Guide · Christmas
How to host a Christmas quiz night
Whether it is the pub, the office party or the family after dinner, a good Christmas quiz is mostly about planning: the right number of rounds, clear rules and quick scoring. Here is a simple plan you can follow.
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1. Pick the format
- Pub or club night: six rounds of ten, teams of up to six, a short break after round three.
- Work Christmas party: four rounds of ten is plenty. Keep it light and mix departments into teams.
- At home: three or four rounds after dinner, with one person as host and everyone else in two or three teams.
2. Choose the rounds
Mix easy and hard rounds so every team scores something. Good Christmas rounds include traditions, Christmas films and telly, Christmas number ones, food and drink, around Britain, and a picture or music round. Put your hardest round in the middle, not at the end.
3. Plan the timings
- Welcome, rules and team names: 10 minutes.
- Each round of ten: about 10 to 12 minutes, including reading every question twice.
- Swap sheets and mark after each round: 3 to 5 minutes.
- Break after round three: 15 minutes, and read the scores out.
- Tiebreaker and winners: 5 minutes.
4. Scoring that keeps it moving
- Teams swap answer sheets with the next table to mark, while you read the answers.
- One point per answer, with half points only if you said so at the start.
- Keep a single score sheet and read the standings at the break and before the final round.
- Have a numerical tiebreaker ready, plus a spare.
5. Host checklist
- Printed questions with answers on separate pages, so nobody can peek.
- One answer sheet per team per round, and pens.
- A score sheet with room for every team.
- A microphone or a loud voice, and a clear view of the room.
- Prizes: even a tin of chocolates for the winners and a booby prize for last place.
- Check every answer before the night. A wrong answer read out loud loses the room fast.
Mistakes to avoid
- Too many rounds. People drift off after about two hours.
- Questions only one age group can answer. Mix old and new.
- Slow marking. Swap sheets and keep going.
- Not saying the rules on phones, team size and disputes at the start.
Related guides: Christmas quiz questions, how to write a Christmas party speech and how to budget for Christmas.
Frequently asked questions
- How many rounds should a Christmas quiz have?
- Six rounds of ten questions suits most nights. It runs to roughly two hours with a break, which is long enough to be fun and short enough to keep the room.
- How big should quiz teams be?
- Four to six people per team works well. Set a maximum before you start so one big table cannot dominate.
- How do you settle a tie?
- Use a number tiebreaker: a question with a numerical answer, where the closest team wins. Have two ready in case the first one also ties.
- Should phones be banned?
- Yes, say so at the start and repeat it before each round. Ask teams to keep phones face down on the table.
Want the quiz ready to print?
The Great British Christmas Quiz has sixty original questions in six rounds of ten (traditions, film and telly, Christmas dinner, number ones, around Britain, winter science), a tiebreaker, team answer sheets, a ten-team score sheet and host answers on separate pages. A4 print PDF plus a phone-sized PDF, £3.99. Running a bigger night? The Christmas Pub Quiz Host Pack has 40 rounds and 400 questions with photocopiable team answer sheets for £7.99.