More Themed Quizzes

Hey there Intellectual Property fans, have I got some exciting quiz news for you. In honor of Halloween (I suppose), here are two chances to dress up and get quizzing!

First, on Wednesday October 28th, You Know Nothing - Games Of Thrones Trivia Night is being hosted by local host Lucas Meneses-Skoda at Venue Nightclub. Teams of up to 8 people, tickets $10 each. The grand prize is a frankly impressive $500, so bring your best Valyrian Steel trap minds. It appears to be primarily based on the HBO show, and less on the George R. R. Martin Book. Doors at 6, quizzin' at 7. Buy your tickets here.

If you're not tired out by that, The Manchester Public Eatery in Kits is hosting Harry Potter Trivia the very next night, starting at 7:30. Not as much information on this one, but tickets are $5 each, and teams can have up to seven aspiring wizards on them. Buy tickets here, although there will be some available at the door if you prefer to live on the edge.

Of course, both of these events will have an attendant costume contest, so come dressed for the occasion!

Nice Guys Trivia @ the Lamplighter

Bring your near-sighted brain.
Also, your astigmatic liver.

Where: The Lamplighter, 92 Water Street

When: 7 PM, Tuesdays.

Web Presence: Check the Nice Guys Trivia page for occasional updates.

Team Info: Not entirely certain, but I'd wager that you can bring as many as you like, per other quizzes at Donnelly pubs.

Prizes: Top three teams win a pitcher of beer, along with other prizes. Also a few games of "Heads Or Tails" could win you supplementary drinks.

Format: The standard 8 round Nice Guys quiz you'll see at Donnelly pubs across the city. A photo round to warm up, and a heavy emphasis on music. Be prepared for an "In the news" round, coming from that liner of composts across the city, The Province.

Food and Drink: I found the food to be pretty pub-standard, but I was very impressed by the beer selection. I mean, nobody will confuse it for the Alibi Room or 12 Kings, but the selection is vast, with a lot of good craft choices.

Here we are again, at another quiz in a Donnelly pub run by the kind fellows at Nice Guys Trivia. I had a pretty good idea of what to expect, but let's recap for those at the back. Here you'll find lots of pop culture questions, with almost half the points coming from music and current events. The quizmasters are fairly brisk about proceedings, moving along at a much faster pace than I had previously experienced with Nice Guys. If there is one thing I really don't like about quizzes, it is when the hosts artificially drag things on. I understand that the quiz is here to get us to buy food and drinks and otherwise patronise a place we maybe wouldn't, but I can't stand it when places are downright shameless about it. Anyways, not a problem this time around. Perhaps someone reads my occasional bitching? A nice thought.

No, my son is also named
the Lamplighter

The tenor of the questions seemed quite similar to what I've seen at The Bimini, the former Calling, and other similar pubs, so I think it is a very safe bet to say most quizzes are a long the same lines here. Nothing unusually dumb, but also nothing overly difficult. A good sense of standard quiz knowledge, acronyms, and picking the least-likely sounding multiple choice question will take you a long way here.

The bar's a big one, so chances that you'll find a seat. The Lamplighter's website claims that it is "The biggest pub quiz night in Vancouver," although I dispute that particular claim. They definitely have a large and busy space, but based on the number of teams I've seen there, I don't think it is the biggest by a long shot. Even though it isn't packed to the rafters with teams, there is still a good number of regular teams that show up to do battle every week, which is the sign of a healthy quiz. They mostly seemed nice, and were gracious in defeat.

WELL:  Probably the best location I've been to yet for a Nice Guys/Donnelly quiz. Good sized crowd, and moves along at a decent pace

Quiz News!

Here's some piping hot quiz news for you, straight from the ovens that produces all news:

• Deb, aka the Quismistress is taking lucky key trivia to The Brighton Pub, in Hastings-Sunrise. Wednesday nights at 8 PM, with a $40 bar tab on the line. Great to see a quiz pop up in that neighbourhood.
• IQ2000 is spreading to the suburbs, running a quiz on Thursday nights at Townhall public House in Coquitlum. The festivities start August 13th.
• The quiz at Darby's continues under the watchful eye of Carin, every Thursday night
• Decoda Literacy is hosting their second annual Literacy Team Trivia Challenge, this time at Red Card Sports Bar. It was good fun last time around, and if you want a crack at the oversize trophy, well... *cracks knuckles, blows dust off fingernails* you'll have to come through me to get it. Come on down, and support a good cause while answering some questions. 

The Queen is Dead, Long Live the Queen

It was the end of an era in Vancouver quizzing last week, as Katie ran her last quiz at Darby's on Thursday. Katie had been a mainstay of the Vancouver quiz scene for the last five years, running over 200 quizzes from her base at Fourth and MacDonald in Kits. I would take in Katie's quizzes frequently, and it was always a great time. She had an excellent sense of topic and knew her crowd well. The quiz at Darby's was a tightly-run ship, with well-researched questions, practised delivery, and impeccable promptness. There's no wondering why Quiz night at Darby's had such a large and dedicated following, and easily the best competition of any quiz night in town.

So, thanks for all the great quizzes, Katie! It was truly a pleasure. I hope that you inspire some bored young person to start Prince Rupert Pub Quiz dot com.

Will Never Lead Me Anywhere But Here

While we're all reeling over the breakup of Canadian indie darlings The Weakerthans, I figure I may as well slip in some quiz news, good and bad:

• Quiz at the Bottleneck is on hiatus until September
• Yagger's Downtown is starting to fill up, so show up early for quiz if you want to grab a spot
• Quiz at Darby's will continue, but longtime host Katie will only host two more quizzes (Tomorrow and July 23). If you want to stop in and bid farewell, you'd better do it now. I know I'll be there. Look for the enormous team split in two if you want to say hi. 

Shout out to some astute readers who shot me this information a week ago, I'm sorry it took me so long to update the site.

I Quiz! I Die! I Quiz Again!

Friends an enemies of pub quiz, I've got some news on the ins and outs of pub quiz in Vancouver.

IN: Harry Potter Quiz is returning to The Sunset Grill on Wednesday, June 24th. At 7:30 PM, come on down and take your O.W.L.s and your N.E.W.T.s, and have a lot of fun answering questions about the world's favourite teen wizarding sensation. I can't back that last statement up with fact, but take my word for it. Tickets can be purchased here. The last event sold out, so get on it before it is too late. 

OUT: After several years of quizzing patrons on Commercial Drive, the trivia night at Falconetti's has shut its proverbial doors. I'll miss it, but the gentlemen from Smarty Pints Trivia continue at The Five Point,  where you'll find them every Wednesday evening. 

IN: My, IQ 2000 is keeping busy. On top of their weekly quizzes at the Kings Head and the two Colonies (Main and Kitsilano), there is a truly staggering array of niche quizzes hosted at the Biltmore Cabaret. If Star Wars, Game of Thrones, and Lord of the Rings wasn't your thing, then perhaps mid-90s and early 2000s television is more up your alley. You'll find IQ 2000-hosted quizzes on Seinfeld, Friends, and The OC, all in the next month. Goodness.

Vancouver Craft Beer Week Trivia Giveaway!

Well, I haven't mentioned it on my blog yet, since it has been sold out since before I found out, but Colony Main Street will be hosting What the Hop? Beer Trivia on Saturday, May 30th, from 2-6 PM as part of Vancouver Craft Beer Week. The event will be hosted by IQ 2000 Trivia, and entry comes with rounds of craft beer to taste, as well as appetizers for the team.

Why am I mentioning this now? I already said it was sold out. Even if you had the sixty dollar entry fee, you wouldn't be able to get a ticket. Am I just rubbing it in your face? Of course not! The kind folks running the show have provided me with a table to give away to one lucky reader. So here's what we're going to do. If you want to go (and trust me, you do), send me an email at vancouverpubquiz@gmail.com letting me know what your favourite craft beer is, and I'll pick a winner, and you'll have a chance to get day drunk and answer some trivia questions. 

I realise it would be more germane for a quiz blog to ask you a quiz question for a contest, so I'll make this a bit more interesting. I'll give priority to whoever gets this question right: In what local district municipality will you find the main brewery for Four Winds Brewing? 

Once again, send your answers to vancouverpubquiz@gmail.com to get yourself and some friends a spot at Vancouver's first craft beer quiz.