is just such a great idea.”
The night starts on March 1 and runs from 9pm-11.30pm every Wednesday. For more information call 0503571126 or email Kristina@societe.ae
