How long does it take to play a game of Music Bingo?
Unfortunately, there is no exact science as to how long a game of Music Bingo will take to play as there are many factors involved. Some of these include:
How many players are playing (the more, the quicker)
How long you play each song (we typically recommend 20 to 30 seconds per song, but if a game is getting a great audience response, don't take that away from them :)
Chatter/interaction between songs by the host or other interruptions
How inebriated the players are ;)
How complex you choose to make the game. For example, you could create advanced games by turning off column highlighting, not telling folks what letter a song is under, choosing not to play the chorus of a song (where typically the song name lives), allowing or not allowing ‘cheating’ (using Shazaam, sharing tips between players, etc.)
What target you are playing for (1 row, 2 rows, 4 corners, full card). Typically, if you have a bunch of prizes to give away, it is common to keep the same going and change targets during the game (after 1 row is won, keep going and switch to 2 rows, then maybe X shape, etc.)
We know that is vague but really it is the truth. :)
Don’t play songs too long (20-30 seconds is a typical sweet spot). Enough to get a sing along going but still short enough for those with a short attention span to get relief that a new song is coming around the corner :)
Try to have extra prizes on hand in case games go too quickly so you have a stockpile of goodies to give out. Folks often don’t even care what they win (a half eaten tuna sandwich anyone?) .. they just want to play, be entertained, hang with their friends and win ‘something’. And one final tip: you can really up your game with sponsors/partners (plus they typically then get involved in promoting the event before via social media, etc.)
We also created the blog post as well:
Rock, Roll and Mark that Square: How Long Will Your Music Bingo Game Really Last?
Hope that helps!
Ps. If you are looking to nerd out and you want to see some of the 'math' behind it all, you might want to check this out: Durango Bill's Bingo Probabilities
How many players are playing (the more, the quicker)
How long you play each song (we typically recommend 20 to 30 seconds per song, but if a game is getting a great audience response, don't take that away from them :)
Chatter/interaction between songs by the host or other interruptions
How inebriated the players are ;)
How complex you choose to make the game. For example, you could create advanced games by turning off column highlighting, not telling folks what letter a song is under, choosing not to play the chorus of a song (where typically the song name lives), allowing or not allowing ‘cheating’ (using Shazaam, sharing tips between players, etc.)
What target you are playing for (1 row, 2 rows, 4 corners, full card). Typically, if you have a bunch of prizes to give away, it is common to keep the same going and change targets during the game (after 1 row is won, keep going and switch to 2 rows, then maybe X shape, etc.)
We know that is vague but really it is the truth. :)
In our experience, the secret sauce is
Don’t play songs too long (20-30 seconds is a typical sweet spot). Enough to get a sing along going but still short enough for those with a short attention span to get relief that a new song is coming around the corner :)
Try to have extra prizes on hand in case games go too quickly so you have a stockpile of goodies to give out. Folks often don’t even care what they win (a half eaten tuna sandwich anyone?) .. they just want to play, be entertained, hang with their friends and win ‘something’. And one final tip: you can really up your game with sponsors/partners (plus they typically then get involved in promoting the event before via social media, etc.)
We also created the blog post as well:
Rock, Roll and Mark that Square: How Long Will Your Music Bingo Game Really Last?
Hope that helps!
Ps. If you are looking to nerd out and you want to see some of the 'math' behind it all, you might want to check this out: Durango Bill's Bingo Probabilities
Updated on: 09/03/2023
Thank you!