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The virtual pub quiz boom feels like a long time ago now, long enough that we feel a little confused and vaguely embarrassed that it ever happened. But they were different times, those salad days of the lockdown. From March to April, we were digging through the internet like urban foxes at a compost bin, grateful for any mouldy sandwich crust of entertainment we could shake loose. By March 29, ‘lockdown quiz questions’ had become a breakout search term on Google, and searches for answers to random trivia questions skyrocketed, outing us as a pathetic nation of quiz cheats. Think of all those hours we spent staring at badly cropped jpegs shoved into word docs for the picture round; the song intros played through tinny laptop speakers.
No more.
Because real-life pub quizzes are back.
On Saturday July 4, London’s pubs began to reopen, and now pub quiz hosts are gearing up for their return, with a question sheet in one hand and a bottle of sanitiser in the other.
If you’re ready for a world of bricks-and-mortar quiz nights, here’s where you can find them. Keep a good social distance and nobody will be able to steal your team name.
The Big RVT Quiz – hosted by PopHorror
We make no secret of the fact that the Royal Vauxhall Tavern is a Time Out favourite, so we were relieved that the pub and legendary queer performance venue was able to reopen. For now, the cabarets and sweaty club nights are on pause but the venue is allowed to have a low-key version of its PopHorror pub quiz. Bring your ’90s slasher movie knowledge for a chance to win a free bar tab and tickets to the RVT Christmas panto. Royal Vauxhall Tavern. Tube: Vauxhall. Thu Jul 16. £3 per person, get your tickets here.
Quiz On My Face with Baby Lame
Consider the title of this event a warning and wear that protective face mask with pride. All guests at this quiz will be kept a safe distance away from its all-powerful host, Baby Lame, a queen with a mouth like a sewer and hairdo filled with equally filthy secrets. Prepare for super X-rated, blush-inducing question rounds that will make you wish you still had the option to ‘hide video’. The Glory. Haggerston Overground. Every other Tue, Jul 21-Sep 1. Tickets £5 per person.
The Pub Quiz at The Old Queens Head
It’s mostly known as ‘the one with the good roasts’, but this Essex Road pub happens to have a very popular quiz with pretty generous cash prizes (the jackpot has been known to reach £1,000). Quiz night is back on July 21, but with pre-booked tickets and restricted team numbers. Lucky Chip is looking after the menu, so you can tuck into a ‘Royal wit Cheese’ while you re-learn to socialise. The Old Queens Head. Tube: Angel. Every Tue. Tickets from £12 per team.
Sunday Quiz at The Coppermill
The Coppermill is a small, simple pub sat right at the beginning of the path to Walthamstow Marshes, making it the perfect spot to sack off your long walk and have a pint instead. It has quickly adapted to social distancing with plenty of outdoor seating, hand sanitiser and a sign-in for track and trace. Now its cosy Sunday quiz is making a comeback. No gimmicks or themes, just a standard, reassuring bit of pub trivia, with a £50 prize for the winners. The Coppermill. Tube: Blackhorse Rd. Every Sun. Free entry. Find out more here.
See if your local is on our list of the best bars in London.
Absolutely not ready for the real thing? Stick to the virtual quizzes instead.