The best Boston trivia nights

Every Tuesday night is Trivia Night at Kings. There’s a different theme each month, which keeps the event interesting and open to all. Themes vary from The Office to Star Wars, to seasonal monthly events like Spooky Trivia (appropriately held in October). November sees “Friends-Giving” trivia (questions about the TV show Friends), so watching all those re-runs wasn’t for nought. Groups of two-to-six players battle it out, beginning at 7pm.

Every Monday, Bella Luna’s Off the Wall night includes an early evening DJ, followed by Stump! Trivia. There are prizes for the trivia winners, but anyone can get 50% off the Wings of Desire (chicken wings with blue cheese dip and spicy sauce). Stump! Trivia starts at 7pm and runs until around 9pm.

This popular Dorchester pub hosts Trivia Wednesdays; it’s the ThinkTank trivia-type, and usually includes general knowledge questions of the type that will cause some head scratching and brow furrowing. Trivia Wednesdays runs from 8pm until about 10pm.

Aeronaut is known for its long list of innovative beers with unconventional flavors and ingredients, so it's no surprise their weekly Indie Trivia nights are a bit unconventional as well. Every Tuesday at 8pm, different members of the trivia community host the evening. Every week is a little different, depending on the hosts' interests.

Betty’s the large space is filled with with funky retro decor, a perfect spot for Geeks Who Drink trivia nights, hosted every Wednesday at 7pm. Grab a boozy shake and some fried chicken and test your trivia skills.

The trivia prizes at this Central Square bar and nightspot are pretty substantial. Every Wednesday at 7pm, the Geeks Who Drink Trivia crew offer gift certificates, but Sunday's Patriot Trivia, run by CSN trivia (which is not just about sports), offers substantial cash prizes. As much as $5,000 goes to the winning team, which should cover the bar tab for the night quite nicely. No wonder the competition is fierce, and in more ways than one.

In a sea of chains, Trident remains a tried-and-true standby for the more indie-minded of Boston’s over-caffeinated literary nerds. The coffeshop/bookshop hosts an equally indie-minded trivia night on Fridays at 8pm. Teams of six battle it out for a $35 gift card, and everyone is bound to learn something new.

Geeks Who Drink strike again at Beat Brew Hall every Monday at 7:30pm. Questions range from music to wordplay to bad television. The winning team gets a $50 BBH gift card, while bonus questions throughout the night offer additional chances to win prizes.

To drink at the Druid is to love the Druid, and to play trivia there is twice the fun. The Inman Square bar's trivia night on Wednesdays is hosted by Quiz Master Dave, as he is known, and teams compete to win a grand cash prize. (The teams placing second and third receive a liquid prize each.) Get there early and settle in for kickoff at 8pm.

This Beacon Hill bar (directly across from the State House) hosts Stump! Trivia every Sunday, so it’s unlikely you’ll be competing against any reps or councilmen. Beginning at 8pm, rally your teammates for general knowledge questions of the uncommon kind. Prizes vary from gift certificates to T-shirts, and even Red Sox tickets.

This Dot Ave sports bar has weekly trivia nights, Wednesdays at 8pm. This is when Dorchester’s finest mental athletes, and anyone else who cares to join them, gather to compete for a $50 gift certificate, which the victorious team can promptly spend without leaving the premises.