The top 8 trivia nights in Toronto

Trivia nights in Toronto help relieve that pent-up frustration that comes with yelling at non-responsive Jeopardy contestants. Finally, all those useless hours of absorbing asinine (or not) information will come in handy. While you won't be in the presence of trivia greatness (read: Mr. Trebek) at these Toronto events, the decorum for these quizzes is typically just as serious. That means no cell phones, no cheat sheets, no darting eyes. The topics can be general or specific, and difficulty of varying degrees, but the best thing about these Toronto trivia nights is knowing you're among your kind. Your lonely, lonely kind.

Simpsons Trivia
The most cromulent of all Toronto trivia nights. This event started at The Ossington, moved to the Gladstone, and will likely move again to new digs in December to accommodate the ever-growing hoards of nerds. Uh, players. Teams of up to six people compete in three rounds of WOO HOO! Classic Simpsons Trivia, watch a couple of episodes, and sing along to "Hail To Thee Kamp Krusty." Held the second Tuesday of each month. No cover.

Trivia Nights at the Drake Hotel
Unfortunately for Drake regulars, trivia questions here go beyond just listing vintage denim brands and the correct angle of side-swept bangs. Hosted by Terrance Balazo, this trivia event covers everything and anything, generally played in groups of two to four with an $80 Drake card up for grabs. Cover is $2, and the game usually starts at 9 p.m.

Trivia Night at the Magpie
The Magpie's monthly trivia event is certainly a Toronto favourite. And nevermind glory--the winning team here takes home the pot. (Which, granted, is never that much, especially split six ways. Maybe it is about the glory after all.) Held one Thursday a month from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., the questions span four categories including the recurring "Random Shit" heading. Cover is $10 per team.

Brass Facts at The Ossington
Sunday night is no longer family night. It is now "how much random shit do you know night" with Kirk and Marty. (Of course, you can bring your family.) There is a tight group of regulars who show up at The Ossington each week at 7:30 p.m., desperately trying to take down the team of Alex White & the Positrons. Success pending. No cover.

You Guessed It! You Can't Unguess it!: Futurama Trivia
Since I never quite got into the Futurama craze, this description is, regrettably, without obscure season two references. Futurama Trivia was a natural spinoff from WOO HOO! Simpsons Trivia, making its own claim on the Gladstone starting this past September. It looks like Futurama Trivia, led by Joel Minty, is poised to settle into a regular monthly routine. Three rounds of questions, no cover.

Pub Stumpers at Duke of York
The weekly Tuesday trivia nights at Duke of York are actually hosted by Pub Stumpers, a league that hosts trivia events at various bars around Toronto. Still, there's something special about trivia at Duke of York, and I'm pretty sure it's host Luke Pettigrew. (He tosses out candy! Squee!). Various types of questions, prizes, and no cover.

Pour Boy Pub's Monday Quiz Nights
Pour Boy Pub's Monday quiz nights are about more than just a smug sense of self satisfaction (though there's plenty of that too, of course). The profits from the 8 p.m. weekly event benefit the Horizons Children's Centre in Ghana, as do 10% of all food and drink sales. The questions cover everything from music to history and art, and cover is generally $5.

Trivia at Wilson 96
Sometimes it's called "Jeopardy," other times it's just "trivia" but you can generally count of some sort of structured question-posting at Wilson 96 on Tuesday nights. The 8 p.m. PWYC event comes with a few decent drink specials, ensuring you won't be embarrassed by the last round when you can't remember Mussolini's mistress's name.

Photo from the Gladstone Hotel