The 10 week qualifying period for our 25th Tournament of Champions (which, fittingly, will take place the first of February in 2025) has concluded at all venues (see final standings 

). We had so many teams turn out for qualifying, with some incredible performances from hundreds of Whaddayaknow? Quiz fans!

Every team who qualified will receive an invitation via email in the next few weeks (keep an eye on your inbox between January 6-8). If you are a qualifying team who has provided an email address to your host, you should receive an email around that time to claim your spot in the tournament. Details and directions will also be included in that email.

If you are a member of a qualifying team and are unsure if you gave your host your team's email contact, please reach out to dan@freepubtrivia.com ASAP or message us on social media - we’re on 

. You won't want to miss out on one of the events of the year! Space will fill up quickly!

It's sure to be the biggest and best version of Chicagoland's Premiere Pub Trivia Event yet - and we'll unveil the host venues very soon! That means more teams, bigger prizes and even more surprises are in store! Email dan@freepubtrivia.com with any questions at all.

The qualifying period for our 25th SILVER TOC has concluded! Emails to qualifying teams will be sent out early 2025. Click above for details on making sure we have an email from your team, along with details about what’s sure to be the biggest and most exciting Tournament of Champions yet!

Start ‘25 With TOC #25 - Tournament Of Champions Qualifying Has Concluded!

There’s no better thing than trivia during the holiday season! However, some of our venues will be closed for various holidays. As always, check our website for 

 where we post an up-to-date list of all events daily.

All trivia events will be 

on Christmas and Christmas Eve (12/24 and 12/25). However we will have several bars open on New Year’s Eve (12/31) for anyone looking to ring in the New Year with a 2024 Year In Review themed set!

Innjoy Wicker Park: 2051 W Division St, Chicago (8 p.m. start time)

Good Times Brewing: 3827 N Broadway, Chicago (7 p.m. start time)

We hope your holidays are bright, and look forward to seeing you throughout the season and well into 2025!

There’s no better time for trivia than the holiday season! While there will be no trivia on Christmas and Christmas Eve, learn more about where to play the nation’s best team trivia games during the winter season!

2024-2025 Winter Holiday Trivia Schedule!

We all love our trivia, and started our particular version of it way back in 2007 when east coast transplant Daniel Burns came on out to the great city of Chicago! 

While you may have experienced and enjoyed our vision for using trivia as a way to bring people together (and have a great time), you might not realize how much trivia you encounter in your day-to-day life. Your local news might have a soft segment with random fun facts, like 

. You might be at the proverbial office water cooler and have a coworker inform you that tablecloths were first used as 

. You might be sitting down with your family to play Trivial Pursuit or other knowledge based games.

. And the origin of team trivia can be found with the history of Pub Trivia.

Pub trivia first became a social gathering in the United Kingdom. While its exact origins are unknown, it likely started as an extension of bar arguments and discussions regarding obscure facts. There’s a reason why The Guinness Book of World Records has its name - it was literally written by 

By the late 1950s, over 4,000 people were participating in various organized pub trivia events, largely in Merseyside and Lancashire. In 1976, 

 was founded, establishing 32 quiz teams with three different leagues. The selling point for businesses was to attract customers on slow nights at pubs, providing entertainment and encouraging the purchase of a pint or two.

Over the next few years, the popularity of pub trivia in the United Kingdom skyrocketed. From 32 teams, Burns and Porter soon had over 10,000 teams, and the BBC began taping and airing trivia-based television programming.

But across the pond, bar trivia was nonexistent. But in the 1980s, trivia finally got it’s foot in the door of American culture.

In 1979, Canadian journalists Chris Haney and Scott Abbott were trying to find an 

 of the game Scrabble after finding their Scrabble board was missing pieces. Fittingly, they were at a bar and brainstormed ideas over a few beers, ultimately coming up with the idea of a trivia-based board game.

In 1981, Trivia Pursuit was released and introduced recreational trivia to the American public. But another trivia phenomenon presented itself - the revival of 

Jeopardy was first created in 1964, and was cancelled in 1975. It had a brief revival in 1979, but only lasted one season. But in 1984 they debuted a revamped version of the show with a Canadian broadcaster-turned-game show host named Alex Trebek, and the rest was history. It also made trivia even more popular to the American public.

Like Burns and Porter, local bar owners realized that they could take advantage of this new interest in trivia to bring in patrons on off-days like Tuesdays and Wednesdays where nights were slow.

These bars experimented with different approaches, such as introducing themed rounds focused on specific topics or events. The concept of themed rounds with questions solely focused on movies, music, sports and other popular topics helped establish the popularity of pub trivia in America, which only would grow.

The Growth of American Pub and Bar Quizzes

Going into the 90s, Trivial Pursuit was still widely popular, and more and more bars were using trivia as social events to bring in customers.

It’s no surprise that social gathering locations, such as bars and taverns, worked so well for team trivia events. Trivia is, at its heart, social. It encourages lively discussion and, yes, disagreements, but half of the fun comes from going back and forth with friends to find the right answer.

And a few pints to lubricate the conversation doesn’t hurt.

Most bars would host their own individualized trivia nights, with questions written by an employee or a freelance trivia host, but by the 2000s companies that ran standardized trivia events at multiple locations with unique formats and engaging hosts began appearing across the country.

, for example, was one of the first established Team Trivia companies founded in Chicago in 2008. Since then they’ve hosted hundreds of thousands of events at thousands of locations, and are only seeing the interest in team trivia increasing with every year.

Pub trivia has now strongly established its value to business owners - and the best part is, it isn’t isolated to just bars. Private events, corporations parties, and social gatherings of all sorts use Team Trivia as an icebreaker, or just a fun way to spend a few hours with coworkers and friends.

While trivia has been around as long as we’ve had history and culture, pub trivia, and general team trivia, has found a way to take knowledge and make it fun for everyone who participates. Be sure to take advantage of our many team trivia events at the 

You might think Team Trivia has been around forever, but the history of Pub Trivia is surprisingly recent. Enjoy our first of many Whaddayaknow? Trivia blog posts!

The History of Bar Trivia

Looking for an awesome event to attend this Saturday, December 7th, and want to support a wonderful Chicago nonprofit in the process? Join us at LUMBERLAND! Reserve your tickets below - they are FREE! Donations are optional, and go to support the amazing Chicago Rebuilding Exchange!

Lumberland is the Exchange's annual winter-themed craft fair, hosted in the organization's warehouse at 1740 W. Webster Ave. Come enjoy activities, music, raffle prizes, food, and drinks while you browse the handmade wares of local artists and craftspeople!



https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lumberland-winter-market-2024-tickets-1075785556559?aff=oddtdtcreator

Join us for Lumberland 2024, our annual winter-themed craft fair hosted in the Rebuilding Exchange Chicago Warehouse. Come enjoy activities, music, raffle prizes, food, and drinks while you browse the handmade wares of our local artists and craftspeople!

Lumberland Winter Market 2024!

December 10 (Tues): A Christmas Story Trivia

December 17 (Tues): How The Grinch Stole Christmas Trivia

December 24 (Tues): 2024 Year In Review Trivia

December 30 (Mon): Music Bingo(no trivia on December 31)

Whaddayaknow? will be at Christmas Inn (the awesome Christmas pop-up bar from the Hubbard Inn) at 110 W. Hubbard St in River North TWICE a week through the holiday season! Join us for Music Bingo every Monday night and Themed Trivia every Tuesday night - all events begin at 7pm and are FREE to play, with tons of prizes to be given away!

Holiday Music Bingo & Themed Trivia at Christmas Inn!

We have a ton of great Pre-Thanksgiving Wednesday night events for you to kick off your holiday night with, including trivia at classic 

General Knowledge Trivia w/a Turkey-day twist!

 (1825 W. Webster Ave) at 7pm - Get your tickets 

 (3103 Odyssey Court - Naperville, IL) at 7pm - Get your tickets 

 (285 Center Dr - Vernon Hills, IL) at 7pm - Get your tickets 

 (9630 S. Pulaski - Oak Lawn, IL) at 7:30pm

 (2051 W. Division St) at 7pm (note the EARLY start from the usual 8pm start)

 (3660 N. Clark St) at 7pm - HARRY POTTER Theme

 (1625 W. Irving Park) at 7pm - THE HUNGER GAMES Theme

 (711 Devon Ave - Park Ridge, IL) - 1990s Theme

 (2922 W. Irving Park Road) - 1990s Theme

 (2211 N. Milwaukee Ave) at 7:30pm - 2000s Theme

 (1625 W. Irving Park) at 7:30pm - 1990s MUSIC Theme

We have a ton of great Pre-Thanksgiving Wednesday night events for you to kick off your holiday night with, including trivia at classic WHIRLYBALL locations throughout Chicagoland!

Black Wednesday with Whaddayaknow?

 is looking forward to being at Parlay on Wednesday, 

, for a special trivia night with Whaddayaknow supporting our mission to

end homelessness! is looking forward to being at ParlayTeams of 2-6 players recommended. 

for the event. While there’s a suggested donation, the event itself is free as always: 

The evening's top trivia teams will receive special prizes. PLUS, Facing Forward will be hosting a raffle, so there are even more chances to win! 

Stay tuned, raffle prizes will be announced soon!

Facing Forward is looking forward to being at Parlay on Wednesday, November 20th, for a special trivia night with Whaddayaknow supporting our mission to end homelessness!

Welcome to the Home of America's Best Team Trivia Game

The perfect way to stay connected both in person and virtually!

Recent News - December 19, 2024

Play Live Tonight

Start ‘25 With TOC #25 - Tournament Of Champions Qualifying Has Concluded!

2024-2025 Winter Holiday Trivia Schedule!

The History of Bar Trivia

Play Live Tonight

Get Your Virtual Ticket Here

Games Every Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm CST

Bring W? to Your Venue

Upcoming Trivia Themes

Interested in Becoming a Host?

Find What You Need

Contact Us

Welcome to the Home of America's Best Team Trivia Game

The perfect way to stay connected both in person and virtually!

Recent News - December 19, 2024

Play Live Tonight

Start ‘25 With TOC #25 - Tournament Of Champions Qualifying Has Concluded!

2024-2025 Winter Holiday Trivia Schedule!

The History of Bar Trivia

Play Live Tonight

Get Your Virtual Ticket Here

Games Every .css-1tciydi{color:var(--chakra-colors-greenLogo-300);}Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm CST

Bring W? to Your Venue

Upcoming Trivia Themes

Interested in Becoming a Host?

Find What You Need

Contact Us

Games Every Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm CST