I would think about having a lockin for the kids the same night for a fee. the parents will need babysitters so why not use that to your advantage. We do this during our auction so the parents can relax and look and it has been very sucessful for us.
Our local veteran's post has those types of events and they go over well. Have a variety of everything and then there is something for everyone. Poker is huge now, so if you could have some poker tables in addition to Bingo and horse races, I'm sure it will be successful
We are working towards a spring fundraising event and are considering an adult-only event. A local hall will donate space. We are thinking a band, bar, hors deurves, dancing, etc in one room and in another room virtual horseracing, casino games or bingo. We would presell a set number of tickets to the event to cover admission/food and folks with cash bar and pay to play games. Does anyone out there have experience with this type of event? What worked? What didn't?