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New Year's Trivia: 40 Questions in Four Rounds

A trivia night gives a New Year's party a spine: guests have something to do between appetizers and midnight, and teams mix people who might otherwise stay in their own circles. These 40 questions run in four themed rounds of ten, with answers included and a scoring setup for hosts.

Before You Start: Format and Supplies

Print four answer sheets per team, one per round, and keep the answer key on a separate page so nobody reads over your shoulder. A team of four to six works well; larger teams let quiet guests disappear. Decide in advance whether phones go face down in a basket on the table, because a trivia night with search engines is no trivia night at all. Read each question twice, give teams about a minute to confer and write, then move on. At roughly a minute per question, 40 questions run about 45 minutes with short breaks between rounds, so plan the schedule around your food and the midnight countdown.

Scoring is straightforward: one point per correct answer, with double points for the final round. That makes the last ten questions a genuine comeback opportunity and keeps teams engaged to the end. Announce the double-point rule at the start so nobody feels ambushed.

Round 1: Traditions Around the World

1. In Spain, what do people eat at midnight, one for each chime of the clock? Answer: Twelve grapes, a tradition centered on Puerta del Sol in Madrid.
2. What is the Scottish name for the New Year celebration, and what is first-footing? Answer: Hogmanay; first-footing is the custom of the first visitor to cross the threshold after midnight, often bringing gifts for luck.
3. In Denmark, what do people jump off at midnight, and what do they smash on doorsteps? Answer: They jump off chairs and smash plates against friends' and neighbors' doors.
4. In Brazil, what color do many people wear, and how many waves do they jump at the beach? Answer: White clothes, and seven waves.
5. In Japan, how many times are temple bells rung on New Year's Eve, and what is the ringing called? Answer: 108 times, called joya no kane.
6. In the American South, which two foods are eaten for luck and money, and what does each represent? Answer: Black-eyed peas for coins and collard greens for money.
7. Which ancient civilization is credited with the earliest recorded New Year's resolutions, roughly 4,000 years ago? Answer: The Babylonians.
8. Which Pacific island nation, using the Line Islands at UTC+14, is typically first to enter the new year? Answer: Kiribati.
9. Which US territory is among the last places to reach midnight? Answer: American Samoa.
10. In which California city is the Rose Parade held, and in what year was the first one? Answer: Pasadena, first held in 1890.

Round 2: The Times Square Ball and Countdown

1. In what year was the first ball drop in Times Square? Answer: December 31, 1907.
2. In which two years was there no ball drop because of wartime dimouts? Answer: 1942 and 1943.
3. How long does the ball take to descend, and when does it start? Answer: 60 seconds, starting at 11:59 pm.
4. What song is traditionally sung at midnight, and who wrote its words? Answer: Auld Lang Syne; the words are attributed to Robert Burns in 1788.
5. What does Auld Lang Syne roughly translate to? Answer: Roughly "old long since," or for old times' sake.
6. What is the traditional countdown number guests shout before midnight? Answer: Ten, counting down from ten to one.
7. From which building does the Times Square ball descend? Answer: One Times Square.
8. Besides the ball, what kind of display lights up the sky over the celebration? Answer: Fireworks.
9. What do people traditionally do at the stroke of midnight with the person next to them? Answer: Share a kiss.
10. What time zone is Times Square in during the celebration? Answer: Eastern Time.

Round 3: Calendars and History

1. For which Roman god is January named? Answer: Janus, the two-faced god of beginnings and endings.
2. Whose calendar reform took effect in 45 BC? Answer: Julius Caesar's.
3. In what year was the Gregorian calendar introduced, and by whom? Answer: 1582, by Pope Gregory XIII.
4. How many months does the Gregorian calendar have? Answer: Twelve.
5. On what date was the euro introduced as an accounting currency, and when did notes and coins arrive? Answer: January 1, 1999, with notes and coins in 2002.
6. On what date did Ellis Island open? Answer: January 1, 1892.
7. What document took effect on January 1, 1863? Answer: The Emancipation Proclamation.
8. What was the widespread concern about computer systems at the year 2000 called? Answer: Y2K.
9. Is New Year's Day a US federal holiday? Answer: Yes.
10. How many days are in a common year, and how many in a leap year? Answer: 365 in a common year, 366 in a leap year.

Round 4: The 2026 to 2027 Change (Double Points)

1. Is 2027 a leap year? Answer: No, it has 365 days.
2. When is the next leap year after 2027? Answer: 2028.
3. On what day of the week does January 1, 2027 fall? Answer: Friday.
4. How many seconds are in 2027, a non-leap year? Answer: 31,536,000.
5. What is the first month of 2027, and what number is it in the calendar year? Answer: January, the first month.
6. If January 1, 2027 is a Friday, what day is January 8, 2027? Answer: Friday, one week later.
7. How many full weeks fit into the 365 days of 2027, and how many extra days remain? Answer: 52 full weeks with one day left over.
8. How many months of 2027 have 31 days? Answer: Seven: January, March, May, July, August, October, and December.
9. Which month of 2027 has the fewest days? Answer: February, with 28 days.
10. What year will follow 2027? Answer: 2028.

Hosting It as a Team Quiz

Assign one person per team to write answers and another to speak on disputes; rotating the writer between rounds keeps one fast hand from dominating. Keep a running scoreboard where everyone can see it, and read the correct answer with a one-line explanation after each question rather than saving them all for the end, because the details are half the fun. If a team answers with a defensible alternate wording, award the point and note it. For the final round, collect the sheets, tally the doubled points aloud, and hold the reveal until every team has heard the standings.

The Midnight Tiebreaker

If two teams are tied after 40 questions, use a closest-number question instead of sudden-death. Ask each tied team to write a single number, collect the slips face down, then reveal the answer. A reliable one: how many seconds are there in a non-leap year? The answer is 31,536,000, which is 365 days times 24 hours times 60 minutes times 60 seconds. The team closest without going over, or simply closest if you prefer, takes the prize. Have a second tiebreaker ready, such as the number of days between January 1, 2027 and January 1, 2028 (365), in case the first ends in a tie.

Timing the Night

Estimate about a minute per question for reading, conferring, and answering. That puts the 40 questions at roughly 45 minutes with short breaks between rounds, though a chatty room will run longer. Build in a 10-minute break after round two for drinks and food, and keep round four for after dessert so the double points land close to midnight. If your crowd is slow, cut round three to five questions; the theme order matters less than finishing with energy left for the countdown.

Prize and Wrap-Up Ideas

Keep prizes small and a little absurd: a bag of black-eyed peas, a package of twelve grapes, or a paper crown for the winning table. Announce the winner before the countdown so the celebration does not compete with scorekeeping. After midnight, put the answer sheets in a stack by the door so guests can check the ones they argued about on the way out, which is often the best conversation of the night.

Drawing names too?

Holding a gift exchange at the same party? Draw names for your group: each person gets a private link that shows only who they buy for, the budget, and that person's wishlist.

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Updated October 28, 2026