How to host a pub quiz: a running order and script you can use tonight

Hosting a pub quiz looks easy until you're stood at the front with a squealing mic, a pile of answer sheets and table twelve shouting "what was that?". The good news is that most of what makes a host good is preparation, not personality.

This is the guide we'd give anyone hosting their first quiz, or anyone who's been doing it for years and wants it to run smoother. If you're starting a quiz from scratch, read how to run a pub quiz that fills a quiet Tuesday first.

The kit

• Questions, printed in large type, with the answers. Two copies, one as a spare.
• Answer sheets for every round, with a space for the team name.
• Pens. More than you think. They go missing.
• A mic and speaker that you've tested, or the questions on your TVs.
• A scoreboard: a whiteboard, a sheet on the wall or your screens.
• A tie-breaker question with a number for an answer. We've got 25 you can use.
• The prize, ready to hand over.
• The rules, written down. Here's a set you can copy.

Before the doors open

Run through this an hour before.

1. Read every question out loud once. You'll find the ones that are hard to say, and the ones with a wrong answer.
2. Test the mic from the back of the room. Turn the music down during questions.
3. Put answer sheets and pens on every table.
4. Brief the bar staff: what time the break is, and what the prize is.
5. Check the screens work, if you're using them.
6. Have water at the front for yourself. You'll be talking for two hours.

The running order

This is for a quiz starting at 7:30pm, which is when ours starts on a Tuesday at our place in Washington. Move it to suit your pub.

1. 7:00pm. Doors and answer sheets out. Say hello to every team as they arrive.
2. 7:25pm. Five-minute warning. "Five minutes, get your drinks in."
3. 7:30pm. Welcome and rules, in 30 seconds. Start on time.
4. Rounds one to three, about 10 minutes each, with marking in between.
5. Break, about 8:30pm. Long enough to get a drink and some food. Read the scores so far.
6. Rounds four to six.
7. Final scores, tie-breaker if needed, prizes.
8. About 9:30pm to 10pm. Thank everyone and tell them next week's date.

Two to two and a half hours is plenty on a weeknight.

What to say on the mic

You don't need to be a comedian. You need to be clear.

The welcome

Evening all, welcome to the quiz. Six rounds tonight, ten questions each. Teams of up to six, phones face down, the host's word is final and spelling doesn't matter. Tie-breaker is closest wins. Tonight's prize is a bar tab. Good luck. Round one is general knowledge.

Each question

• Say the question number first.
• Read the question slowly, then read it again.
• Leave a few seconds' gap before the next one.

Between rounds

Say which round has just finished, then which one is coming next. "That's the end of round two, sport. Swap your sheets with the table to your left. Round three is the picture round."

Reading the scores

Read them from the bottom up, so the ending has a bit of tension. Keep it kind. "And in last place, but having the best night, The Usual Suspects."

Marking fast and fairly

Marking is where quizzes slow down.

• Swap sheets between tables and read the answers out. It's quick and gets everyone involved.
• Or collect and mark at the bar while the next round runs. Slower to start, but fairer.
• Write the scores up after every round, so everyone knows where they stand.
• If you're challenged, listen. If they're right, give the point and say so to the room.

Keep the back of the room in it

The commonest complaint at any quiz is not being able to hear. Turn the music off during questions, face the room, hold the mic close and read every question twice. Our post on why the back of the room can't hear your quiz has more cheap fixes, including putting the questions on your TVs.

Mix the rounds

Six to eight rounds, mixed so no single team runs away with it. General knowledge, a local round, sport, a picture round, a hand-out, then general knowledge again. Our pub quiz round ideas post has 15 to choose from.

If you're doing a music round with recorded music, check you're covered by TheMusicLicence. PPL PRS lists music in quizzes as one of the uses it covers for pubs.

Prizes, and the one rule that keeps you legal

A bar tab for the winners works well because it gets spent in your pub. Keep the quiz free to enter if you can. The Gambling Commission says a prize competition relies on "an element of skill, knowledge, or judgment", which is what keeps a genuine quiz out of the lottery rules. If you start charging and paying out cash, read its guidance first. This isn't legal advice; check with your local licensing team if you're not sure.

The morning after

• Post the winners, the scores and a photo on your socials. Tag the team if they're happy to be tagged.
• Put the winners on your screens.
• Write down which questions went badly. Too hard, too easy, or answers people argued with.
• Count the teams and write it down. After six weeks, you'll know if it's growing.

How StockTap TV helps

The host runs the quiz from a phone, and every question goes up on every TV at once, so the back of the room keeps up. "Start round again" replays a round for marking, and the final scores go up on screen. At our place in Washington, between Tuesday quiz nights our Quick Fire phone quiz runs every 20 minutes, with a £20 weekly bar tab, which keeps the quiz in people's heads all week. See quiz night on every TV, or join the founding pubs.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a pub quiz last?

About two to two and a half hours with a break, on a weeknight. Any longer and teams start drifting home before the end.

How many rounds should a pub quiz have?

Six to eight rounds of eight to ten questions, plus a picture round or hand-out that runs through the night.

What does a pub quiz host need?

Questions with answers, answer sheets, pens, a tested mic or the questions on your TVs, a scoreboard, a tie-breaker, the prize and the rules written down.

How do you mark a pub quiz quickly?

Swap sheets between tables and read the answers out. Write the scores up after every round so nobody has to wait until the end.

Sources

• Gambling Commission: Definitions, from Understanding the consumer landscape in free draws and prize competitions
• 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.