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 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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…
Beaches close to Manchester that you don’t need to drive for hours to reach
Danny Jones
Now, when we’re lucky enough for the sun to hit big and hard in and around the North West, it’s common for people to start searching ‘beaches close to Manchester’, and that’s exactly why we’re here – you’re welcome.
Ian Brown of The Stone Roses famously said, “Manchester has everything but a beach”, and while he’s technically right, we are lucky enough to be close to a fair few.
Whether it’s down the other end of the Mersey, over near our friends in Yorkshire, or up in nearby Cumbria, you can get to plenty of beaches and/or similar settings that are roughly 90 minutes or so from Greater Manchester.
Let’s not waste one more single second of sunbathing time, shall we?
The top 10 best beaches near Manchester
1. Urmston Beach – Trafford
First up, we’re going with the only kind of beach in the 10 boroughs that comes to mind: Urmston Beach, not far from the nearby Meadows, Ashton-upon-Mersey, Sale and other parts of Trafford and the surrounding areas.
It may only be a little one and more of a stony/gravely affair as opposed to the boundless white Belize (let’s be reasonable now), but it’s still a beloved local attraction perfect for a day out with family, friends, or if you just need some time to yourself near the water with a good book.
— Monica NAUGHTON Crimmins (@MonicaCrimmins) April 18, 2021
2. Gaddings Dam – Todmorden
Heading over to West Yorkshire now and the town of Todmorden in Calderdale, Gaddings Dam is a surprisingly intimate slice of sand next to a Victorian reservoir, with the embankment serving as an ideal spot for a mini beach day.
Less than an hour away by car – and not too awkward to get to by train, either – it still feels like a bit of a hidden gem unless you’re from closer to the region yourself, where plenty of people flock over the year; it’s also dubbed ‘Britain’s highest beach’, but we will warn you that it’s fairly remote with no real facilities.
The first of a few from our Northwestern cousins and football rivals down the river, many of you already know and love Formby Beach, but for anyone who hasn’t tried it before, it’s well worth the short journey up the M62.
You can also get there by rail as fast as an hour and 20 minutes if you time the right service, and once you’re there, you’ll see why so many make a regular pilgrimage to see the sand dunes and pinewoods frequented by red squirrels. Great parking and dog-friendly – no-brainer.
4. Ainsdale Beach – Southport
Not too far from Formby and further along the same Sefton coast, a criminally unsung alternative is Ainsdale Beach near Southport, which boasts great facilities and family-friendly activities such as swimming, watersports and the nearby nature reserve.
It’s another one that’s super easy and affordable to get to on public transport; they even hold a Blue Flag award for top-notch conditions when it comes to water, safety, environmental education, conservation and all-round coastal management.
Next on the list from our specific ‘Mer-seaside’ selection (you can have that one for free) is arguably the other best-known one besides Formby: Crosby.
Just five miles from central Liverpool, lots of people visit not only for the sands but also for laid-back leisure at The Bus Yard Bar, and striking public open-access installations like Sir Anthony Gormley’s Another Place, known colloquially as the ‘Iron Men’. Well worth seeing for yourself if you haven’t before.
Moving over to West Kirby on the Wirral, this picturesque part of the peninsula promises more than 300 metres of reasonably soft beaches, more Liverpudlian sand dunes and its stunning Marine Lake.
One of the best things to do here is wait for low tide when you can walk out to the Hilbre Islands nearby – but please, as always, be safe and responsible whenever you’re doing anything like this.
Also in roughly the same vicinity – though this one is technically in the town of Wallasey within the wider Wirral borough – New Brighton Beach certainly does a decent job of living up to the name.
It’s renowned for various landmarks including the recognisable lighthouse, shops and street art in and around the Victoria Quarter and along the promenade, not to mention the Floral Pavilion, Fort Perch Rock, ‘The Mermaid Trail’, restaurants, bars and MUCH more. There’s even a pirate, yes, pirate ship.
You can really make a full weekend out of this one.
A similarly Victorian-era seafront setup can be found in the affluent area of Lytham, known not only for its popular music festival but also for golf courses, a historic Georgian Hall and, of course, the beach.
The sands themselves are almost as luxurious as the area itself, and it’s probably one of the most ‘golden’ surfaces you’ll find in this part of the world – perfect for a game of bat and ball. With buses, trains and driving routes all clocking in at just over an hour, it’s an ideal option for a day out.
Our penultimate pick is – surprise, surprise – the iconic seaside town and home of the Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, where we’ve enjoyed so many memories throughout our childhoods, adolescence and well into adulthood, too.
Whether you just want really good fish and chips, a stick of rock, foot-long sausage butties on sub rolls, a go on the Grand National ride, or actually want to walk down from the seaside and onto the beach itself, it may never have become the ‘Las Vegas of the North’, but there’s still plenty to entertain you.
For instance, they’ve got a brand new live music festival that should draw extra crowds moving forward.
Last but not least, it’s definitely more of a lakeshore than a traditional beach, but you’ll still see plenty of people treating it like the latter, especially during a heatwave.
You don’t need to be told how lovely it is to spend time travelling up in the Lakes, but if you’d rather a scenic trip up to Cumbria to enjoy the stunning vistas whilst lying on your back, soaking in the rays and maybe dipping your toes in a few slightly smaller bodies of water, this tourist hotspot is a great choice.
There’s a resident parkrun event, watersports and boat hire available, an aquarium close-by and plenty of other stuff to do besides pretend you’re on a little holiday.
Here’s hoping we’ve given you a few decent suggestions when it comes to beaches near Greater Manchester, and if we’ve missed any off the list, please do let us know in the comments.
We’re sure you will, as always.
Meanwhile, if you’re happy to stay within the region but still fancy a taste of waterside leisure sometime soon, how do you fancy hopping in a canoe?…
Image credits — Michael D Beckwith (WikiCommons)/Alex’B (Flickr)/Mike Pennington (Geograph)
Things To Do
Manchester’s big wheel is returning to Exchange Square for the summer… sort of
Emily Sergeant
Manchester is set to reach new heights, as the big wheel that once stood proudly in the city centre is making a comeback this summer.
Well… sort of.
That’s because it’s not quite the same big wheel that many will remember from its glory days in locations like Piccadilly Gardens and Exchange Square throughout the 2000s, and more recently Albert Square during last year’s Manchester Christmas Markets – but it is a big wheel and it’s a big wheel that you’ll be able to hop on for a ride.
Celebrating the launch of its new Cloud Frappuccino blended drinks range, Starbucks’ Summer in the Clouds arrives in Exchange Square next Friday and Saturday (24 and 25 July), inviting people to escape the hustle and bustle and enjoy panoramic views of the city below from a big Ferris wheel.
The two-day takeover will give customers the chance to unlock a ride on the big wheel with the purchase of any Grande or Venti iced drink from participating Manchester city centre Starbucks stores.
Both in participating stores – which in Manchester are Starbucks stores in the Arndale, City Tower Offices, on Market Street and on Fennel Street – and at the Ferris wheel itself in Exchange Square, you can expect complimentary Cloud Frappuccino-inspired candy floss, live music from DJ and presenter Ethan Porte, and a free photobooth with digital and printed photos.
Alongside the big wheel ride, there’ll also be the chance for members to win exclusive Starbucks merchandise across the two days too.
A limited number of additional ferris wheel ride tokens will also be available to win via the fairground-style Plinko game on site.
The new Starbucks Cloud Frappuccino blended drinks range includes a range of bespoke creations like the Strawberry Matcha Cloud Frappuccino, the Brown Sugar Cloud Frappuccino, and the Caramel Mocha Cloud Frappuccino.
Dolly Busby -
27th July 2023 
