Lion Ambassadors host a Friday-night session of midnight bingo in McGarvey Commons.
Bingo, a staple in the lives of many older adults, takes on a whole new look when the Lion Ambassadors host a Friday-night session in McGarvey Commons. Students line up early to get a good seat at the most popular event on campus.
This is not your grandma’s game. It’s raucous and silly. Ridiculousness is not only encouraged, it’s wildly cheered. Dressing to theme—whether western-wear, beach attire, superhero costumes, or pajamas—is rewarded with an extra bingo card.
Everybody loves Midnight Bingo, so named because it starts at 10 p.m. and ends at midnight. It’s an exclusively Behrend tradition founded in the 1990s.
“It was originally created by a group of resident assistants and quickly became a popular event on campus,” said Kristen Comstock, assistant director of alumni relations. “When those RAs had all graduated, there was no one to pass the torch to, so Behrend’s Lion Ambassadors took it on and began hosting the games in 2004.”
Eighteen years later, Midnight Bingo is still going strong, drawing big crowds to games held about three times each semester.
Ultimately, players hope to win a whoopie cushion, a foam finger, a gaming system, a fan, wireless headphones, an inflatable kayak, board games, a jar of pickles, a Bob Ross fanny pack, or the one prize that everyone is happy to receive: a giant tub of cheese balls.
“Students love it because it’s a game of luck where you simply sit back and hope for the best,” said Isabella Porco, a senior Nursing major and president of Lion Ambassadors. “Club members buy the prizes with students’ needs in mind, so some are practical and valued while others are just silly prizes. The funniest prize we’ve given out while I’ve been involved would be a toss-up between a WWE wrestling belt and a traffic cone.”
There is always a grand prize—a gaming system, a flat-screen TV, a cutting-edge virtual reality headset— given away at the last game of the night, which is typically a “cover all.” If there is more than one bingo on that game, they’re going to have to battle it out in some crowd-entertaining way. They might have to race on tricycles, sing karaoke, play a trivia game, or win a virtual “Beat Saber” match in front of a cheering crowd.
Win or lose, there’s no doubt that Midnight Bingo holds a special place in the hearts of Behrend students, alumni, and the Lion Ambassadors, who have as much fun hosting as playing.