How to Organise your own Bingo Party

Whether you want to hold a fundraiser for your favourite charity, or you just fancy throwing a fun night in with your friends, hosting your own bingo party can be great fun. The game can be tailored to and enjoyed by adults and children alike. So, what do you need to know in order to get started on planning the perfect event? Here are some tips to help you and your guests get the most fun out of your party and avoid you forgetting any crucial elements.

Send out the invites

Firstly, discuss your plans with your friends, community, co-workers – whoever you’d like to invite – to get an idea of how many people are interested in attending. If you’re aiming to raise money for charity, decide whether you’ll charge for tickets (and if so, how much), or whether you’ll ask for donations on the night. For fundraisers, remember it doesn’t necessarily need to be cash that you ask for, many charities appreciate second-hand clothes, books, toys, china, and household goods that are in good condition. This is a great way for you and your guests to give your homes a good clear-out of unwanted items. Whether you want to send traditional invitations or create a Facebook event, make sure everyone you want to attend receives an invite and ask them to RSVP accordingly.

Get a full house

Make sure you pick a date that suits as many people as you can. If you’re holding a bingo party for your friends, having it on a Sunday evening might not be the best plan. Equally, if it’s a children’s party, make it early-to-mid afternoon on a weekend or during school holidays.

Decide on a theme

One of the first things you’ll want to decide on is a theme for your event – the more creative and fun, the better. Whether you want people to come in fancy-dress or you want to decorate the party venue, the choices are endless. If it’s a night in for the girls, you could pick a saucy or glamorous theme. Alternatively, you could take inspiration from the seasons and pick a topic like Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or St. Patrick’s Day to base your event on. Parties for children are well suited to fancy-dress, so why not ask them to come as characters from Harry Potter or as superheroes? Don’t forget to give your guests plenty of advance notice of the chosen theme so that they can dress and bring items accordingly.

What sort of game

Now you’ve got the first steps covered, think about what sort of games you want to play. It’s probably best to choose a straight-forward version of bingo that is easy for everyone to learn quickly, so 90-ball or coverall games should be a safe bet.

DIY Bingo

Bingo cards can be bought online from many suppliers, but if you want to keep costs low, you could always make them yourself on your computer and print them out. Again, dabbers can be bought online or else cheap marker pens or highlighters will suffice. You can often hire bingo machines or buy cheap versions via the internet. However, you can always make your own by numbering ping-pong balls and placing them in a sack. Decide who’s going to be the caller – as the host, it’s probably going to be you but you could always ask a friend to step in, if you’d rather join in with the game. Make sure you’ve got enough seats or beanbags for all your guests, as they won’t appreciate having to stand up all night!

Decide on prizes

Think about what kind of prizes you want to offer. You can either ask each of your guests to buy their cards and put the money into a kitty or bring small gifts and freebies. You’ll then need to decide whether you’ve got enough prizes to only award full house winners or whether, you have rewards for one and two-line winners as well.

Don’t leave your guests hungry

You obviously want your guests to be hungry to play, not starving for food. Rumbling tummies are not what you want if everyone’s going to be in good spirits. So that you don’t end up spending a small fortune, ask your attendees to each bring a starter, pudding or something to drink in order to share the costs.

It’s time to party!

Now that we’ve covered all the steps above, you’re ready to get planning your very own bingo party. Remember it needn’t be expensive in order to make it a success!