I never realized confetti bombs were missing from my life until I partied at Coco Bongo.
Yes, confetti bombs. And three-foot-wide balloons. And go-go dancers. And machines sporadically blasting foggy, cold gusts of air onto the dance floor, causing partygoers to shriek with delight Every. Single. Time.
Being the ripe age of 30, I’d long ago come to terms with the fact that my days of dancing on speakers and doing fruity shots at nightclubs were long gone.
Don’t get me wrong, I love partying, but usually find myself heading home by midnight unless said-party happens to be in a house and I can plant myself on a comfy couch with a nice glass of wine.
So you can understand that when the group of friends I was in Cancun, Mexico with announced we were going to a club—and not getting home until at least 4 a.m.—I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it.
That all changed as soon as we walked in to the Coco Bongo show in Playa del Carmen, greeted with a frenetic atmosphere and tequila shots.
What it’s like to party at Coco Bongo Playa del Carmen
Our Coco Bongo experience had been booked through the resort we were staying at, setting us back only about $65 USD per person including transportation to and from Playa, entrance fees, and a reserved table right beside the stage with a private server. Oh, and unlimited drinks. All. Night. Long.
It took less than five minutes for our server to arrive with an entire tray full of booze (don’t ask how he memorized our individual orders) and we didn’t waste any time downing them while watching the opening act, which included a little person wearing an Ace Ventura mask surrounded by go-go dancers.
As they warmed up the crowd and the clock neared 11 p.m., club Coco Bongo filled with partygoers of all ages. I even spotted one woman who appeared to be over 70-years-old—and judging by her dance moves and the look of pure joy on her face all night, I think she enjoyed herself more than anyone!
The VIP area was full of bachelorette and birthday parties, and the rest of us found spots around the venue which holds nearly two thousand people, pleased to find that there isn’t bad seat in the house thanks to its multiple levels.
Finally, it was time for the show to start…and what a show it was.
The Coco Bongo Show
For the next four hours, we enjoyed what felt like a Las Vegas production on steroids. There were acrobats. Dancers. Strobe lights. Thumping music. Balloons raining down from the ceiling. Oh, and confetti.
So much confetti, that we quickly learned to cover our drinks when the confetti bomb went off, as the paper pieces had a funny way of otherwise ending up in our glasses.
We watched in amusement as the Coco Bongo crew would frantically sweep the confetti up as soon as it hit the floor, only to have the scene repeat itself over and over again, an exercise in futility.
Occasionally a siren would shriek, and suddenly that blast of cold air would torrent down, hilarity ensuing as everyone scrambled to keep their hair, dresses or drinks in place yet welcoming the refreshing jolt.
Coco Bongo music
Perhaps most impressive was the quality of the show, with the talented performers morphing into the likes of Madonna, Michael Jackson and the ladies from the musical Chicago or Moulin Rouge, flawlessly executing highly-choreographed routines.
At one point Beetlejuice made an appearance, there was a Pirates of the Caribbean showdown, and even a face-off involving Spiderman as he flew over the delighted crowd.
Downtime saw the Coco Bongo crew pull ladies up on stage to dance, some even heading up to a private platform where a wind gust suddenly shot up from below, causing their skirts to flip over their heads and the crowd to roar in appreciation (or shock, depending who you asked and what the ladies were or weren’t wearing underneath).
As the hours flew by and the liquor flowed freely, somewhere in the back of my mind I knew it had to be approaching dawn, but there wasn’t a single part of me that wanted to leave the party—not bad for someone who famously prefers an evening of Netflix over a night at the club.
But as all good things must come to an end, eventually the final curtain dropped, the stage was once again transformed into a dance floor, and we slowly made our way through the bits of confetti still littering the floor to head home.
It’s safe to say that if all clubs were as fun as Coco Bongo, you can bet this 30-year-old would happily revert back to her party-people days.
Practicalities for going to Coco Bongo Playa Riviera Maya
- Where it is: Coco Bongo has locations in Cancun and Playa del Carmen in Mexico, and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. Click here to book
- What to bring: Cash for tipping your server, and lots of energy!
- Coco Bongo dress code: Wear comfortable shoes and light, breathable clothes as you’ll likely be standing (and dancing) all night long.
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Wow! Looks incredible. Just the energy and vibe of the photos alone look great!
That looks very fun – and much more elaborate of a setup than any club I have seen before. The combination of clubbing atmosphere and stage performance must be very energetic.
Elaborate is a great description!
This wasn’t what I was expecting. I too am long past the age where partying all night is not appealing but this looks so much fun, and what a great show! Next time we are in Cancun we will have to check out Coco Bongo.
Right?! Who knew!
Sounds like an incredible night! I remember the CocoBongo club from the Jim Carey film, The Mask – it always looked very cool so I’m stoked that it exists in real life!
Was it really in that movie?! That makes way more sense now!
Wow, that is definitely an ultimate party spot. Sounds like a fun night.
Holy Moly, that’s one heck of a party! It would certainly take me a few days to recover from that one 🙂 Looks like a night to remember for sure, and what a great idea for Bachelor and Bachelorette parties.
Yeah, I’m not too used to staying up past 4 am either lol
I’d do it if they let boomers in!! Looks like a once in a lifetime fantasy party. Thanks for sharing about it.
They ABSOLUTELY let boomers in!
This looks like so much fun. I’m 32, but I can appreciate a good party when the mood is right, and it’s something special like this! Hope I have the energy for it when I’m 70 haha 🙂
Haha I know right, that lady was a superstar!
This definitely does not look like the usual nightclub. I think even I could stay awake past midnight and it’s along time since I was thirty lol!
Omg, this looks like SO much fun! I love watching shows and I love dancing, so this seems like the perfect venue! And unlimited drinks?! Oh boy… lol!
You would love it!
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An identical Coco Bongo with the exact same show exists in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The Las Vegas-like show is unique and includes very realistic representations of Guns n’ Roses, Queen, Michael Jackson and many others. They also have a performer in costume as “The Mask”, the Jim Carey’s character from the movie. Absolutely not to be missed when staying at any of these two jewels of the Caribean. I’m 52 and I still like to dance the night away at any good party. Guess it’s my Latin background.
Yeah they have a few locations, I always recommend Coco Bongo to all ages, it’s so fun!
Coco Bongo is so fun! I went here on my honeymoon years ago it was amazing! My Husband had the bright idea for me to go up on stage and the wind blew up my dress sans underpants (don’t judge me it was my honeymoon) 🙈 Seriously tho Coco Bongo is a blast!
Hhaha oh no so you were one of the unlucky ones! 😉 Seriously, so fun right?!
Lol! I totally was. I was even up on the big screen when my dress flew up so the whole club saw! 🙈 Overall the night was totally fun though I would absolutely go back! Do you know if it’s still the same experience?
I partied here with my girlfriends a while back! It was such a blast! We actually all got up on stage except me who got up on the big platform and let’s just say we all fell victim to the wind gust. It was hilarious though and whats even more hilarious is that someone running a travel blog at the time was in the crowd and used a picture of me with my dress blown up in the article 😅 I only had a thong on so my butts been exposed on the internet but honestly it was so much fun!
Oh no! Glad you had a blast but that blogger definitely shouldn’t have posted that picture of you!!
Thanks Tamara! I went a little red when I saw it but I guess I did agree to get up on stage and ya know the 📸🤳 were all recording 😂 I look good tho 😉 so it’s not the end of the world! Although maybe I should be more embarrassed haha.
Haha Lauren it could be worse! My friend and I were up on the platform and we jokingly took each other’s mini skirts off while dancing! As I was a bit tipsy I set our skirts on the railing and then accidentally knocked them over the railing! They fell to the ground and were never seen again and then my friend and I had to walk back to our hotel a few blocks in our g strings! 🍑😆 The front desk clerk was shocked and we were so busy trying to cover our bottoms and everyone was staring at us. At the same time a tour bus dropped off like 50 people while we were in the lobby! We look back on it and laugh so hard about it now! I’d definitely go back to coco bongo.