Remember playing bingo in grade school? Or, maybe you’ve only played with your grandma at your local community center. Well, luckily the Des Moines area is home to all sorts of fun and unique bingo nights that’ll spice up your week! Switch out your average date night dinner, for a bingo-filled evening at one of your fav breweries. Gather your co-workers or gal pals for an evening they won’t want to miss. Our guide to bingo nights around DSM has something for everyone!
Preparation:
Create bingo cards with various prompts or questions, such as "Has traveled to another country," "Can speak another language," or "Plays a musical instrument". Distribute the cards and pens to each participant.
Gameplay:
Participants mingle and introduce themselves to others. They ask questions based on the prompts on their bingo cards to find people who match the descriptions. When a match is found, the participant writes the name of the person in the corresponding box on their card. The first person to get five in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) shouts "Bingo!" and wins.
Variations:
You can play "blackout bingo" where the goal is to fill the entire card. You can also play with different shapes or patterns instead of just a straight line.
Purpose:
Human Bingo is a great icebreaker activity that encourages interaction and helps people get to know each other. It can be adapted for different purposes, such as learning about different cultures or interests.
Looking for cheap mimosas or screwdrivers? Head to Smash Park for free bingo from 11 – 1 p.m. Play along casually while you eat, drink, or catch up with friends while having tons of opportunities to win free drinks or Smash Park gift cards. Either way, it’s a good chill way to get lit on a Sunday.
Sundays, 11-1pm
Smash Park, 6625 Coachlight Drive, West Des Moines, IA 50266
Ankeny friends! If you’re looking for a place where you can pop in at any time, bingo night at Uptown Garage is where you want to go. Bingo is free to play every Tuesday at the Garage and starts at 6:00 PM. There are five total rounds, lots of beer, and plenty of prizes!
Tuesdays, 6-9pm
Uptown Garage, 305 SW Walnut St, Ankeny, IA 50023
Looking for something a little different than regular bingo? Test your music expertise with bingo at Wellman’s Pub! Much like “name that tune”, a snippet of a song is played and it’s up to YOU to figure out what it is! Instead of numbers and letters, mark your bingo card with your chip over your guessed song title. With genres from country and rock, to pop and alternative- there’s new music every week. (FYI keep an eye on their FB events page for THEMED music bingo nights!)
Wednesdays, 7-9pm
Wellman’s Pub, 2920 Ingersoll Ave Des Moines, IA 50312
Rock & Roll Bingo at Sully'sThink you’ve got what it takes to test your musical knowledge? Or, perhaps you have lots of musically-inclined friends (who wouldn’t mind if you mooched off of their genius)? Rock out at Sully’s Irish Pub with Rock ‘n’ Roll music bingo. There’s no entry fee to play and prizes for the winners! Want a lil’ more? Enjoy the night with their $4 tall boys and $14 wings special.
Wednesdays, 7-9pm
Sully’s Irish Pub, 860 First St, West Des Moines, IA 50265
Boppin' Bingo at Firetruck BreweryIf you’re out in burbs, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered too. Firetrucker Brewery in Ankeny hosts a bingo night every Wednesday–the perfect way to get over the midweek blues! All ages are welcome and this event is free to play. (Pro tip: if you’re not a loyalty member at Firetrucker, sign up! Loyalty members get $2 off their first drink on Wednesday nights.)
Wednesdays, 7-9pm
Firetrucker Brewery, 716 SW 3rd St, Ankeny, IA 50023
Win beer, apps, glassware, bowling and more when you play bingo at Backpocket Pin & Axel! Even if bingo isn’t your thing, there are so many other fun ways to spend an evening at Backpocket—duckpin is also half off on Thursdays and there are plenty of arcade games to keep you busy.
Thursdays, 5:30-7:30pm
Backpocket Pin & Pixel, 6205 Merle Hay Rd Suite 100, Johnston, IA 50131
Is there anything better than a good happy hour? (we think not 😉 ) The Des Moines metro is home to not only some of the best local food and beverages but also the best happy hours. What better way to “taste Des Moines,” than to do it during a deal? Whether you’re a beer girlie, wine gal, cocktail queen, or N/A lady- there’s something for everyone!
Get the latest info on the best happy hours the Des Moines metro area has to offer!
Raising money for a charity or good cause takes more than just a nice idea and a money box. Your heart might be in the right place, but you might find surprises at every step that you weren’t prepared for, or you might just be overwhelmed trying to choose from the number of options you have.
If done correctly, a fundraiser can not only be really beneficial to the chosen cause, but it can also be a lot of fun for you and your friends, family and local community! We highly recommend getting a group together and trying to raise some money for a deserving cause, but what fundraising event should you run?
Not only is bingo a fun and easy game to follow for people of all ages and abilities, it also doesn’t require you to hire expensive equipment or find a large, pricey space in which to host your event. A bingo night fundraiser is a relatively simple and engaging way to raise money for good causes, but it does still require some planning.
To help you with all the challenges that you might face when organising an event like this, we have created the most complete bingo night resource online, which includes everything you’ll need to organise the perfect bingo night charity event and answer all of your questions along the way.