THURSDAY NIGHT BINGO
The Knockout
Feb. 14, 2008

Every Thursday night at The Knockout, from 8-10 PM, the Mission bar many of us know and love offers fun, drink-fueled rounds of Bingo. There are those that call it Drunk Bingo and others that call it Hipster Bingo. As for me... I call it fucking awesome. Although you probably will see at least 1 or 2 ironic mustaches while there, it's an undeniably good time.

I had been to Bingo night at the Knockout a little over a year ago and have been itching to play more often. Memories of the entire bar loudly shouting the recently called Bingo numbers in unison, and the drinks and the good times that just kept on flowing, beckoned me to return. But living on the other side of town coupled with some slight/extreme laziness often prevented me from doing so.

Now that I have just moved into a new place that is under a 10 minute walk to the Knockout, I decided to seize the day and drag my friend Dave to the bar for some Valentine's Day Bingo. Normally, Bingo night is pretty packed - this is because loads of people come out for Bingo and also the fact that the Knockout has shows that start right after Bingo and therefore by close to 10 the bar is usually really full. That night, however, it was less crowded - apparently drinks & Bingo was not on the mind of many when it came to romantic Valentine's Day plans. Weird, go figure.....

There isn't any cover to get into the bar during Bingo and for every drink you purchase between 8-10, the bartenders hand you a Bingo card. This does get tricky after you've ordered more than 2 drinks for a variety of reasons, but blurred vision really never has been so much fun. Most rounds are the single line in any direction version of the game, but the last round is the all-time favorite blackout game where every single number on a player's card has to be called in order for there to be a successful Bingo.

All I can say is that it's one of the dorkiest ways to have drunken fun on a weeknight that doesn't involve video games. One of the rules of Bingo is that every time the MC announces a Bingo Number, the crowd has to repeat the number out loud - very much in call and response fashion. After a few drinks this is actually really fun and the whole bar gets really into it. Bingo winners get a free drink ticket and get to pick prizes out of a grab bag. Dave and I both were lucky Bingo winners that Thursday night so alongside walking out the door with a 40 Trick Balloon set (Dave's) and a package of Tiaras (mine, naturally), we also got to redefine nerdiness with "Hey, we got lucky on Valentine's Day” jokes. Perhaps not our proudest moment, but a little glorious... (Just a little.)

So for anyone who has not heard of Thursday night Bingo at the Knockout, or any of you who have heard of it but have not got around to going, do yourself a favor and mark your calendar for next Thursday. Oh, just as a tip, I'd recommend getting there before 8 if having a place to sit is important to you

[Jen Chochinov]