Christmas pub quiz: how to run it, plus 20 questions and answers

A Christmas quiz is one of the easiest December nights to sell. Teams book a table, they bring people who wouldn't come on a normal quiz night, and it works on the Mondays and Tuesdays that are hard to fill with parties.

Here's how to run one, and 20 questions you can use. Every answer has been checked against the V&A, the Royal Family's own website or the Mayor of London's website. They're listed at the bottom.

Pick the night and sell it as an event

Choose a quiet night. Monday to Wednesday in the first two weeks of December is ideal. Our post on filling December has the 2026 dates.
Take table bookings. Ask for a team name and numbers when they book. It makes it feel like an event and tells you how many to staff for.
Add food. A Christmas sandwich, a platter for the table or mince pies at the break. Keep it simple.
Set a fair prize. A bar tab for the winners, a box of chocolates for second and something silly for last. Our post on prizes that bring people back covers the rules.

A running order that works

7:00pm: doors, team sheets out.
7:30pm: round one, general knowledge.
Round two: Christmas (the questions below).
Round three: picture round.
Break: food, bar, bingo or a raffle (see the rules below).
Round four: music or a "name the Christmas film from the line" round.
Round five: Christmas, part two.
Final round: general knowledge, then the tie-breaker.

Keep the whole thing to about two and a half hours. It's a school night for lots of people.

Round ideas that suit Christmas

Christmas number ones. If you play the songs, check you're covered by TheMusicLicence first. If you just ask the question, there's no music to license. Our music licence post explains it.
Name the film from the line. Read out a short line of dialogue.
Christmas around the world. Traditions from other countries.
Local Christmas. The year your town's lights were first switched on, the name of the local panto, where the big tree stands. Regulars love a local round. Check every answer yourself.
Picture round. Close-ups of Christmas things you've photographed yourself.

There are plenty more in our pub quiz round ideas post.

20 Christmas quiz questions and answers

Christmas cards and broadcasts

1. In what year was the first commercial Christmas card produced? 1843.
2. Who commissioned it? Henry Cole (the V&A's founding director).
3. Which artist designed it? John Callcott Horsley.
4. How many copies were printed? 1,000.
5. How much did each card cost? One shilling. The V&A says it was a commercial flop.
6. Which king gave the first royal Christmas broadcast? King George V.
7. In which year? 1932.
8. Which famous writer wrote it? Rudyard Kipling.
9. From which royal house was it broadcast? Sandringham.
10. In what year was the royal Christmas broadcast first shown on television? 1957.

Trees, songs and dates

11. Which country gives London the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square each year? Norway.
12. Since which year has it been given? 1947.
13. What kind of tree is it? A Norwegian spruce.
14. How are its lights hung, in the traditional Norwegian way? In vertical strings.
15. In "The Twelve Days of Christmas", what is given on the fifth day? Five gold rings.
16. In the same song, how many lords are a-leaping? Ten.
17. In the same song, how many gifts are given in total across all twelve days? 364.
18. On which day of the week does Christmas Day fall in 2026? Friday.
19. What were the opening words of the first royal Christmas broadcast? "I speak now from my home and from my heart to you all." Accept close.
20. Roughly how long did the first royal Christmas broadcast last? About two and a half minutes.

Tie-breaker

About how many people listened to the first royal Christmas broadcast in 1932? About 20 million. Closest wins.

Bingo or a raffle at the break?

Both are popular at Christmas. Both have rules.

Bingo. The Gambling Commission says bingo can be run as exempt gaming in pubs, but there are conditions, including a stake limit of £5 per person per game, no participation fees, all stakes returned as prizes, and no under-18s. Our post on bingo at the quiz break goes through them.

Raffles. A raffle is a lottery, and lotteries have their own rules depending on who runs them and why. If you want to sell raffle tickets, read the Gambling Commission's guidance first, or ask your local licensing team. A free draw for everyone who comes is simpler.

This isn't legal advice. Check with your local licensing team if you're not sure.

Tell people

Put the date, the time and "book your table" on your screens from now.
Put a card on every table at your normal quiz.
Post the team list on your socials the week before. People like seeing their team name.
After the night, post the winners and a photo, if they're happy to be in it.

How StockTap TV helps

At our place in Washington, our quiz night is Tuesday at 7:30pm and the questions go up on every TV at once, so the back of the room keeps up. Teams answer on their phones and the final scores go up on screen. During the day our Quick Fire phone quiz runs every 20 minutes with a £20 weekly bar tab, which keeps people playing between quiz nights. See quiz night on every TV, or join the founding pubs.

Frequently asked questions

When should I hold a Christmas pub quiz?

On a quiet night in the first two weeks of December. Mondays to Wednesdays are usually the hardest to sell for parties, so a quiz fills them.

How many questions should a Christmas quiz have?

Six rounds of eight to ten questions is about right, with one or two Christmas rounds mixed in with general knowledge.

Can I play Christmas songs in a music round?

Playing recorded music to customers usually needs TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS. Check your licence covers it before you play anything.

Is a raffle at a Christmas quiz legal?

Raffles are lotteries and have rules. Read the Gambling Commission's guidance or ask your local licensing team before you sell tickets.

Sources

V&A: The first Christmas card
The Royal Family: The Christmas Broadcast
Mayor of London: Christmas at Trafalgar Square
Gambling Commission: Exempt gaming in pubs
PPL PRS: TheMusicLicence for pubs and bars

We checked every source on 24 October 2026. Rules change, so check the latest version before you act. Nothing here is legal advice.