New Year's Trivia: Questions, Answers and a Live New Year's Eve Game
New Year's Eve trivia on Trivia Anywhere is a live party game. Questions go up on a TV, a projector or a shared Zoom screen, and guests answer on their own phones at triviaanywhere.com/play, with no app download and no player accounts. Scoring and the leaderboard run themselves. It's free for up to 25 players. Starter ($20/month) adds the black-and-gold New Year's Gala scene, your logo and room for up to 50 players.
Free for up to 25 players · No app for players · Works in the room or on Zoom and Teams
The New Year's Gala scene
Every big-screen moment of your New Year's trivia game
Each part of the game gets its own spot in the scene, with your game on its boards and signs.
Lobby
The entrance hall at 11:59
Guests arrive in a black-and-gold Art Deco entrance hall where the clock reads 11:59 and a plaque shows the coming year. The join QR code and code sit on one board, and players' names fill the other as they join.
Question
Center stage in the ballroom
Each question goes up on a big board on the ballroom stage. The answer choices sit below it as jewel-tone Art Deco panels with gold corners. Gold and silver glitter drifts over the scene while the room decides.
Reveal
The champagne tower
The right answer appears beside a champagne tower, along with how the room answered. The leaderboard stands on a tall board, so everyone sees who is pulling ahead before the next question.
Winners
The midnight balloon drop
The top three players take gold, silver and bronze on a podium under the midnight balloon drop, and places 4 to 13 go on a board beside them. The finale ends with fireworks.
Matching art on every phone
Players' phones match the black-and-gold look, with themed answer buttons. Confetti pops on a player's screen whenever they get one right. There's nothing to download: guests join at triviaanywhere.com/play.
Try it
Put your event's name on it
Type a name and flip through the screens. This is the real New Year's Gala scene, drawn live.
A live preview drawn by the real big-screen scene. Nothing is saved.
How it works
How to host New Year's trivia
- 1
Copy New Year's Eve Trivia
Open the template library and copy the ready-made New Year's Eve Trivia game in one click. Edit its 10 questions or add any of the 25 below. You can also add images or upload a CSV.
- 2
Choose the New Year's Gala scene
Pick the scene in the Logo & Colors studio. Free hosts can preview it on their own game. Keeping it, along with your logo and colors, comes with Starter.
- 3
Put it on the big screen
Open the presenter view on a TV, a projector or a shared Zoom, Teams or Meet screen. Guests scan the QR code or type the join code at triviaanywhere.com/play, and scoring runs itself all the way to the winners' podium.
Who it's for
New Year's trivia for every kind of group
House parties
Keep the party together between dinner and midnight. Everyone plays on their own phone, the TV shows the questions and the leaderboard, and nobody has to mark paper answer sheets.
Bars and restaurants
Fill the hours before the countdown with a trivia night that tables play from their phones. The free plan covers up to 25 players per game. Starter covers up to 50 and puts your logo on every screen, and Pro (up to 200) and Business (up to 500) cover bigger rooms.
Office year-end parties
A year-end party game for the whole team, in the conference room or on a video call. Starter puts the company logo and colors on every screen. Evergreen questions keep it work-safe.
Virtual New Year's parties
Share the presenter screen on Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet. Guests answer on their phones from wherever they're celebrating, and the leaderboard shows on the shared screen.
Family gatherings
The New Year's Gala scene is family-friendly, so kids can play alongside their grandparents. Turn on team mode to put different ages on the same side.
Pricing
What's free, and what Starter adds
Start free with the New Year's Eve Trivia game. Try the New Year's Gala scene on your own game before you pay, and keep it with Starter.
Free
$0
- ✓ Up to 25 players per game
- ✓ The ready-made holiday games, yours to edit
- ✓ 3 saved games, play each as often as you like
- ✓ Big-screen view and phones, no app
- ✓ The Game Show Studio scene
- ✓ Try the New Year's Gala scene on your own game
Starter
$20/month
- ✓ Keep the New Year's Gala scene, and every seasonal scene
- ✓ Your logo, colors and fonts on every screen
- ✓ Up to 50 players per game
- ✓ Unlimited saved games
- ✓ Lead capture, CSV export and guest list
Bigger room? Pro is $45/month for up to 200 players.
Questions to play
25 New Year's trivia questions with answers
Read them out, or start with the ready-made New Year's Eve Trivia game and add these.
Countdown Basics
Warm-up questions anyone at the party can get.
1.On what date is New Year's Eve?
AnswerDecember 31
2.What do you call a promise to change a habit at the start of the year?
AnswerA New Year's resolution
3.Which French sparkling wine is the classic midnight toast?
AnswerChampagne
4.In old cartoons, the new year arrives as a baby. How is the departing year usually drawn?
AnswerAn old man — often Father Time, with a long white beard
5.January is named after which Roman god of doorways and beginnings?
AnswerJanus
Traditions Around the World
How the rest of the planet rings it in.
6.In Spain, how many grapes do people eat at midnight?
Answer12 — one on each chime of the clock
7.What do Scots call New Year's Eve?
AnswerHogmanay
8.Which legume do many people in the American South eat on New Year's Day for luck?
AnswerBlack-eyed peas — often cooked as Hoppin' John
9.In Denmark, what do people smash against friends' front doors on New Year's Eve?
AnswerOld plates and dishes — a big pile means lots of friends
10.In Brazil, what color do many people wear on New Year's Eve for peace and good luck?
AnswerWhite
Times Square & the Ball
The story behind New York's ball drop.
11.Times Square is named after which newspaper?
AnswerThe New York Times — the square was renamed for it in 1904
12.How long does the Times Square ball take to drop at midnight?
Answer60 seconds — it starts down at 11:59 p.m.
13.What was Times Square called before 1904?
AnswerLongacre Square
14.In what year did the ball first drop in Times Square?
Answer1907 — it rang in 1908
15.Why didn't the ball drop on New Year's Eve in 1942 and 1943?
AnswerA World War II wartime dimout — crowds marked midnight with a minute of silence
Songs, Films & Toasts
For the movie buffs and the people who know every word.
16.Which Scottish poet gave us the words of "Auld Lang Syne", based on an older folk song?
AnswerRobert Burns — he wrote it down in 1788
17.Roughly what does "auld lang syne" mean?
Answer"Old long since" — days gone by
18.Which Swedish group released the 1980 song "Happy New Year"?
AnswerABBA — it's on their album Super Trouper
19.In which 1989 film does Billy Crystal's character run across Manhattan to reach a New Year's Eve party?
AnswerWhen Harry Met Sally...
20.Why is raising a glass called a "toast"?
AnswerSpiced toast — it was once dropped into wine to flavor it
Hard Round
Time zones, calendars and customs for the trivia regulars.
21.Which country is the first to ring in the New Year?
AnswerKiribati — its Line Islands, including Kiritimati, are on UTC+14
22.How many times are temple bells struck in Japan on New Year's Eve?
Answer108 — the custom is called joya no kane
23.Which short British comedy sketch, little known in Britain, is shown on German TV every New Year's Eve?
Answer"Dinner for One"
24.The Times Square ball was inspired by "time balls", which dropped at a set hour each day. Who relied on them?
AnswerShips' navigators — they set their chronometers by them
25.Until 1752, on what date did the legal new year begin in England and its American colonies?
AnswerMarch 25
Hosting tips
How to run a great New Year's trivia game
- Start around 10:30 p.m. Allow about a minute per question, including the reveal and the arguing. That way 25 questions finish with plenty of time before midnight.
- Crown the winners by 11:40. Nobody wants to be reading the hard round during the countdown, and people need a few minutes to find a glass and their person.
- Teams of three to five work well at a party, because someone can wander off for a refill and the team still answers. Mix ages on purpose so the Times Square history buffs and the pop-song fans need each other.
- At an office year-end party, skip 'year in review' questions about news and politics. Traditions, songs and films keep everyone comfortable, and the questions are still right next December.
- Have a prize for first place and a funny one for last: a party hat, the first pour of sparkling cider, or the job of leading the countdown.
- Read the room after round two. If the energy dips, play one of the songs from the Songs, Films & Toasts round, take a five-minute break, then come back with the hard round.
When to set it up: Copy the game and try the scene a week or two before December 31, then test the presenter view on the TV or video call a day ahead. Start playing by about 10:30 p.m. so the winners are crowned before the countdown.
FAQ
New Year's trivia game questions, answered
Is there a free New Year's Eve trivia game I can host?
Yes. Trivia Anywhere is free to start, with no credit card needed. Copy the ready-made New Year's Eve Trivia game and host it for up to 25 players, with the big-screen presenter view and the year-round Game Show Studio scene. The free plan includes 3 saved games, and each one can be played as often as you like. The New Year's Gala scene is part of the Starter plan ($20/month).
Can guests play New Year's trivia on their phones without an app?
Yes. Guests scan the QR code on the big screen, or go to triviaanywhere.com/play and type the join code. There's no app download and no player account, and players never pay.
Can I run New Year's Eve trivia at a virtual party on Zoom or Teams?
Yes, it works as a virtual New Year's party game. Share the presenter screen on Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet. Guests answer on their phones and watch the leaderboard on the shared screen.
How many players can join a New Year's trivia game?
The free plan allows up to 25 players per game. Starter allows up to 50, Pro up to 200 and Business up to 500. Team mode is there if you'd rather play in teams.
Can I use my own New Year's trivia questions and answers?
Yes. The New Year's Eve Trivia template has 10 questions you can edit freely. You can add your own questions, add images or upload a CSV, including any of the 25 questions on this page.
Can I add my company logo for an office year-end party?
Yes, on the Starter plan. Your logo, colors, backgrounds and fonts appear on every screen, and in the New Year's Gala scene your logo appears on a sign in the art.
How long does a New Year's Eve trivia game take?
Plan on about a minute per question, including the reveal. The 10-question template takes 10 to 15 minutes, and all 25 questions on this page take about half an hour.
What is the New Year's Gala scene?
It's a painted black-and-gold Art Deco ballroom for Trivia Anywhere trivia games. The lobby is an entrance hall with a clock at 11:59, and questions appear on the ballroom stage. Answers are revealed beside a champagne tower, and winners stand on a podium under the midnight balloon drop. The finale ends with fireworks. The scene comes with the Starter plan, and free hosts can preview it first.
Can I try the New Year's Gala scene before paying?
Yes. Free hosts can preview any seasonal scene on their own game in the Logo & Colors studio. Keeping it for your party needs the Starter plan, which costs $20/month or $200/year.
What is a good New Year's Eve party game for adults?
Live trivia is one of the easiest. It fills the hour before midnight, works in a room where people keep mingling, and the leaderboard on the TV keeps it competitive. New Year's Eve party trivia for adults works best in teams of three to five, with the hard round saved for later in the evening.
What New Year traditions around the world make good trivia questions?
Good picks include Spain's 12 grapes at midnight, Scotland's Hogmanay, Denmark's smashed plates, Brazil's white clothing and Japan's 108 temple bells. The rounds on this page cover all of them, with answers.
Ready for New Year's trivia?
Make a free account, open the New Year's Eve Trivia game, and see it in the New Year's Gala scene. Players join from their phones in seconds.
Host New Year's trivia free →More holiday trivia
🎄 Christmas trivia
The Holiday Village scene
🦃 Thanksgiving trivia
The Thanksgiving Dinner scene
🎃 Halloween trivia
The Haunted Manor Party scene
Planning the whole season? See holiday trivia for work and family, or browse all trivia questions and party trivia ideas.