Drag Bingo: The Best Drag Queen Bingo Nights in America (2026)

Somewhere in America tonight, a drag queen is pulling a ball out of a cage and insulting a grown adult for daubing B-7 wrong — and the room is loving every second of it. Drag bingo (or drag queen bingo, or gay bingo, depending on the city) has quietly become one of the most reliable nights out in queer America: cheap or free to play, hilarious, open to everyone, and very often raising money for a good cause while it happens.

This is the national guide. Every night listed below is a real, recurring event verified against our live events database — the actual bar, the actual night of the week — not a stale roundup of things that stopped happening in 2023. Here's where to play, city by city, plus the genuinely great story of how a church-basement game became a drag institution.

The quick picks

• The most famous night in America: Legendary Bingo at Hamburger Mary's in West Hollywood — LA's longest-running weekly charity event, going strong since 1998.
• The most historic room: Monday-night bingo at the Stonewall Inn in New York. Yes, that Stonewall.
• The most nights per week: New York City, where you can play a different gay bingo night at least five nights out of seven.
• The best charity streak: Philadelphia's GayBINGO, packing rooms for HIV/AIDS services since 1996.
• The desert circuit: Palm Springs, with six different recurring bingo nights in one small town.

Where drag bingo came from (it's a better story than you think)

Drag bingo wasn't invented as bar entertainment. It was invented to fight the AIDS crisis.

The format took off in Seattle in the early 1990s, where monthly gay bingo nights became a major funder of HIV/AIDS services — reportedly raising as much as $10,000 a night. Word spread. In 1996, Philadelphia's AIDS Fund launched GayBINGO as a supplement to its annual AIDS Walk, and it exploded: 600 tickets a month, selling out in minutes, hosted for three decades by drag legend Carlota Ttendant until her retirement was announced in 2026. The night lives on under Action Wellness, still funding HIV/AIDS services.

Two years later in Los Angeles, a writer named Jeffrey "Bingo Boy" Bowman started calling numbers at a coffee shop to raise money for AIDS Project Los Angeles. That night became Legendary Bingo, which has spent most of its life at Hamburger Mary's in West Hollywood and holds the title of LA's longest-running weekly charity event — more than 25 years of drag queens throwing bingo cards in the air.

That charity DNA is still everywhere in the listings below: Atlanta's Birdcage Bingo, Minneapolis's Thursday charity night at Roxy's, St. Paul's happy-hour bingo for the Aliveness Project, Palm Springs' Ethyl's Place. You're not just having a great night — you usually came for somebody's fundraiser.

The West Coast

Legendary Bingo — Hamburger Mary's, West Hollywood · Wednesdays and Sundays The one everything else is measured against. Founded in 1998 as an AIDS Project LA fundraiser, Legendary Bingo runs twice a week at Mary's on Santa Monica Boulevard, with a rotating cast of drag hosts, a different charity benefiting most games, and the sport's signature move: losers get pelted with wadded-up bingo cards. Book a table; this room fills.

Bingo Gone Bonkers — Gossip Grill, San Diego · Wednesdays One of America's best-known women's bars does bingo the way it does everything — loud, warm, and packed. Hillcrest's best midweek night out.

Bitchy Bingo — Lips, San Diego · Wednesdays The San Diego outpost of the Lips drag-palace empire runs its own Wednesday edition — dinner-theater drag with daubers.

Hot Mess Bingo with Luther — Badlands, Las Vegas · Mondays Vegas's neighborhood gay bar (a real locals' room, blissfully off-Strip) starts the week with a host named Luther and a hot mess of prizes.

West Coast Drag Bingo Rooms

Hamburger Mary's - WeHo, Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Gossip Grill, San Diego

San Diego, California

Lips Restaurant, San Diego

San Diego, California

Badlands Las Vegas, Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada

Palm Springs: the bingo capital per capita

Few places anywhere pack more recurring queer bingo into one small town. Six different games run in Palm Springs and Cathedral City:

• Drag Bingo at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club · Tuesdays — the hipster-desert version, poolside property, all welcome.
• Friday Drag Bingo & Trivia at ARRIVE · Fridays — bingo and trivia in one sitting at the Uptown design hotel.
• Disco Drag Bingo at V Wine Lounge · Fridays — daubers and a wine list.
• O-69 Bingo at Tool Shed · Saturdays — the leather bar's cheerfully filthy edition; the name tells you the vibe.
• Bow Wow Bingo at Boozehounds · monthly, third Wednesdays — at the town's famously dog-centric restaurant-bar.
• Ethyl's Place Charity Bingo at The Roost Lounge · monthly, second Sundays — the charity edition, Cathedral City's neighborhood room.

Palm Springs Bingo Nights

Hotel

Ace Hotel & Swim Club, Palm Springs

Palm Springs, California

Book Now

Hotel

ARRIVE, Palm Springs

Palm Springs, California

Book Now

V Wine Lounge, Palm Springs

Palm Springs, California

Tool Shed, Palm Springs

Palm Springs, California

Boozehounds, Palm Springs

Palm Springs, California

The Roost Lounge, Palm Springs

Palm Springs, California

The Midwest & Mountain West

ABC Bingo — Charlie's, Chicago · Mondays The country-western institution of Northalsted opens the week with ABC Bingo, plus a monthly Birthday Bingo on third Mondays. Free to play, dangerous to your dignity.

Let's Get Glam Bingo — Meeting House Tavern, Chicago · Wednesdays Andersonville's living-room tavern runs a burlesque-flavored bingo — equal parts glitter and heckling.

Drag Bingo — LUSH Lounge & Theater, Minneapolis · Wednesdays and Saturdays The Twin Cities' drag flagship runs bingo twice a week in its theater space. The Wednesday edition is a northeast-Minneapolis institution; Saturday adds a weekend crowd.

Drag Queen Charity Bingo — Roxy's Cabaret, Minneapolis · Thursdays Downtown's cabaret does the charity version weekly — a different beneficiary, same chaos.

Happy Hour BINGO — Black Hart of Saint Paul · Fridays The legendary queer soccer bar plays for a cause: proceeds benefit the Aliveness Project, Minnesota's HIV services organization.

Mary's Drag Bingo — Hamburger Mary's, Denver · Wednesdays The Denver Mary's carries the chain's bingo torch weekly.

Balls & Babes Bingo — Charlie's Denver · Wednesdays The name is the review. Denver's country bar, Wednesday nights.

B.O.G.O. Bingo — X Bar, Denver · first and third Saturdays Cap Hill's patio bar runs a buy-one-get-one themed bingo twice a month.

Midwest & Mountain Bingo Rooms

Charlie's, Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Meeting House Tavern, Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

LUSH Lounge & Theater, Minneapolis

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Roxy’s Cabaret, Minneapolis

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Black Hart of Saint Paul, St. Paul

St. Paul, Minnesota

Hamburger Mary's Denver, Denver

Denver, Colorado

Charlie's Denver, Denver

Denver, Colorado

X BAR, Denver

Denver, Colorado

The South

Ruby Redd's Birdcage Bingo — Atlanta Eagle · Wednesdays Atlanta's longtime leather landmark hosts one of the South's best charity bingo nights — Ruby Redd calling numbers at the bar that has anchored the city's leather scene for decades.

Bitchy Bingo — Lips, Atlanta · Wednesdays The Atlanta Lips runs the chain's signature Wednesday night: drag servers, dinner, and daubers.

Drag Bingo with Heather — The Lipstick Lounge, Nashville · Thursdays One of America's few remaining lesbian bars — East Nashville's beloved Lipstick Lounge — runs a Thursday drag bingo that's as warm as the bar itself.

ZINGO — The Corner Pocket, New Orleans · Sundays The French Quarter's famously rowdy dancer bar does Sunday bingo its own way. It's called ZINGO. Go find out why.

Southern Drag Bingo Nights

Atlanta Eagle, Atlanta

Atlanta, Georgia

Lips Drag Queen Show Palace, Restaurant & Bar, Atlanta

Atlanta, Georgia

The Lipstick Lounge, Nashville

Nashville, Tennessee

The Corner Pocket, New Orleans

New Orleans, Louisiana

Washington, DC (and Arlington)

DC might be America's most underrated bingo town — four recurring queer nights within Metro range:

• Drag Bingo at Nellie's Sports Bar · Tuesdays — the U Street sports bar's long-running weeknight.
• Drag Bingo at Crush · Wednesdays — the newer Barracks Row dance bar's midweek game.
• Drag Bingo at Red Bear Brewing · first and third Tuesdays — bingo in a queer-owned brewery taproom.
• Drag Bingo Night at Freddie's Beach Bar · Wednesdays — across the river in Arlington, the tiki-kitsch institution where everybody sings along between games.

DC-Area Drag Bingo

Nellie's Sports Bar, Washington D.C

Washington D.C., Washington D.C.

Crush Bar, Washington D.C

Washington D.C., Washington D.C.

Red Bear Brewing Co, Washington D.C

Washington D.C., Washington D.C.

Freddie's Beach Bar & Restaurant, Washington D.C

Washington D.C., Washington D.C.

New York City: a bingo night for every night

No city in our events database plays more gay bingo than New York. You could build a full week here:

• Monday — three options: bingo with Davida Jones at the Stonewall Inn (playing bingo inside the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement is a very specific joy), Drag King Bingo with Cunning Stunt at Club Cumming (the East Village's cabaret den, and a drag-king-hosted game — still a rarity anywhere), or Bingo Mondays at the Toolbox on the Upper East Side.
• Tuesday — bingo with Evita Loca at Rise Bar in Hell's Kitchen.
• Wednesday — Bitchy Bingo with Chaka Khanvict at Lips (the original drag-palace edition) or Kocky Bingo at Boxers in Chelsea.
• Saturday — bingo at Phoenix Bar in the East Village.
• Sunday — bingo at Pieces in the Village, the bar that treats every game night like a season finale. Once a month, Someday Bar in Brooklyn adds a Hangover Drag Brunch & Bingo on the last Sunday.

NYC Gay Bingo Bars

The Stonewall Inn, New York City

New York City, New York

Club Cumming, New York City

New York City, New York

Rise Bar, New York City

New York City, New York

Boxers NYC, New York City

New York City, New York

Pieces, New York City

New York City, New York

Phoenix Bar, New York City

New York City, New York

The Toolbox Bar, New York City

New York City, New York

Someday Bar NYC, New York City

New York City, New York

The charity giants worth traveling for

Beyond the weekly bar nights, two institutions define the big-room version of the game:

• GayBINGO — Philadelphia · monthly. Running since 1996 and now benefiting Action Wellness's HIV/AIDS services, this is the granddaddy of the ticketed, theatrical, 600-seat version — themed nights, drag "Bingo Verifying Divas," and three decades of sold-out rooms.
• Legendary Bingo — West Hollywood · weekly, covered above — but worth restating: 25+ years, a different charity most games, and the model that half the nights on this list descend from.

First time at drag bingo? Here's how it works

• It's real bingo. Cards, daubers, numbers, prizes. The difference is the host, the commentary, and what happens when you win (cheering) or lose (in some rooms, a hail of crumpled bingo cards).
• It's usually free or cheap. Most weekly bar nights are free to play with drink service; ticketed charity editions like GayBINGO sell out in advance.
• Bring cash for the cause. Even free nights usually raffle, tip, or fundraise mid-game. The drag hosts work hard — tip them like it.
• Heckling flows one direction. The host roasts you; you don't roast the host. Winning a round as a first-timer makes you a target. Embrace it.
• Everyone is welcome. Drag bingo skews wonderfully mixed — queer regulars, birthday parties, bachelorettes, straight couples on date night, grandmothers. It's often the most all-ages-adjacent thing a gay bar does (check each venue's age policy; some nights are 21+).

Frequently asked questions about drag bingo

What is drag bingo?

Classic bingo hosted by drag performers — real cards and real prizes, with comedy, music, and audience participation between rounds. It grew out of 1990s HIV/AIDS fundraiser bingo nights and is now a weekly fixture at gay bars, restaurants, and breweries across the country.

How much does drag bingo cost?

Most weekly bar nights are free to play — you're expected to buy drinks and tip the performers. Big ticketed charity editions (like Philadelphia's GayBINGO) sell advance tickets that fund the night's beneficiary. Bring cash either way: raffles and fundraising rounds are part of the tradition.

Where did drag bingo start?

The modern format took off in Seattle in the early 1990s as an HIV/AIDS fundraiser, reportedly raising up to $10,000 a night. Philadelphia's AIDS Fund launched GayBINGO in 1996, and Legendary Bingo began in Los Angeles in 1998 as an AIDS Project LA fundraiser. Charity is still the through-line of the whole scene.

What is the most famous drag bingo night in America?

Legendary Bingo at Hamburger Mary's in West Hollywood — LA's longest-running weekly charity event, founded by Jeffrey "Bingo Boy" Bowman in 1998, running twice a week for more than 25 years.

Do I have to be good at bingo (or be gay) to go?

No and no. The game requires the skill of hearing numbers, and the rooms are famously mixed — regulars, first dates, birthday crews, and bachelorette parties all share tables. Show up, be kind, tip the queens.

Is drag bingo family friendly?

It depends on the night. Restaurant rooms like Hamburger Mary's and Lips often welcome all ages at early shows, while bar-hosted nights are typically 21+. Language ranges from PG-13 to gleefully filthy (Tool Shed's is literally called O-69). Check the venue's policy before bringing minors.

How do I find drag bingo near me?

Every night in this guide links to its venue's live page, and the Out x Out events calendar tracks drag bingo, drag shows, and trivia by city and date — start with your city's page: New York, Chicago, Denver, Atlanta, Palm Springs, Minneapolis, Washington DC, and beyond.

What should I bring to drag bingo?

Cash (tips and raffles), friends, and zero dignity about losing. Daubers are almost always provided. If it's a dinner venue, come hungry and early.

More drag & nightlife guides

• The Best Drag Brunches in America — the daytime sibling of this list.
• The Best Lesbian Bars in the US — including Nashville's Lipstick Lounge and San Diego's Gossip Grill.
• The Best Gay Bars in Chicago · New York · Denver — the full city rosters.
• The Most Gay-Friendly Cities in the US — plan the trip around the bingo.