Duluth culture includes many things: heavy winter jackets, lake life, bearded folk and breweries. Many breweries and restaurants in Duluth have designated BINGO and trivia nights, which are great ways to get out of the house on an average Tuesday night. BINGO is pretty straightforward, but for a newcomer, trivia can feel overwhelming. How will you know what kind of questions they will ask? What topics should you have a grasp on? Below are a few notes on how to prepare yourself for trivia night and put together a stellar team that will lead you to victory.

1. Engage in pop culture and stay up to date on current events. Whether you skim CNN’s website every morning, follow pop culture accounts on Instagram, or receive The Bark’s newsletter! There are many ways to stay in the know. Many bars that host trivia focus on current events and pop culture, so make this a priority. 

2. Consume a variety of different media. Start with some classics —it can’t hurt to revisit the plot of the books you read in high school English class, watch an iconic film like The Godfather or listen to legendary music like Nirvana.  Know some basic history. World War I and II, influential presidents and how the Industrial Revolution impacted life today — nothing huge. 

3. Go down information rabbit holes. YouTube is your best friend! The more you explore and learn, the better. Many video-essay YouTubers can give you the quick lowdown on history, culture and zeitgeisty info. You never know, copious knowledge of the Minecraft Ender Dragon could actually score some points!

4. Watch Jeopardy! This will familiarize you with a wide variety of small bits of information that you can recall later. Other trivia games like Trivial Pursuit or Trivia Crack can help you eek in some bite-sized knowledge.

All of this may sound difficult to learn before the next local trivia night rolls around, which is why your trivia team should be made up of people with different knowledge and interests. “A good team is a bit like a political cabinet. You need a minister for sport, a minister for geography, a minister for music,” Brydon Coverdale of The Guardian said.  A minister for Kardashians is just as valuable as a minister for science – sometimes the same person even holds both portfolios.” 

It’s not about which person holds the most socio-political relevant knowledge, it’s about a team that has a cohesive collage of knowledge from many different tenants.

So where can you go to play trivia? Duluth has many trivia spots that are hosted throughout the week, including: 

• Hoops Brewing Co. on Mondays at 6:30 p.m.

• Duluth Cider on Mondays at 7 p.m.

• Bent Paddle on Tuesdays at 7 p.m.

• Blacklist Brewing Co on Wednesdays at 7 p.m.

• Pizza Luce, on Thursdays at 8 p.m.

Most of these trivia nights are free, which makes it even easier to get your foot in the door. The best way to get better at trivia is to attend, so happy playing!