Looking to liven up your trivia party? Perhaps you’re sick of un-themed quiz nights and you want to narrow down the scope of your trivia, or you’ve got a concept in mind but want to take your planning to the next level. But after nearly two years of relative isolation, your hosting abilities are no longer as instinctual as they were before.
Not to fear! Below, we’ve gathered a boatload of ideas that’ll make for a kick-ass trivia party—and make you come across as the fun-loving host that you’re striving to be. Take a look at our list of these ten party themes and pick your favorite the next time you’re hosting.
How Do I Host an Online Trivia Party?
Feeling wary about hosting your trivia party in person? No worries, we’ve been there! In this day and age, it never hurts to be a little extra cautious when you want to gather with friends.
When you’re looking to take your trivia night online, first decide what video calling service suits you best. Zoom is everyone’s go-to standby, but don’t forget about Skype, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams. Send out an invite link to get the party started.
Sometimes, friends get to chatting and it’s hard to stay on task. Designate some time for catching up at the beginning of your meeting, then get down to trivia business. Consider creating an agenda for each round to help avoid confusion as to how the game progresses.
It’s not always easy to keep every player engaged during a virtual game, so try to keep it light and fun. Maybe wear a themed costume or pepper in a mid-game surprise. You can also add sound effects or visual effects to your trivia presentation. Remember, few things are duller than a party that’s dead silent—pop on your favorite playlist to hype up the mood.
For more tips and tricks on hosting your next trivia party online, check out this Trivia Bliss article.
Trivia Murder Party
If you love video party games, then you’ve definitely heard of Jackbox Games. They’ve been setting the standard for electronic party gameplay for years, and Trivia Murder Party is no exception.
In Trivia Murder Party, players compete to correctly answer trivia questions provided by an evil killer with a spooky voice. Those who answer incorrectly then have to play mini-games in between rounds to save themselves from becoming a ghost at the hands of the killer. The mini-games are mostly just for fun—those who die can continue gameplay in the following trivia category.
The game itself is incredibly easy to set up and super accessible—players enter a room code on jackbox.tv to enter the game and play from their own mobile devices. Questions, answers, and mini-games play out on a bigger screen. The game is available for purchase as a smart TV app as well as on a variety of video game platforms, such as Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.
Since Trivia Murder Party is a pretty simple game, feel free to go all out with the party’s bells and whistles. Maybe have everyone dress up in their creepiest, crawliest garb, or make those who become ghosts wear a Halloween costume-esque sheet with eyeholes cut out. You could also serve some scary food, like chocolate cupcakes with fake blood frosting or gooey eyeball donut holes.
Retirement Party Trivia
Your beloved colleague is saying goodbye to their time in the organized workforce and charging straight ahead into the open frontier of retirement. What better way to celebrate your favorite retiree than answering trivia questions about them?
If you’re hosting, interview the retiree about a week before the party. Ask them questions about their basic preferences—favorite color, favorite food, et cetera—as well as about notable happenings during their career. Then, take the time to ask fellow colleagues about their favorite moments with the retiree, and any special facts they might know that could serve as useful trivia.
After collecting plenty of trivia fodder, it’s time to write your quiz. Consider having a fill-in-the-blank or multiple-choice written game. You could also use a Jeopardy! board with trivia of increasing difficulty. Be sure to provide a prize for the winner, as well as one for the retiree—if you’re at a party all about you, it should be extra fun!
Birthday Party Trivia
Similarly to a retirement party trivia game, a birthday party trivia game’s main goal is to make the guest of honor feel incredibly special and all others to bask in the glow of their collective special memories. In other words, it’s a great way to bring good friends even closer together.
The best friend of the person celebrating the birthday is the ideal candidate for compiling trivia for this quiz. The birthday person should be welcome to share their input and pepper in facts they want to include—as long as it doesn’t ruin their fun!
It’s a good idea for an entertaining host to stand at a podium and read out questions if there’s quite a crowd at the party. At a loud and raucous event, this game could be even more fun (and competitive!) with the addition of buzzers. You can purchase a set of physical buzzers from your local game shop or check out our article on buzzer apps for your guests to download on their personal devices.
Movie Trivia Party Games
Got any film buffs in the room? If so, a movie trivia party is perfect for you. Pop some popcorn and dim the lights before you get started.
Movie night trivia is particularly fun on a big screen. Consider connecting your laptop to a large screen television and shuffle through a slideshow presentation of questions. Looking for some questions? Look no further than The Big Movie Quiz!
And remember Scene It? If you still have a DVD of the game, this would be the perfect time to dust it off for some trivia that’s a little more vintage (if we can refer to the early aughts that way, that is!).
If you’re itching to marathon a specific movie franchise (think Harry Potter, Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings), consider interspersing themed trivia quizzes in between each movie. It’ll give you a chance to re-familiarize yourself with the film’s specific details before diving back into a re-watch.
Disney Princess Trivia
If you’ve got a Disney lover in your life, then this is the party for your crowd. Ask all guests to dress as their favorite princess, and break the ice by guessing each player’s costume as they show up to the party. Then a host, perhaps dressed as Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother or their favorite Disney fairytale villain, can ask questions and call on players with a wave of their wand.
A princess trivia game is perfect for a crowd of kiddos at a children’s party, although older Disney fanatics are welcome to join in on the fun. Encourage parents to team up with their kids and provide assistance if questions become too tough.
Historically Disney princesses have been subject to all sorts of thinly veiled (or overt!) misogyny. Making fun of their high voices or prim feminine mannerisms have been common ways of doing. Try your best to avoid that at your party by only impersonating the princesses in a respectful way. You can even do a version of this virtually!
Bachelorette Party Trivia
A trivia quiz is essential for any bachelorette party. It’s the perfect drinking game for pre-gaming your bar crawl or just for some good-natured fun amongst friends.
The maid of honor is a perfect host for this, but any bubbly guest can deliver the questions. Ask anything about the bride-to-be and the happy couple. Feel free to make the question topics as sweet or as spicy as you like, as long as you establish boundaries with the bride ahead of time—the last thing you want to do is embarrass the bride at her own party! Take a sip per question, and chug or opt for a shot if a question is answered incorrectly.
Is your bride tribe up for day drinking? You can play over mimosas at brunch, champagne in the afternoon, or your favorite cocktail any time of day. Make it a family affair with bridal shower trivia, too!
And it doesn’t have to just end at the nuptials, either! You can even throw a little trivia into a baby shower!
Office Party Trivia
If you’re missing the antics of your favorite paper company employees from Scranton, it might be time to host an Office-themed trivia night! This is best played a la a zany conference room meeting led by Michael Scott, so whoever’s hosting shouldn’t be afraid of having a goof.
Encourage players to dress up as their favorite Dunder Mifflin employee. Whether you’re a Jim, Pam, Angela, or Dwight, this is a way to make everyday business casual wear special and a little silly. And when it comes to props, go all out—George Foreman grills and staplers in Jell-O molds are perfect for adding to the fun.
Want some Office-ception? Consider playing an Office-themed trivia quiz at your next office party! Good memories of this fan-favorite sitcom are sure to brighten up any ordinary day at the workplace.
Christmas Party Trivia
When the basic ugly sweater or cookie decorating parties start to sound stale, think about adding some trivia into the mix. No matter the setting of your Christmas party, a trivia quiz is a great way to engage extended family, coworkers, and friends alike.
To keep it relatively secular, you can ask questions about classic Christmas song lyrics, famous Christmas movies or TV programs, and historical Christmas traditions from around the globe. If your crowd is over 21, perhaps turn your quiz into a drinking game with spiked eggnog or cranberry punch, and ask players to take a sip when they give an incorrect answer.
Wine Trivia Questions Party
If you’re a wine aficionado, consider playing wine-based trivia at your next dinner party. A quiz like this would pair wonderfully with a wine tasting, as well. You could hit a nearby winery, or purchase a few nice bottles to taste test at home with a few friends. The world of wine is large, so you can ask general questions (i.e. what makes a Sauvignon Blanc different from a Pinot Grigio), but be sure to feature some questions about the specific wines you’re tasting, as well.
There are plenty of wine trivia games out there—browse on Amazon or Etsy to find one to your taste—or you can write your own questions. You might consider altering the difficulty of your trivia depending on whether your friends are wine connoisseurs or casual drinkers. Definitely include some questions about the wine you’re drinking, such as the year it was made or the region that it comes from.
For a difficult twist, ask guests to rank each wine from which they believe to be the least expensive to the most expensive. They might be surprised if their tastes don’t match the pricing scale!
Wine nights tend to be more subdued than your average trivia party, so feel free to provide a written trivia quiz or deliver your answers aloud. Whether your friends like to get rowdy or enjoy being quietly tipsy, providing wine trivia is certain to make for a memorable evening.
Beach Party Trivia
You’ve taken your family to the beach on a lovely summer day, but you’ve had your fill of swimming and the kids are sick of playing in the sand. Before you hit your midday slump, consider whipping out some fun beach trivia for the whole family to enjoy.
A trivia quiz is also a wonderful way to fill any dull moment during a big beach party! Sandwiched in between two rounds of a physical game or during a snack break, this will provide some levity during a long beach day.
You could also play trivia hot potato—volley a beach ball between participants while music plays. The participant who is holding the beach ball when the music pauses is asked a question, and if they answer incorrectly, they are eliminated. You can add difficulty to the game by stopping the music frequently or requiring those who drop the ball to answer questions, too.
Make sure the trivia you’re asking is on topic—anything to keep up the summer fun. Consider asking questions about past songs of the summer (like the ones we’ve listed here) or about blockbuster summer films. You could also feature trivia about aquatic life, seashells, or the world’s most famous beaches.
There you have it, our top recommendations for themed trivia to keep your next party fun and fresh. We’d love to hear a story about your all-time favorite trivia party in the comments section. Looking for something a little more low-key? We’ve got you covered for that, too!
If you’d like even more recommendations for throwing a kick-ass party, be sure to read our articles on trivia you can play on your Alexa device, running a good trivia night, how to make your own at-home Jeopardy game, snacks perfect for trivia night, fun visual round ideas, bride and groom trivia, and costume ideas.
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