Find fun and competition at area trivia events
Looking for an activity with your friends or a way to make new ones?
Weekly trivia nights abound at area restaurants, breweries and even a movie theater. We talked to two experts about how to put together a team and how the games are crafted and we give you a listing of some of the spots to find trivia. (Know of a trivia night not mentioned here? Let us know at [email protected] to get added to our weekly trivia listings that run in the Nite section.)
Ready for some white hot competition? Sharpen those pencils…
Game maker
Heather Abernathy, a Manchester-based trivia host, runs general knowledge pub trivia at The Farm every Wednesday and themed trivia at Chunky’s every Thursday. In this Q&A, she discusses her transition from player to host, her process for crafting trivia questions, strategies for keeping the atmosphere lively, and how she deals with answer disputes. Additionally, Heather provides advice for aspiring trivia hosts. Her experience spans various themes and formats, catering to a wide range of trivia enthusiasts.
How did you get started with hosting trivia nights?
I have such a wealth of random trivia knowledge, probably from watching Jeopardy! with my grandfather every night as a kid. … I was always that person you wouldn’t want to play against in Trivial Pursuit. … I got started at The Farm in Manchester, because I was a player there. I played pretty consistently for about four years. And when the guy who was hosting before me decided he was done, the owners told him, ‘If you can find somebody you think would make a good host, we’ll hire them.’ He reached out to me and said, ‘You’re smarter than I am … and you’re here every week anyway, so why not get a guaranteed paycheck for it?’ So after a bit of hesitation, I decided, ‘What the heck,’ hung up my playing time, and switched over to hosting. That was in January of 2019.
What do you enjoy most about hosting trivia?
For my real job, I work in health insurance, and I work from home. So, it’s boring, and I don’t see a lot of people. Trivia is my way to get out, to be sociable. I’ve also made some good friends along the way. I really enjoy the interaction with the people that come out and play every week.
Can you describe the type of trivia you host?
At The Farm I mostly stick to general pub trivia, because that’s what my players like. I have thrown in themes once in a while, and my regulars tend to skip those because they prefer coming in and knowing they could be asked anything. Whereas at Chunky’s I do a different theme every single week. For example, tomorrow night, in honor of the new Mean Girls movie, I’ll be doing trivia on the original Mean Girls movie. But once a month I do something more music-themed. This month my music theme is The Beatles, but in the past I’ve done ’80s and ’90s music, which always sell out. Taylor Swift was another big one. And then once a month at Chunky’s on Sundays — because my Thursdays at Chunky’s are a 21-plus event — I do a family-friendly trivia where all ages are welcome. You can bring your kids, and I tend to do more family-oriented themes. So this month, for example, I’m doing Disney music as my family-friendly theme.
How do you create questions for your trivia nights?
For themed trivia, it’s easy. If it’s a movie, I will watch the movie and throw on my subtitles so I can make sure I’m getting quotes or spelling correctly. As I’m watching I’ll think, ‘Oh, that would be a good thing to ask.’ So I jot down what I’m thinking. For the general knowledge trivia, I do a lot of scouring the internet for what strikes me as a good question. One unique thing about my trivia, which I can’t take credit for because I took the format from the guy hosting before me — if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it — is when I ask a question, I follow it up with a song. The song serves two purposes: it gives time for players to hand in their answers and it also acts as a hint for the question. Some weeks I really want an excuse to play a certain song, so I’ll work backward and figure out a question that matches with the song. So for example, last week I asked a question … ‘Who was named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year for the very first time in 1927?’ The hint song that I played for that was REO Speedwagon’s ‘Time for me to Fly.’ … Charles Lindbergh was the answer to the question.
How do you maintain a good balance of topics and difficulty levels in your trivia questions?
I have a kind of mental checklist. For example, if I’ve already asked a geography question I’ll move on to science, then maybe something pop culture-related. Generally, as the game progresses, at least for the bar trivia, Round 1 questions are easier than Round 3 questions. Also, my music hints might become less obvious as the game goes on. … My rule of thumb is if I wouldn’t have known the answer, odds are I won’t ask it.
What strategies do you use to keep participants engaged and ensure a fun atmosphere?
The music is a big part of keeping participants engaged. Sometimes I’ll play a hit song and, without realizing it, strike a nerve, and next thing you know half the bar is singing along. I do my best to engage with people. Anyone who knows me knows that I speak fluent sarcasm. I try to let my own personality come through, like engaging in banter with the players. … I just try to keep it light and breezy.
How do you handle disputes or disagreements over answers during trivia nights?
It does come up, because I’m human. There’s a real chance that I might come up with a question and not be right, or there could be an alternate answer. If someone comes up to me with a dispute, I respect that, because when I played I was that person who challenged the host. I’ll do a spot check with my phone or laptop right there while hosting. I’m always open to being corrected. If it’s determined that an alternate answer was acceptable, I’ll admit it, award the points, and eat crow if I have to. On the flip side, if someone’s answer is close but not accurate, I might say, ‘Close enough isn’t good enough,’ and not give points, or I might give half points for being close. I try to be flexible, because the goal at the end of the day is to get people to come back.
What advice would you give to someone interested in becoming a trivia host?
My biggest piece of advice is to have fun with it. … You’ve got to have the confidence to go with it. Just get out there, have fun, and get to know your players. That has been key for me, because after hosting for so long these people are not just random attendees; many of them are now my friends. Establishing that rapport with players is crucial for retention. If people are having fun, they’re going to come back. So try to relax, have fun, and when you see people returning that’s always a good sign.
Game player
Amy Leal, 51, from Salem, participates regularly in themed trivia nights at Chunky’s in Manchester. She talked about her involvement in trivia since August 2020, her methods for forming and preparing her trivia team, the competitiveness of the games, challenges faced by the team, and some memorable experiences from the trivia nights.
Can you share a bit about yourself and how you got involved in trivia?
I just like collecting random information about various things. I’ve always enjoyed trivia-type games. For this particular weekly event, I got involved during Covid in August of 2020. Chunky’s couldn’t show movies, so they were hosting a Disney Pixar trivia event. My sister, knowing my interest in trivia and my love for Disney Pixar, saw it and thought I would be interested, so I went with my cousin Trish, who’s the same age as me. We thought, ‘Let’s check this out.’ We loved the format. It was a way to have a night out, kind of low-key during Covid, and do something fun. … Three and a half years later we’re still going just about every week.
How do you go about forming your trivia team?
For this trivia, you can have from one to eight people. Initially it was just my cousin Trish and I regularly. Then, when she couldn’t attend, I invited another friend, who has been going with me ever since. She brought a friend from high school. I also asked a few more cousins, and we all joined based on the themes Heather announced. We base our participation on our interests and strengths. Even if some of us don’t know the specific show or movie, we go just to have a night out. Our team can range from two to eight players weekly, depending on the theme and what’s happening in our lives. We have a diverse team, with people into music, movies, TV series and different genres. Everyone knows a little about everything, and some are experts in certain areas. So, for building a trivia team, the key is finding people interested in a wide knowledge base and looking for a night out, who can commit to more than once or twice a month. It’s about sharing interests, being competitive, and a commitment to winning and being together.
What’s your strategy, and how do you prepare?
Our approach for themed nights, especially if it’s something we’re not familiar with, is to watch the movie or TV show. We’re lucky to know the theme a couple of weeks in advance, so we can plan to watch a movie or brush up on it. If it’s a movie we haven’t seen in 20 years, we rewatch it. For a TV series with multiple seasons, like The Office with eight seasons, different team members will watch different seasons. It’s all just for fun; you can’t remember everything. Our strategy is to watch the content and then have a group chat where we throw out questions to each other for practice, just to keep it top of mind.
How competitive do things get?
Our group is pretty laid back, and we enjoy being together and having something to look forward to every week. But there are times when we get competitive, especially if we disagree with how a question was phrased. We’ll challenge the answer. Ultimately, Heather, who hosts the trivia, has the final say. Sometimes we feel that an answer wasn’t accurate or was a bit twisted, but it’s all in the context of the content. There’s some competitiveness, especially since there are repeat teams. Since August 2020 about six teams have been regulars, and we’ve all gotten to know each other, often on a first-name basis. We congratulate other teams when they win, but we also feel like it should have been us, especially if it was our game to lose. Sometimes we go in overconfident, and depending on the questions we might blow it or win. But at the end of the day it’s a game. We all want to win, but not everybody can.
What kind of hurdles do you run into with trivia and how do you handle them?
A challenge for us is that we don’t always have the same people available every week because life happens. When we’re missing someone we really feel it, especially if it’s a question they would have known. We had a phase where we won almost every week for six to eight months, placing first, second or third each time. It felt great, especially since we won gift cards for Chunky’s, which we used for meals. But not winning can be a downer, and we’re in a bit of a slump right now due to inconsistent team availability during the holidays. We need to get back up and overcome this slump.
Do you have any memorable moments or stories from trivia nights?
Around February 2021, it was my cousin Jamie’s birthday, and we had become friendly with Heather, the host. I sent her a childhood picture of Jamie, the classic school photo with the laser background, and asked her to put it up on the big screen in the theater to wish him a happy birthday. It was hilarious, and she even showed it a few times after just for fun. There was also this funny moment during a music round. We couldn’t remember the artist of a song, so all I pictured was a white guy wearing a vest with chest hair sticking out. That’s what we wrote as our answer. When Heather was reading the answers, she read ours out loud and it got a big laugh in the theater. Now, when we can’t remember something, that’s become our signature answer. And it turns out the artist for that song wasn’t even close to what I was picturing.
Trivia nights
Liven up your weeknights with some fun and games. Know of a trivia night not listed here? Let us know at [email protected].
Monday
- Pub Quiz at Shaskeen (909 Elm St., Manchester, 625-0246, shaskeenirishpub.com) at 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday
- Able Ebenezer Brewing (31 Columbia Circle, Merrimack, 844-223-2253) at 6 p.m.
- Sea Dog Brewing (5 Water St., Exeter, 793-5116) from 6 to 8 p.m.
- Second Brook Bar & Grill (1100 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, secondbrook.com) at 7 p.m.
- Lynn’s 102 Tavern (76 Derry Road, Hudson, 943-7832, lynns102.com) at 7 p.m.
- Gibb’s Garage Bar (3612 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, gibbsgaragebar.com) at 7 p.m.
- Geeks Who Drink trivia at Peddler’s Daughter (48 Main St., Nashua, 821-7535, thepeddlersdaughter.com), from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Wednesday
- Community Oven (845 Lafayette Road, Hampton, 601-6311, thecommunityoven.com) at 6 p.m.
- Brews & Qs, 21+, at Feathered Friend (231 S. Main St., Concord, 715-2347, featheredfriendbrewing.com) at 6 p.m.
- Spyglass Brewing Co. (306 Innovative Way, Nashua, 546-2965, spyglassbrewing.com) at 6 p.m.
- Earth Eagle North (Barclay Square, 350 Route 108, Somersworth, 841-5421, eartheaglebrewings.com) at 6 p.m.
- Popovers (11 Brickyard Sq., Epping, 734-4724, popoversonthesquare.com) from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
- The Greatest Trivia in the World at Revolution Taproom and Grill (61 N. Main St., Rochester, 244-3042, revolutiontaproomandgrill.com/upcoming-events) at 6:30 p.m.
- Don Ramon (6 Whitney St., Merrimack, 420-8468) from 7 to 9 p.m.
- KC’s Rib Shack (837 Second St., Manchester, 627-7427, ribshack.net), sponsored by Mi Campo in Manchester, 7 to 9 p.m..
- The New England Trivia Co. at City Hall Pub (8 Hanover St.,Manchester, 232-3751, snhhg.com) 7 to 9 p.m.
- World Tavern Trivia at Fody’s Tavern (9 Clinton St. in Nashua, fodystavern.com, 577-9015) at 8 p.m.
Thursday
- Reed’s North (2 E. Main St. in Warner, 456-2143, reedsnorth.com) from 6 to 8 p.m.
- Mitchell BBQ (50 N. Main St., Rochester, 332-2537, mitchellhillbbq.com) at 6 p.m.
- Station 101 (193 Union Sq., Milford, 249-5416) at 6:30 p.m.
- Music trivia at Day of the Dead Taqueria (454 Charles Bancroft Hwy. in Litchfield, 377-7664) at 6:30 p.m.
- Geeks Who Drink trivia at The Barley House (132 N. Main St., Concord, 228-6363), from 7 to 9 p.m.
- Themed trivia at Cheers Bar & Grille (17 Depot St., Concord, 228-0563) at 7 p.m.
- Hart’s Turkey Farm (223 Daniel Webster Hwy., Meredith, 279-6212, hartsturkeyfarm.com) from 7 to 9:30 p.m.
- Opinionation by Sporcle trivia at Uno Pizzeria & Grill (15 Fort Eddy Road in Concord; 226-8667) at 7 p.m.
- Hop Knot (1000 Elm St., Manchester, 232-3731, hopknotnh.com) at 7 p.m.
- Shooters Sports Pub (6 Columbus Ave., Exeter, 772-3856) at 7:15 p.m.
- Liquid Therapy (14 Court St., Nashua, 402-9391) at 7:30 p.m.
- Game Changer Sports Bar (4 Orchard View Dr., Londonderry; 216-1396, gamechangersportsbar.com) from 8 to 10 p.m.
- Strange Brew (88 Market St., Manchester, 666-4292) at 8 p.m.
Friday
- The Biergarten Anheuser-Busch (221 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 595-1202) from 6 to 8 p.m.
Sunday
- Mountain Base Brewery (553 Mast Road, No. 111, Goffstown, 315-8382) at 4 p.m.
Other trivia nights
- Chunky’s Cinema Pub in Manchester (707 Huse Road in Manchester; chunkys.com) holds regular 21+ trivia nights on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. with varying themes:
The Beatles on Thursday, Jan. 11.
General Knowledge on Thursday, Jan. 18.
Barbie on Thursday, Jan. 25.
Chunky’s also hosts family-friendly trivia nights. Next up is Disney Songs on Sunday, Jan. 14, at 6 p.m. - Take part in Schitt’s Creek trivia night on Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 6:30 p.m. at Vine Thirty Two (25 S. River Road in Bedford; vinethirtytwo.com).
- Trivia at Fody’s (9 Clinton St., Nashua; fodystavern.com) the first Thursday of each month at 8 p.m.
- Trivia on the first and third Thursday of every month trivia at To Share Brewing (720 Union St., Manchester, tosharebrewing.com) at 6:30 p.m.
- Trivia at Park Theatre (19 Main St., Jaffrey; 532-9300, theparktheatre.org) on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m.
Featured Photo: Courtesy photo.
