Underground Rebel Bingo Toronto

Underground Rebel Bingo Club coming to Toronto

This ain't the game your grandma plays. UK craze, the Underground Rebel Bingo Club, is finally scheduled to make a Toronto stop. Started in a London church hall in early 2009, the revamped bingo/party has been on tour in the States throughout the summer and will stop north of the border for a single night on September 1st. I can't say where the location will be because, quite frankly, I don't know. Details won't be released until closer to the date, which is meant to keep the authorities at bay and foster a little bit of street mystique for an event that's gotten pretty popular over the last couple of years.

Founded by James Flames and Freddie Fortune (not their real names) early 2009, the U.R.B.C. has steadily grown in popularity. "People find it really difficult to find things to do if they're under 30... you know, they're sick of getting smashed and dancing and drinking," Fowler told the Awl during a stop in New York. "The way we do it, it's... like going to an amazing theatrical event and a heavy metal concert and a massive rave and a house party of your friend-all at the same time."

You could add Gong Show to the mix, as people who incorrectly claim to have won are heckled off stage with chants of "LOSER, LOSER." And for those who do win — which seems to be as much about the approval of the crowd as it is about the bingo card — prizes tend to be campy things like stuffed animals, an inflatable piano, cupcakes, and barbeques.

Other things to expect from the U.R.B.C.

  • ball girls (who determine the winning numbers)
  • people drawing on one another with bingo markers
  • the chorus of Beck's "Loser" sung in unision
  • flasks
  • drunk people
  • the h word

Tickets for the Toronto stop range from $3-$15 depending on when you buy them (early = cheap). For more details, including the eventual location, check out the Facebook event page.

Photo from a U.R.B.C. event in New York


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