29th Nov 2023
100 Christmas Pub Quiz Questions with Answers 2023
Where on earth did Summer go? Up in smoke like England’s Ashes bid it would seem…
Whether or not you are desperately clinging on to the good weather in September, and hoping for a late Indian Summer flourish, there’s no harm in looking forward to the autumn season and getting your pub calendar up to date too. Make sure you know what’s going on by reading this quick blog article, and then you can tell your customers what to expect too!
First Up…
The Rugby World Cup has well and truly kicked off in Japan. First held in 1987, this is the 9th edition of the tournament and is the first to be held in Asia. All of the matches are available on terrestrial TV with the majority of games happening in the mid to late Morning GMT. Some kick offs are earlier, with the earliest at 5:45am, but these matches don’t effect England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland in the Pool games or the Knockout rounds.
The last world cup was hosted by England and Wales in 2015 and saw New Zealand win in the final at Twickenham. The 2015 Rugby World Cup was the most profitable ever. This was felt right across the pub and hospitality trade too as matches proved to be a big draw, despite England’s failure to get past the group stage.
Who is going to win?
Unlike previous years where there has been a clear favourite, going into this tournament (and in the pool stage) there’s no obvious stand out. Of course, you can never rule out New Zealand, and many critics will point them out for their pedigree. However, they have looked vulnerable recently, (if they ever can), and lost to Australia 47-26 in August. But don’t get too excited, this doesn’t mean that Australia are favourites either. New Zealand did suffer a red card and Australia had a torrid tour of the last year.
South Africa look very dangerous and can’t be written off, and it depends if The French turn up, or The French turn up for France, as to if they have a chance. England under Eddie Jones are as bullish as ever but are vulnerable, and Ireland have had their impressive moments recently after a shaky 6nations earlier in the year. The press will have you believe that Wales are the dark horses for this years World Cup and you certainly shouldn’t write the 2019 Grand Slam winners off, despite losing recent warm-up games to Ireland and England. It’s a very open field and going to be a monumental celebration of Rugby. Make sure you get it on your pub.
Did you know that the 2015 World Cup Final was watched by over 120 million people? Or that during the tournament a massive 4.25m litres of beer was sold to fans. That’s a lot of beer, make sure you make the most of this opportunity.
In recent years, Halloween has grown and grown, evolving from the traditional street trudging of childhood trick or treating, into big business. Very Big Business Indeed.
Halloween has become an important night for going out, attending parties or just generally socialising and meeting friends. Although not a religious holiday, many people hold Halloween in a high regard and make it an important feature of their social lives.
Why your pub should host a Halloween party
If you haven’t hosted a Halloween party before, and it seems like a lot of trouble for nothing, we can assure you that it isn’t. With a little bit of time and effort spent on decorating a pub, you can transform your friendly local into the scariest monster’s dungeon, Dracula’s lair or haunted mansion to enter your customers and give them the best kind of nightmare.
Furthermore, the kids don’t need to lose out. Given that Halloween is all about warding off evil spirits through dressing up, hosting a family Halloween disco. Competitions and games at Halloween parties prove very popular. Simple competitions such as best Fancy Dress, can be split into loads of categories, eg; Male, Female, Couple, Kids, etc. Or how about an apple bobbing contest? The possibilities for fun is limitless at Halloween. Just be careful that you don’t fall foul of a trick or two, and you only dish out treats!
Love it or Loathe it, Halloween is massive and can more than earn its place on your pub calendar. Keep things simple, throw up some decorations and get a party organised. If your pub has a kitchen, why not see if they can do a couple of special dishes with gruesome names, or some bar snacks? Think sausage rolls with food colouring, sold as witches’ fingers etc. Talk to your team, you might be surprised by what you can achieve.
‘Remember, remember the 5th November, Gunpowder, Treason and Plot…’
The history of Bonfire Night is quite simple. It’s the celebration of the failed ‘Gunpowder Plot’ by Guy Fawkes to blow up parliament in 1605. Originally celebrations took the form of ringing church bells and mass public events that have slowly turned into what we know today, the modern Bonfire night with fireworks, bonfire toffee and sparklers.
You might be luckily enough to have a pub with an established annual Bonfire night, which is great. If you aren’t but want to host one, then you certainly can do. Of course, there are lots of regulations about health and safety, (and rightly so), if you want the public to turn up to watch a 15-metre high raging fireball and let off some explosives, you should play by some rules. It’s important that you plan any event well in advance, and let your local authority know of any plans, as they might have their own conditions.
Guy Fawkes night can be a real fun night for the whole family when done properly. It’s a great opportunity too to sell some drinks and a few burgers or hotdogs as people enjoy your bonfire, however safety is of the utmost importance.
You should also consider that fireworks can be expensive, this is why a lot of larger public displays charge an entrance fee to their event. This covers production costs, and any additional staff wages and potential charges that are encountered. There are companies out there who do fire work displays, however on and around bonfire night you can expect to pay a premium due to the timing. Did you know? That Guy Fawkes has some very strong links to Pubs? He was apparently born in one!
For further information this article from the Morning Advertiser about How to organise a Bonfire Night is is very helpful. Also, if you can remember, remember the 5th of November, don’t forget that as with other seasons, autumn is associated with several sporting events, these include;
September:
Rugby Union World Cup – Starts Friday 20th September – Final: Saturday 2nd November
Athletic World Championships – 28th September – 6th Oct October
October:
Motorsport – Rally GB 3rd– 6th
Rugby League – 2019 Super League Grand Final –12th October
November:
Cricket – England Tour of New Zealand – 1st Nov -3rd Dec
Para-athletic World Championships – 7th-15th
Football – 10th – 17th, various Euro 2020 qaulifiers
Tennis – Davis Cup – 18th-24th
December:
Formula 1 – Abu Dhabi GP Last race of the 2019 season – Sunday 1st
Football fixtures – Some Fixtures are on Amazon Prime this year, including Boxing Day. We’ll be posting more information about this closer to the time.
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