ESCAPE ROOMS + BINGO NIGHTS + TREASURE HUNTS: Three of the Best Themed Experiences Out There Right Now
In a time where many of us are spending more and more time indoors, sitting down and watching screens, it is refreshing to see a recent spike in the popularity of themed outdoor games and experiences. Getting together with friends to solve puzzles or play games is a great excuse to leave the house and socialise.
Themed experiences provide a fresh new pastime for those groups of friends stuck in a rut of doing the same thing every Friday night. It rekindles the satisfaction of doing something yourself with your hands and thinking your way out of a jam, with a unique thrill upon successful completion of your task that is unlike completing a level on a computer game. You did that, not an avatar, and you can reap the sensory rewards of that accomplishment.
We look at three of the most popular themed experiences in the UK at the moment so that you can see what you might be missing out on. Hopefully, this can inspire you to choose an alternative to going to the pub or bingeing Netflix!
Escape rooms
Escape rooms are now a hugely successful form of entertainment, appealing mostly to young people but suitable for all to have a go at. For the uninitiated, an escape room is basically what it sounds like - a room that you are locked within and must escape from. Usually, this will involve searching the room for keys to open doors, combinations for numerical padlocks or any item that might help you get out. Once you open all the locks and get out of the room, you have completed the game, though this can be difficult the first time around as most escape games are timed.
Escape rooms appeal to us because they give us a problem to solve by putting us at the centre of a narrative, like a hero in a film. We are so used to watching Indiana Jones or Sherlock solve a puzzle or mystery that we get a thrill from finding that suddenly, we are right at the heart of one.
Escape game designers often play on this, putting together rooms with different historical themes. You may find yourself locked in a Cold War-era drama where failure to escape could be critical to the safety of the world, or in a position where you must solve the murder of an individual of note by uncovering clues and escaping their study.
Caption: Clues within an Escape Room game
The recent boom in escape room games has meant that there is now a huge variety in the types of games out there, and, therefore, something suitable for everyone. Popular franchises are even beginning to notice, with the producers of Doctor Who recently coming up with a Cybermen-themed escape game, while Amazon’s new show Good Omens now has an immersive experience featuring an escape room in its Soho bookshop.
The escape room craze is nationwide, with a choice of games now available in all major cities. As the games are timed and rooms easy to reset, it is a simple, cost-effective pleasure but great for an evening’s entertainment with friends or family. Remember, there will always be a new theme with a different narrative to discover, even for experienced escapees.
Bingo nights
While this may seem a tad last century on the face of it, the popularity of themed bingo nights has soared in recent times. This has been largely due to the advent of the underground bingo scene, led by Rebel Bingo and Bongo’s Bingo. These bingo experiences are a far cry from the bingo halls of old.
Hosted in alternating nightclubs and bars, these bingo nights usually involve high-octane drama, punctuated by loud music and even louder face-paint. While not for the faint-hearted, this boozy upstart cousin of traditional bingo is making waves with a younger audience and establishing itself as a staple of UK culture. The continuous changing of venue means that no two underground bingo events are ever the same, with it generally agreed that the experience is entirely unpredictable, but almost always huge fun.
Caption: A crowd of people enjoying Bongo's Bingo
The search for new nights out has brought the game of bingo back into the public consciousness. With more variations on the game than ever before from sites like Wink Bingo, there has never been a better time to play online or check out a bingo club night, make an impression with Drag Queen Bingo and rediscover a British favourite of old that is enjoying a timely renaissance.
Treasure hunts
Old-fashioned fun for all the family doesn’t have to be reserved for the evenings. A weekend away in a city like London can be a great opportunity to take part in a scavenger hunt. Uncovering clues and following maps are great fun while giving travellers an opportunity to explore locations they may otherwise not have seen. Themed treasure hunts are a recent trend, with Victorian-era features being a real draw for customers who are fans of Charles Dickens and wish to learn more about subjects like the Industrial Revolution.
This is a great escape from the typical indoor pastimes and a chance to get exercise and fresh air, while the sense of achievement at finding hidden treasure is surely unrivalled. These are designed for everyone, not just history buffs, as there is more opportunity to examine clues than apply existing knowledge. Teamwork is essential, just as it is in an escape room, so these themed experiences double as superb team-building exercises to enjoy with colleagues.
Caption: Checking the map during a scavenger hunt
Themes from popular culture are always appealing when we are choosing what to do. Indeed, global phenomena like the Harry Potter series often inspire games, rides or experiences based around characters other than Harry himself, such is their popularity.
Fans of such pop culture can always find plenty of activities involving their favourite stars or the world they live in, which immerses them in that world and so enhance the experience. This is a far better use of free time than sitting indoors and thinking about it - go out and about and explore new places with your friends or family whenever you can.
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