How to run a pub quiz

A quiz shouldn't be lasting hours — you'll lose people's attention and the energy in the room will drop off. A good quiz night should feel like it flew by.

Our quizzes are designed to take no longer than two hours, and that's including marking. Enough time to have a proper quiz without anyone checking their watch.

Nobody wants five rounds of identical general knowledge questions. Mix things up — a picture round, a themed round, a music round — variety keeps everyone in the game, not just the trivia obsessives.

Themed rounds are a great way to add personality to your quiz. Instead of another generic trivia round, try something like a "Famous Daves" picture round, a 90s music round or a connections round where all the answers share a hidden link. People remember the rounds that made them laugh or argue — lean into that.

Our site has a range of different quiz material so you can put something together that suits your crowd. Or if you don't want the hassle, pick up one of our ready-to-go complete quizzes and it's all sorted for you.

Before you start, quickly explain the format — how many rounds, how scoring works, and when the break is. You can go through the scoring rules again just before marking too.

Keep team sizes practical. Teams of around six work well — they're big enough that everyone contributes but small enough that someone doesn't spend the whole night watching. The last thing you want is a team of 14 people all arguing over the same answer.

Read each question twice — once when you ask it, and again after a short pause. Repeat a third time if needed. Some questions just need a moment to land.

Leave roughly a minute between questions. It feels longer than you think when you're standing at the front, but teams need time to discuss and write.

A 10-minute break in the middle works really well — it gives teams a chance to think back over questions they weren't sure on, and everyone gets a chance to refill their drinks. Happy quiz-goers stay longer.

For a smaller quiz, you can mark the answers yourself during the break. For a bigger crowd, get teams to swap answer sheets at the end of every couple of rounds and mark each other's — it keeps everyone involved and speeds things up.

Read the answers out loud after each round. It's one of the best parts of the night — people love the moment they find out they were right, and it's even better when they find out they were spectacularly wrong.

A quiz is only as good as the host. You don't need to be a stand-up comedian, but a bit of energy and personality goes a long way. Keep the atmosphere light.

Consider adding a bonus prize in the middle of the quiz — ask one really obscure question where the closest answer wins a round of drinks. It breaks up the format, gets people laughing, and gives the mid-table teams something to play for.