Croydon Mecca Bingo – Tamworth Road

Croydon was pure 21st century Mecca: no grand Art Deco cinema, no Edwardian theatre, just a purpose-built club opened in 2004 as part of the Centrale Shopping Centre redevelopment on Tamworth Road. Rather than inheriting an old entertainment building, it was designed from scratch to sit alongside shops, restaurants and a cinema, part of a wider push to keep visitors around into the evening. Inside it was all practicality over heritage, with a large open-plan auditorium, dedicated electronic bingo areas, a sizeable slots arcade, modern LED lighting and sound, level access and lift connections straight through from the shopping centre and car parks. Seating comfortably ran into the hundreds, with a flexible layout that could be reconfigured far more easily than in the old converted cinemas.

While it was open, Croydon offered the usual mix of traditional paper bingo and Mecca Max electronic play alongside a hefty slots area, but it stood out for its customer base and events. Sitting a few minutes from East Croydon and West Croydon stations and Croydon’s Tramlink network, it pulled in shoppers, office workers and younger crowds drawn by themed nights and music events, alongside the regulars. Despite being one of Mecca’s more modern builds, changing shopping habits, falling town-centre footfall after the pandemic and rising operating costs caught up with it, and Mecca closed the club permanently in 2026, with customers pointed towards nearby clubs at Rosehill and Eltham Hill. There’s a certain irony to its story: built for the future of retail bingo, it ended up with one of the shorter lifespans of any major Mecca club.

Other Lost Halls In The Area

• Purley Regal Bingo – Brighton Road
• Thornton Heath Gala Bingo – London Road