Trivia night ideas

Round format ideas

• Buzzer race: fastest correct answer takes the points, and the room hears every buzz.
• Wager round: teams stake points before they see the question, so last place can still win.
• Knockout round: one wrong answer and the team sits out until the next round.
• Picture round: put images on the big screen instead of reading a question out.
• Name That Tune: play a clip, first team to name the track scores.
• Music bingo: swap a round for a bingo card of song titles and let the room sing. Family Feud, Jeopardy and Music Bingo are on Hospitality Group.
• Audience vote: the crowd itself is the answer key, and the closest team wins.
• Game-show finale: end the night with a Family Feud or Jeopardy board on the projector. Family Feud, Jeopardy and Music Bingo are on Hospitality Group.

Prize ideas

• Bar tab for the winning table - it comes straight back over the counter.
• A round of drinks for the team in last place, announced loudly.
• A trophy that stays in the venue and gets engraved with the winning team name.
• Kitchen vouchers redeemable on a slow night, not on the busy one.
• Best team name prize, judged by the host, worth one small drink.
• A season prize for the league table, so every week counts towards something.

Food and snack ideas

• Sharing boards priced for four - a trivia team is exactly a sharing board.
• A quiz-night menu with two items and a pitcher, ordered once at the start.
• Free chips or nuts on every table for teams who arrive before the first round.
• Match the food to the theme: tacos on a Cinco de Mayo night, pies for a football night.
• Take food orders during the break so the kitchen is not hit at the final whistle.

Fundraiser ideas

• Charge per team rather than per head - it fills tables instead of emptying wallets.
• Sell answer hints between rounds: pay a fixed amount, get one letter.
• Run a raffle in the break using the same team numbers you already have.
• Ask local businesses for the prizes and read their names out with the scores.
• Add a mystery round sponsored by one donor, named on the big screen.

Read the fundraiser guide

Ideas that keep people coming back

• Run a league across a season so scores carry from week to week.
• Announce next week theme at the end of the night, while the room is still in it.
• Put the leaderboard on the venue TV between rounds, not just at the end.
• Keep the same night and the same start time, every week, without exception.
• Let walk-ins join mid-game by scanning the QR code on the screen.
• Photograph the winning team and post it the next morning with the next date.

How to host bar trivia

Theme ideas

A themed night gives regulars a date to pick and newcomers a reason to try. Run one a month: decades, movies, music, sport, or the holiday closest to the date. We keep a list of 47 themes with sample categories.

Ideas for restaurants

A restaurant runs a quiz differently from a pub: seatings are booked, tables turn, and the kitchen sets the pace. We have a separate page of restaurant trivia night ideas that works around service.