Manchester Pub Quizzes: Team Up and Meet People
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Eight pub quiz nights in Manchester, in the Northern Quarter, Ancoats, Chinatown, NOMA, Symphony Park, Didsbury and Worsley. When and where they are, how big the teams are and what they cost.
A pub quiz is an easy way to meet people in Manchester: a set evening, a small team at one table and time to talk between rounds. We only list quiz nights that the venue or the quiz organisers announce on their own page or channel.
The quiz nights at a glance
| Quiz | Venue | Roughly when | Teams | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpeedQuizzing | Several pubs, such as the John Gilbert in Worsley, the Parrs Wood in Didsbury and Barca Bar in the city centre | Tue or Wed, depending on the venue, 7:30 or 8:30 pm | Up to 8 at the John Gilbert, up to 6 at the Parrs Wood | £1 a person at the John Gilbert, free at the Parrs Wood and Barca Bar (2026) |
| Pencils Down Quiz | The Pen & Pencil, Northern Quarter | Tue 7:30 pm | Not stated | £1 entry, according to the website (undated) |
| Ancoats Quiz Night | Social Refuge, Ancoats | Thu 7 pm | Up to 6 | £2.50 per person (2026) |
| Seven Oaks Quiz Night | Seven Oaks, Chinatown | First Thursday of the month | Not stated | Free for all teams, according to the website (undated) |
| Sadler's Cat Pub Quiz | Sadler's Cat, NOMA | Second Tuesday of the month, 7:30 pm | Up to 6 | £1 a person, in cash (2026) |
| Abel Heywood Quiz Night | Abel Heywood, Northern Quarter | Wed 7 pm | Not stated | Free, according to the website (undated) |
| Quiz Night at Pip | Pip, Treehouse Manchester, city centre | Tue 6:30 pm | Not stated | Not stated |
| The Big Fat Quiz of the Month | The Taphouse Manchester, Symphony Park | Monthly on a Friday, so far the last Friday of the month, 7:30 pm | Not stated | Free registration on Eventbrite (2026) |
"Not stated" means we found nothing about it, not that the evening costs money or that teams have a fixed size.
The quiz nights one by one
SpeedQuizzing (several pubs)
SpeedQuizzing runs pub quizzes at several venues in and around Manchester, and its overview page lists the coming dates. Three examples: at the John Gilbert in Worsley the quiz is on Wednesdays at 8:30 pm, costs £1 a person (2026) and allows teams of up to eight; at the Parrs Wood in Didsbury it is on Tuesdays at 7:30 pm, free (2026), with teams of up to six; at Barca Bar in the city centre it is on Wednesdays at 7:30 pm and free (2026). All three are for people aged 18 and over. The venue pages say nothing about signing up. SpeedQuizzing, Manchester
Pencils Down Quiz (Northern Quarter)
The Pen & Pencil in the Northern Quarter holds the Pencils Down Quiz every Tuesday at 7:30 pm, with £1 entry, according to the website (undated). To take part, book a table on the pub's page and write "quiz" in the notes. The page gives no team size. The Pen & Pencil
Ancoats Quiz Night (Ancoats)
Social Refuge in Ancoats holds the Ancoats Quiz Night every Thursday at 7 pm, and its events page lists the coming dates. Teams have up to six people, entry costs £2.50 per person (2026), and you book a ticket online. It doesn't say whether you can join a team on your own. Social Refuge, events
Seven Oaks Quiz Night (Chinatown)
The Seven Oaks pub in Chinatown has a quiz on the first Thursday of every month, and entry is free for all teams, according to the website (undated). The pub's page gives no start time, team size or sign-up, so ask the pub before you go. Seven Oaks
Sadler's Cat Pub Quiz (NOMA)
The Sadler's Cat pub in NOMA holds its quiz on the second Tuesday of every month at 7:30 pm, as Cloudwater announces on its page. Teams have up to six people, and taking part costs £1 a person (2026), paid in cash. The page gives no sign-up. Cloudwater, Sadler's Cat Pub Quiz
Abel Heywood Quiz Night (Northern Quarter)
Abel Heywood in the Northern Quarter has a weekly quiz on Wednesdays from 7 pm, and entry is free, according to the website (undated). The pub invites you to put a team together; it gives no team size and no sign-up. Abel Heywood, what's on
Quiz Night at Pip (city centre)
Pip, the restaurant at the Treehouse Manchester hotel in the city centre, holds a quiz night every Tuesday at 6:30 pm. You book through the link on its events page; it gives no price and no team size. Treehouse Manchester, quiz night
The Big Fat Quiz of the Month (Symphony Park)
The Taphouse Manchester at 17 Symphony Park holds The Big Fat Quiz of the Month once a month on a Friday; its published dates fall on the last Friday of the month. The quiz starts at 7:30 pm, with doors opening at 7 pm; finishing times vary, so check the listing. The listing promises a night of trivia and laughs. You register for free on Eventbrite (2026), where the venue lists its coming dates, so check there before you go. It gives no team size. The Taphouse Manchester on Eventbrite
How to find your quiz
- Coming alone: None of the pages says whether you can join a team on your own. Ask beforehand or on the evening whether a team has room.
- Team size: Up to six at the Ancoats Quiz Night, Sadler's Cat and SpeedQuizzing at the Parrs Wood, up to eight with SpeedQuizzing at the John Gilbert.
- Day of the week: Pencils Down, Pip and SpeedQuizzing at the Parrs Wood on Tuesdays; Abel Heywood and SpeedQuizzing at the John Gilbert and Barca Bar on Wednesdays; the Ancoats Quiz Night on Thursdays. Once a month, the Seven Oaks on the first Thursday, Sadler's Cat on the second Tuesday and The Big Fat Quiz of the Month on a Friday, so far the last Friday of the month.
- Cost: Free with SpeedQuizzing at the Parrs Wood and Barca Bar (2026), and at Abel Heywood and the Seven Oaks, according to their websites (undated); free registration for The Big Fat Quiz of the Month (2026); £1 at Sadler's Cat and with SpeedQuizzing at the John Gilbert (2026), and at Pencils Down, according to its website (undated); £2.50 per person at the Ancoats Quiz Night (2026).
- Signing up: Book a table at Pencils Down (with "quiz" in the notes) and at Pip; tickets for the Ancoats Quiz Night; bring cash to Sadler's Cat; register on Eventbrite for The Big Fat Quiz of the Month. The Seven Oaks, Abel Heywood and the SpeedQuizzing venue pages give no sign-up.
After the quiz
Between rounds and after the answers are read out is the best time to talk. Simple openers work: "Do you come here often?", "Which question annoyed you most?", "Do you know another good quiz?" And if the team got on well, arrange to meet at the next quiz.
For people who run a quiz
If you run a quiz like these, you know the moment after the answers when the teams head off without swapping numbers. before is a web app for organisers. At the start you show the QR code on your phone; guests check in with it in their browser, without installing an app, and anyone who likes takes a selfie. The day after, the afterparty is open from 10 am to 8 pm. Anyone who shared a selfie sees everyone else who shared one there and can press the button for meeting again for up to five people. At 8 pm everyone finds out at the same time who wants to see each other again, and only then does a chat open. One-sided wishes stay invisible, and nobody receives a rejection. Nobody needs a profile. More on the page before for organisers.