Everyone loves a good quiz and while we know there are some non-believers, we think it’s fair to say most people grew up loving Harry Potter. Put those two things together and what do you get? The perfect night out for a Potterphile.
No, we said ‘Potter-phile’.
Manc favourite hangout and popular student spot, Brickhouse Social, has just announced the launch of their new Harry Potter-themed pub quiz, the first of which is set to take place on 4 October.
And just like any good quiz team, any quiz worth its salt needs a good name. Let us introduce you to Brickhouse‘s first-ever ‘Quizitch’ night. Well played — five points to Gryffindor.
Playing host to a horde of fantasy trivia nerds (ourselves firmly included) across their three-storey venue, the quiz starts at 7pm and will put Potterheads to the test with several rounds of questions about the famous book and film series devised by their resident Harry Potter expert.
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From Azkaban, muggle magic and the Forbidden Forest to Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, Quizitch is set to be a Potterhead’s dream.
Better still, although it might not quite be the Triwizard Cup, there is going to be a veritable Honeydukes Express’ worth of prizes on offer, including bar tabs, slices of pizza and more.
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Last but not least, the best part about this place is that once you’re all quizzed out, you can always head upstairs for a drink on the terrace, shoot some pool on the first floor or dance the night away at the Kable Club down in the basement afterwards.
You can reserve a table by simply emailing [email protected] or you can always give the guys a ring on 0161 236 4899.
Now, we’ll warn you: spots are being snapped up quickly so get in touch ASAP if you want to take part and even if not, you can always try your luck in case someone drops out. Either way, this won’t be the last time you’ll see Brickhouse diving into the Wizarding World.
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Lastly, if all else fails, it’s not like there aren’t a whole host of other great pub quizzes going on around Greater Manchester all week long.
Spot these Man City players when they were kids
Danny Jones
We’re doing something different for this one and trying our hand at a quiz for you lot this time. I mean, who doesn’t love a good quiz?
The best part about this one is that you don’t need to leave the house to take part and if you still want to make it feel like you’re at a pub quiz without the threat of a potential hangover the next day, just get a couple of beers in and crack open at home.
Wow, we just got flashbacks of lockdown for a second there but don’t worry, you can still go outside, we promise!
So, without further ado, let’s get this show on the road and kick off the quiz: the aim of the game is as simple as 22 men kicking a ball around on a big field — see how many of these young footballers who went on to become Man City stars you can spot. Let’s do it.
Either way, whether you’re a Man City fan or not, we hope you enjoyed our little quiz. After all, any quiz is good so long as you do well at it — that’s our motto.
If you did like it, let us know in the comments and, who knows, maybe we’ll do more of them…
And if you’re still fond of a proper pub quiz, there are plenty of places in and around Greater Manchester where you can enjoy one.
The best pub quizzes in and around Manchester
Dolly Busby
We all got pretty good at quizzes over lockdown when seeing friends and family over Zoom for a trivia session when that was pretty much all we were allowed to do.
But nowadays we can take on the Great British pastime that is the mighty pub quiz in an actual pub again — hoorah!
There are loads of pubs and bars in the city centre as well across Greater Manchester that will let you flex your brains while nursing a pint, so we thought we’d give you a rundown of our top 10 pub quizzes.
Here are some of the best pub quizzes in Manchester — in no particular order, of course, because we don’t like to play favourites too much.
Our top 10 pub quizzes in Manchester
Let’s start nice and central, shall we?
1. GRUB — Green Quarter
Our beloved GRUB host a monthly ‘Fizzy Quizzy’ night across its indoor and outdoor spaces where you can wrap up warm and get competitive under the stars, or pull up a bench inside their Green Quarter event space.
The famous Fizzy Quiz promises plenty of rounds to test all that useless trivia living rent-free in your head and the usual good vibes GRUB guarantees on any usual visit.
Prizes include a gallon of lager — good luck lugging that home (try and resist the urge to just crack it open right then and there — a magnum of prosecco and more. Quizzes take place on the fourth Wednesday of every month and start at 7:30pm sharp.
Hosted every Tuesday night from 7:30pm, the ‘Pencils Down’ pub quiz over at Northern Quarter favourite, The Pen and Pencil, is an absolute classic. It’s just £1 for entry and you can obviously feast on all the food scran and proper fancy cocktails while you’re at it.
Hosted by John Stansfield, a.k.a. ‘Quizimodo‘ of Trof and Brewski fame too (you can have those two bonus Manc pub quizzes for free) this quiz is a real headscratcher but definitely worth it because it’s also winner-takes-all.
Plus, they even throw in a prize for the best team name — we suggest John Trivialta and Otrivia Newton John for your teammate. You’re welcome.
Speaking of NQ institutions, they don’t get much better, busier and more nostalgic than the ‘Quizzly Bears‘ quiz night over at the hallowed student stomping ground that is the Abel Heywood.
Rolling all the best topics into one — we’re talking Harry Potter, Friends, Game of Thrones, Disney and plenty more — this Manc favourite pub is guaranteed to be full house every time because it’s probably the most popular and, for many, arguably the pub quiz in Manchester.
Avengers assemble! Get the best of the best and book your tickets now; it’s one ticket per team with teams of up to six people, with quizzes on pretty much every other week, loads of prizes up for grabs, free popcorn and a themed cocktail menu. Check out their socials to find out about the next one.
Put your money where your mouth is, or just eat their incredible food — you know, either’s good. Either way, The Bay Horse Tavern serve some truly tasty scran right throughout the quiz, so if someone’s shouting wrong answers you can just shove some baked camembert in their mouth.
There’s a cash prize and a bar tab up for grabs every Tuesday at 8pm, but you can always get there early and make the most of the every weekday happy hour from 4-7pm before coming back the following day for 50% off food. Why not?
Be careful, though: there is much competition with many snubbed quizzers vowing to return for their rightful prize. Many members of The Manc office included…
Once upon a time, there was A Place Called Common and third Wednesday of the month, two blokes called Alan and Josh hosted a quiz show-themed quiz, and they still do to this day.
They go more casually by just Common these days, but you can still expect the same laughs and good vibes in this cosy NQ venue, which remains a great place for a fun and easy evening with friends. Oh yeah, and there’s happy hour to keep you busy too. Sold.
Running from 7pm until late, you don’t even need to book a table: you can walk in with free entry and up to 10 teammates; grab a delicious pizza from everyone’s favourite Nell’s and sit down to quiz, it’s that easy. The quiz world is your oyster here and prizes are ripe for the picking.
6. Seven Brothers — Ancoats, Media City and Middlewood Locks!
You’re getting three in one here with the ever-reliable Seven Brothers puz quiz — yes, we know it’s technically spelt SE7EN BRO7HERS but sometimes our brains struggle to process it.
Hosted by Joe over at the Ancoats site and Charlie over in Media City and Middlewood Locks (busy man), this thing only sets you back £1 per person for entry, it’s a max of six people per team and there’s plenty of prizes to be won.
Oh yeah, and there’s obviously all the delicious beer and food for you to fill your face with whilst you inevitably wait for your mates to turn up in time for the 8pm start. You know who you are…
Moving even further away from the city centre now, we have Rustik’s quiz night over in West Didsbury next, one that we truly think is one of the area’s hidden gems.
As you can see, while it’s never empty whenever we go along on a Wednesday night, we’re still blown away by how many people still don’t know about this absolutely wonderful little spot and its brilliant take on the pub quiz format.
Up there with one of the best pub quizzes anywhere in Manchester, for our money, and hosted by the lovely Frankie, you can enjoy 80p chicken and vegan wings, plenty of booze and hopefully some prizes coming your way.
The finest pub quiz in all of West Didsbury starts at 8pm every week. You heard us. Great vibes, a cool venue and a very competitive crowd what more could you want on a work night?
Mary & Archie‘s pub quiz is your chance to win some serious cash in hand for just £1 per person whilst having a ruddy good time, so let no one stand in your way and manifest destiny.
This place serves up some proper tasty burgers including a home-baked falafel burger that we can wholeheartedly recommend. Trust us, it’s a top evening out and you won’t regret giving it a go.
Our penultimate stop on our Greater Manchester pub quiz crawl is The Parrs Wood‘s ‘Hot Spot Quiz Night’ is a seven-round ‘professional’ quiz but don’t let the name intimidate you, it’s hosted in a friendly style, so you can put those claws away.
Not only does it make for a fun evening out in this local community pub but it’s all done on your phone via the SpeedQuizzing app. Fancy. We’d recommend rounding up a group of your smartest friends though, because this quiz can be pretty tough at times.
Starting at 7:30 every Tuesday night, you can have 10 people on your quiz team and there’s even a ‘Play Your Cards Right’ jackpot accumulator game to try and win as well. Prizes included money off your food and drink and, I mean, come on, who doesn’t like a certificate officially confirming that you’re smart?
Last but certainly not least is the old Chorlton Tap over in, well, Chorlton. If you didn’t guess that bit this whole quiz thing might not be for you…
Taking place every Monday from 8:30pm (we can’t think of a better way to start a week), this suburban hotspot hosts a brilliant pub quiz and, recently, they’ve even been testing out a raffle on the same night, where every order of drinks will earn you a ticket and you can win even more free booze.
The winner is chosen by the quizmaster, of course, so stay on their good side and it would be a waste to come without trying some of their utterly amazing steaks, wines and ever-changing tasting menus. That’s how you kick off a week!
And that’s all your time, folks! Pencils down, answer sheets in feel to check your phone and start talking trash to your mates in another team across the room.
We hope you had fun taking a little tour of The Manc‘s top 10 best places for a pub quiz in Greater Manchester and, fingers crossed, you go away and win something.
Even if not, at least now you have a list of places to spend a fun weeknight getting overly competitive over pointless trivia — and we’ll be right there next to you, giving you daggers…