DIY Trivia Night

A  few weekends ago, I hosted a trivia night. Three rounds, guys verses girls, with categories ranging from pop culture to geography. It was fun.

Admittedly the preparation for the event took over ten hours of researching and copying down questions, but it was worth it. Hosting parties is one of my love languages.

Once it was over and a few pictures were shared online, I had a bunch of inquires about the setup and realized the night would have been much easier with a little help.

So here’s your help. Supplies, directions, and a free question and answer download. Get your trivia on. You won’t regret it.

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Supplies

• White board and dry erase markers
• Index cards
• Downloaded Q&As
• Tape
• Math skills or a designated scorekeeper
• Stopwatch/smartphone to keep time
• Prizes for winning team

Set up

• Write each question and answer on the back an index card.
• Label each card with the category for easy set up.
• On the opposite side, write the point value.
• Separate and organize cards into rounds, placing each round in a labeled envelope for safe keeping.
• Set up a dry erase board in Jeopardy format with 5 category columns, 5 questions each in ascending order.
• Use tape.
• Label categories on white board with dry erase marker.

Directions & Rules

• Have your guests split into two teams. Optimal group size: 10-16 (5-8 on each team).
• Two minutes to choose team names.
• Coin toss for who goes first.
• Three rounds with five categories each. Each team has one minute to answer their chosen question.
• Once your team has answered a question, it is the other team’s turn to choose a category and question.
• You must say “final answer” after your final answer.
• If the team answering gets the question wrong, the other team has 30 seconds to guess for half the points.
• For answers that contain a person’s name, you must have two out of three parts of the name if it applies. (Example: Author Louisa May Alcott may be answered Louisa May or Louisa Alcott, etc.)

Question and Answers

Make up your own or use: Kate’s Trivia Set #1

Click Here To Download

Optional Picture Rounds

 I used this one,  this one, and this one. You can find more here.

Tips & Tricks

• For prizes, I found a few track and field medals at the thrift store and then made additional medals using vintage buttons and twine. It was my sister’s idea. She’s a genius. 
• As the host, it will take time to set up each new round. Use that time to allow the teams to earn extra points by completing picture rounds while you are arranging the new categories and questions. If the group is large (5+), you may want to provide two. In between round two and three, I handed out “Famous Doctors” and “Famous Waynes.” Each correct answer is worth +100. Incorrect answers worth zero (no negative points).
• Try to remain unbiased (it was hard to not help the women out).
• In the unlikely event of a tie, give each team a piece of paper, a pen, and 2 minutes to name as many of the 50 states as possible (do not disclose this prior to the tie). Whoever has the most states (or gets them all first) wins.

 Enjoy.

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(Photo contributions by Mo Nolt)