Frequently asked questions

Please click on the relevant question category below to go to that section.

General questions

Q. What exactly is a pub quiz?

A. It’s one of the UK’s most popular pastimes. People form teams (in this case we’re setting the maximum number of team members at six people) and compete at answering general knowledge questions. The emphasis is on fun. It’s a chance to spend time with your friends and family at your local pub, and show off your knowledge. We’re just going to coordinate it so that hundreds of pubs set the same quiz at the same time, and raise money for the Family Holiday Association.

Q. How do I get involved?

A. It’s so easy to get involved! You can:

Q. Any suggestions on choosing a suitable pub to approach?

 A. A great pub would be open-plan, with a friendly manager. It’s handy if the manager is used to holding quizzes in their pub. It’s also helpful if the pub has access to a microphone and speaker system. Finally, it’s a bonus if the pub has a broadband internet connection and the ability to stream the live quizmaster from the central London event, as this is one of the conditions of being a part of the official Guinness World Records attempt (see here for all of the conditions). But this is a bonus – most pubs probably won’t be able to do this.

Q. How does the quiz make money for the charity?

A. If you are the organiser we suggest that you charge an entry fee for each person (£5? £10? More?). You could do a raffle in one of the breaks, and we are running an SMS competition. You can also encourage quiz-goers to buy something from the shop.

Q. Does it cost anything to organise a quiz?

A. Probably nothing, apart from a portion of your time and enthusiasm. If you wanted to spend a bit of money on some inexpensive but fun prizes, or on some extra decorations or fun-stuff to make your event special, then that is up to you. Anything you spend, though, will be your contribution to the event. Unfortunately, the Family Holiday Association is not able to refund any expenses you incur. We'll send you a pack with posters for putting up in the venue and in the local area. You will need to be able to print out the questions and the answer sheets.

Q. Is there a minimum amount I have to raise?

A. You can raise as little or as much as you like. The more you raise the more will go towards helping disadvantaged families get a break away.

Q. My local pub holds a quiz on a Wednesday, but the 11th May is a Wednesday. Can they still take part?

A. We’re trying to get as many people as possible to hold a quiz on the 11th of May, but if that isn’t convenient the quiz can be held any time that week. Although, we won’t be able to provide the quiz questions!

Q. What can I win if I take part?

A. That depends on the quiz you take part in. Some organisers will put up small prizes for the winners. At others the only prize is the glory that you and your team mates will enjoy. The main thing is to have fun and support a great cause. There will be some national prizes, and these will be announced between now and the date of the quiz. Sign up in the box on the right to keep informed.

Q. How does this event help families in need?

A. Quiz organisers will use their event to raise money for the Family Holiday Association. Most organisers will ask participants to pay an entry fee (which will vary). Some might also hold raffles or play other games during the evening to raise more cash. All proceeds will go to the Family Holiday Association and will be used to give disadvantaged families with young children a short break away from home, probably at the UK seaside. For most of these families, it will be the first time that they’ve had a trip away together. By taking part you’ll be helping provide priceless childhood memories. Find out more about the charity here.

Q. What sort of quiz is it?

A. Just a good, old-fashioned, bog-standard, pub quiz. General knowledge questions. We can’t give any more hints. If you’re putting together a team, just make sure that you have someone to cover all the bases. Quiz organisers will be issued with the questions in time for the big night. Until then the questions are being held at a high security facility in a dormant volcano. So don’t even think about cheating.

Questions about organising a quiz

Q. I’d like to organise a quiz, but I’m very busy. How much work will it entail?

A. As an organiser you can make your event as simple, or as elaborate as you like. At the very least you will need to get your local pub (or similar venue) to agree to hold the quiz, publicise it (we can help with that), keep a record of who’s coming, take and keep safe the money raised, and pay in the money once you have it all (see here for details on how to do that). We really appreciate your commitment as a quiz organiser and we’re doing our best to make things as easy as possible. If you don’t think you can commit enough time, why not twist the arm of a friend to take on some of the tasks, or see how much your chosen pub (or other venue) is willing to take on?

Q. Does my quiz have to be held in a pub?

A. No. But it does need to be held in a public place such as a town hall, community centre or church hall. Unless it’s a corporate event, it should be open to the public so it is not advisable to host a quiz in your own home.

Q. Does it cost anything to organise a quiz?

A. Probably nothing, apart from a portion of your time and enthusiasm. If you wanted to spend a bit of money on some inexpensive but fun prizes, or on some extra decorations or fun-stuff to make your event special, then that is up to you. Anything you spend, though, will be your contribution to the event. Unfortunately, the Family Holiday Association is not able to refund any expenses you incur. We'll send you a pack with posters for putting up in the venue and in the local area. You will need to be able to print out the questions and the answer sheets.

Q. Do I need to provide prizes?

A. Not necessarily, although most pub quizzes give away a small prize. The event is played for the fun of it (and for the glory of winning). Prizes can add to the fun, though, so if you have time, it’s worth giving it a little thought. Perhaps your venue will donate a round of drinks for the winning team, or a couple of bottles of wine. Or you could see if any local businesses would like to donate prizes – it’s good PR for them. But this is entirely up to you.

Q. Who will ask the questions at my quiz?

A. You will need a good quizmaster or quizmistress: someone who can speak clearly and handle a bit of good-natured heckling. Ideally, you should make sure he or she is provided with a microphone (see if your venue has one available). If this role doesn’t suit you, it won’t be too hard to find someone who would enjoy it. If you happen to know any local celebrities or politicians who would like to support the event, then that’s all to the good (and please let us know, as we might be able to help with some local press coverage)! The pub manager may also be winning to act as the quizmaster.

Q. How do I pay in the money I’ve raised to the charity?

We’ve done our best to make this as simple as possible. All details are here.

Q. How do I publicise my quiz?

A. There are posters and leaflets here. One of the best ways of spreading the word is through social networking, for example spreading the word to your friends of Facebook and Twitter.  Once you’ve registered you can email the link to your own event page to all your friends . You could also consider involving your local newspaper, radio station or television station. (If you can get a celebrity involved, they’d love to hear about it – as would we!)

Q. Does my quiz have to be open to the public?

A. That’s up to you. When you register, people will be able to find your quiz on our interactive map and get in touch with you to ask if they can enter (this is entirely safe – you only reveal your contact details to people you want to). But if you’d rather keep your event private and only open to your friends, family, colleagues, business contacts and so on, then you can mark your event as private. You’ll need to agree this with the venue.

Q. What do I do if my local doesn’t want to hold a quiz?

A. You could try twisting their arms a bit. Say that you’ll be attracting in new customers for them. Tell them that it’s a Thursday night and a quiz will turn a normally quiet mid-week evening into something special. But if they’re really not interested, you might need to try somewhere else – other pubs, clubs, community halls. Give it a try. 

Questions for venue managers

Q. I’m thinking of holding a quiz in my pub / bar / club. What do I need to commit myself to?

A. Simply to holding a quiz in your venue, and ensuring that everyone has a good time. Either you and your colleagues will organise the event yourselves (in which case, please see our organiser guide here and look at the FAQs for organisers) or you will be holding it in partnership with an outside organiser. You might like to offer a few prizes such as a bottle of wine, free meal vouchers or rounds of drinks. You could also help with publicising the event – there are posters and flyers for download here, and social networking opportunities on each individual venue page. Our website partner www.inapub.co.uk are giving all venues that host a quiz free Annual Silver Membership (see the organiser guide for details). The main purpose of the event is to raise money for the Family Holiday Association but a bonus is that it will get people into their locals on a week-day night in March. It will be a great opportunity for demonstrating the importance of pubs to local communities.

Q. Does it cost anything to organise a quiz?

A. Probably nothing, apart from a portion of your time and enthusiasm. If you wanted to spend a bit of money on some inexpensive but fun prizes, or on some extra decorations or fun-stuff to make your event special, then that is up to you. Anything you spend, though, will be your contribution to the event. Unfortunately, the Family Holiday Association is not able to refund any expenses you incur. We'll send you a pack with posters for putting up in the venue and in the local area. You will need to be able to print out the questions and the answer sheets.

Q. How do I pay in the money I’ve raised to the charity?

A. We’ve done our best to make this as simple as possible. All details are here. And if you’ve raised £100 or more, you can enter the competition to win a great prize!

Q. We hold regular quizzes at my pub / bar / club. How can we be involved in the World’s Biggest?

A. We’d love you to be involved. You can either move your regular quiz to 11 May (or perhaps it happens to fall on that night anyway, which surely is a good omen) or stick to your usual night and use it to raise money for the Family Holiday Association. If the latter, you won’t be able to use the World’s Biggest Pub Quiz questions, and should to stick to your usual source of quiz questions. Either way, please see here for how to raise some cash and here for how to pay it into the Family Holiday Association.

Q. How do we take advantage of inapub.co.uk's free annual silver membership?

A. Once your quiz has been registered on www.bigpubquiz.org, head to www.inapub.co.uk and register your pub using the code FHABPQ11.

Will with trophy

Questions about taking part

Q. I want to participate in a quiz, but I’m not part of a team. Can I still take part?

A. The event is designed for team participation. So the best thing would be to get some friends and family to form a team. Entice them with dreams of glory. Offer to buy them a pint. Threaten them with blackmail. We think that the ideal team should be four to six people, but this is all up to the organiser of the quiz in question; if they’re happy with smaller teams, or even one-person teams, then we’re happy too.

Q. I’ve learned that there is a quiz taking place nearby. How do I get involved?

A. Find the venue on our interactive map. Click on the light-bulb and then you can send a message to the organiser. It’s up to the organiser whether or not you can join the quiz. Probably it will be fine, but some quizzes might be private, and some might already be full. If you get no joy at your preferred venue, why not use the interactive map to find another? But please persevere. Your involvement is very important to us. We need your support.

Thanks so much for wanting to get involved. Who knows, you might win!

 

 

Make sure you've read the organiser guide before setting up a quiz!

 

Sign up to keep you up to date on the next World's Biggest Pub Quiz!


See all of our partners