Here are 130 holiday trivia questions and answers for summer holidays, winter holidays, festivals and travel. They are grouped by theme so you can pick a round for a family gathering, a classroom or a team social, and every answer is on the page so you can host without a second tab.
We re-checked the answers that were disputed or likely to have changed, and many now link to a published source.
How we checked these answers
This post was first published with a number of answers that no longer stand up. We went through every question and fixed the ones that were wrong, vague or out of date. For example:
- Home Alone was released in 1990, not 1991.
- Copacabana Beach is in Rio de Janeiro, not Miami.
- The coldest continent is Antarctica, not Russia.
- The sword lily is the gladiolus, and the Christmas rose is the hellebore. Both answers were previously wrong.
- The Welsh snowman photograph credited to Mary Dillwyn dates from the mid-1850s, not 1953.
- The 1989 Batman film was directed by Tim Burton, but the old question said 1988.
We also removed questions where the answer was disputed or could not be sourced, and replaced them with ones that can be verified. Where a fact changes over time, such as a world record, the answer says when it was set.
How to run this holiday trivia live with AhaSlides
Paste the questions into the AhaSlides quiz maker and everyone plays on their own phone, whether they are in the room or on a video call. These screenshots show question slides built from this list. The slides are shown in results view, before any votes arrive.
Multiple-choice slides for the destination round
True or false slides for quick-fire rounds
Typed-answer slides for the harder rounds
Set a time limit and let faster correct answers earn more points, then show the leaderboard between rounds. If you want a break from questions, drop in a spinner wheel to pick the next round or a forfeit.
Summer holiday trivia questions (1 to 45)
Round 1: Summer questions (1 to 30)
1. Which three zodiac signs cover most of the Northern Hemisphere summer, from the solstice to the September equinox?
Answer: Cancer, Leo and Virgo (roughly 21 June to 22 September)
2. Which vitamin can your skin make from sunlight?
Answer: Vitamin D
3. What is the official name of the Summer Olympics?
Answer: Games of the Olympiad
4. How often are the Summer Olympic Games held?
Answer: Every four years
5. In which city were the first modern Summer Olympics held, and in which year?
Answer: Athens, Greece, in 1896
6. Which city was the first to host the Summer Olympics three times?
Answer: London (1908, 1948 and 2012)
7. Which city hosted the 2024 Summer Olympics?
Answer: Paris
8. What is the traditional birthstone for August?
Answer: Peridot
9. Who had a 1962 hit with “Sealed with a Kiss”?
Answer: Brian Hyland
10. The month of July is named after which Roman leader?
Answer: Julius Caesar
11. In which month is National Ice Cream Month in the United States?
Answer: July
12. What does SPF on a bottle of sunscreen stand for?
Answer: Sun protection factor
13. In which month does astronomical summer begin in the Northern Hemisphere?
Answer: June, at the summer solstice around 20 or 21 June
14. In which musical and film does the song “Summer Nights” appear?
Answer: Grease
15. What is the highest air temperature officially recorded on Earth?
Answer: 56.7°C (134°F) at Furnace Creek, Death Valley, California, on 10 July 1913. It is still the official record (Guinness World Records, NOAA).
16. What is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic word for “summer”?
Answer: Sumaraz
17. How do elephants protect their skin from the sun?
Answer: They throw dust and mud over their backs
18. Which animal gives the 1975 film Jaws its terror?
Answer: A great white shark
19. In which year was the Cliff Richard film Summer Holiday released?
Answer: 1963
20. Saffron comes from which flower?
Answer: The saffron crocus (Crocus sativus)
21. What is aestivation?
Answer: A state of dormancy that some animals enter during hot or dry summers
22. Who recorded the 1984 hit “The Boys of Summer”?
Answer: Don Henley
23. In which country is the 2021 drama Our Beloved Summer set and made?
Answer: South Korea
24. Which US state is known as the Sunflower State?
Answer: Kansas
25. In which Alaskan city is the Midnight Sun Game played around the summer solstice?
Answer: Fairbanks
26. Where is Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest held every 4 July?
Answer: Coney Island, New York City
27. Which prehistoric monument in England is famous for its summer solstice sunrise?
Answer: Stonehenge
28. Which sport is played at Wimbledon, on grass courts, every summer?
Answer: Tennis
29. In which city does the Tour de France traditionally finish?
Answer: Paris, on the Champs-Élysées
30. Which country celebrates Bastille Day on 14 July?
Answer: France
Round 2: Summer true or false (31 to 45)
31. Tim Burton directed the 1989 film Batman.
Answer: True
32. 6 June is the anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Answer: True (in 1944)
33. Watermelon is about 92 percent water.
Answer: True
34. The Frisbee was inspired by empty pie tins from the Frisbie Baking Company.
Answer: True. See the history of the Frisbee.
35. Michael Phelps has won more Olympic medals than any other athlete.
Answer: True (28 medals)
36. In the Southern Hemisphere, summer falls in December.
Answer: True
37. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
Answer: True
38. California is known as the Sunflower State.
Answer: False. It is Kansas.
39. The Midnight Sun Game is played in Kansas.
Answer: False. It is played in Alaska.
40. The flag of New Mexico features the Zia sun symbol.
Answer: True. See the flag of New Mexico.
41. The tallest sunflower on record, verified by Guinness World Records in September 2025, is 10.9 metres (35 ft 9 in) tall and was grown in Indiana.
Answer: True. It beat the previous record of 9.17 m, set in Germany in 2014 (Guinness World Records).
42. Thunderstorms are more common in summer than in any other season in the United States.
Answer: True
43. Breaking (breakdancing) made its Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Summer Games.
Answer: True. See breaking at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
44. A sunscreen of SPF 30 blocks about 97 percent of UVB rays.
Answer: True
45. The Summer of Love took place in 1966.
Answer: False. It was 1967. See the Summer of Love.
Winter holiday trivia questions (46 to 75)
46. What do we call the state in which some animals sleep through the winter?
Answer: Hibernation
47. Which holiday is known as the Festival of Lights in Indian culture?
Answer: Diwali
48. How many days does the main Diwali festival last?
Answer: Five days
49. In meteorological terms, which months make up winter in the Southern Hemisphere?
Answer: June, July and August
50. In which city is the Winter Palace?
Answer: Saint Petersburg, Russia
51. Which character does Macaulay Culkin play in Home Alone?
Answer: Kevin McCallister
52. What colour are the berries on most mistletoe plants?
Answer: White
53. Who is credited with taking what is thought to be the first photograph of a snowman in Wales, in the mid-1850s?
Answer: Mary Dillwyn, a Welsh photographer (National Museum Wales)
54. How many sides does a snowflake traditionally have?
Answer: Six
55. Reindeer are the same species as which North American animal?
Answer: The caribou
56. In which country is eggnog believed to have originated?
Answer: Britain, in the Middle Ages (Smithsonian Magazine)
57. In which year were electric lights first used on a Christmas tree?
Answer: 1882, by Edward H. Johnson (Library of Congress)
58. Santa Claus, Indiana is famous for its post office. Which other US state has a town called Santa Claus, with Christmas-themed street names?
Answer: Georgia (NASA Earth Observatory)
59. In which year was Home Alone released?
Answer: 1990, on 16 November in the US (AFI Catalog)
60. Where is the McCallister family going for Christmas in Home Alone?
Answer: Paris
61. Which future US president makes a cameo in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York?
Answer: Donald Trump
62. What is the title of the 1992 sequel to Home Alone?
Answer: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (released 20 November 1992). See the AFI Catalog entry
63. Which fruit has a variety called the “Winter Banana”?
Answer: Apple
64. In which country is the hair-freezing contest held at hot springs?
Answer: Canada (the Yukon). See Takhini Hot Springs.
65. Which continent is the coldest on Earth?
Answer: Antarctica
66. In which month is Earth closest to the Sun?
Answer: January. See perihelion and aphelion.
67. Which kind of snow is best for building a snowman?
Answer: Wet, sticky snow
68. Which reindeer was created in 1939 for a Montgomery Ward booklet?
Answer: Rudolph
69. Who is credited with commissioning the first commercial Christmas card in 1843?
Answer: Henry Cole
70. In which country was “Silent Night” first performed, in 1818?
Answer: Austria
71. The French word “Noël” comes from a Latin word meaning what?
Answer: Birth (from natalis)
72. During which ancient Roman festival did masters temporarily serve their slaves?
Answer: Saturnalia
73. What is the name of the Chinese winter solstice festival?
Answer: Dongzhi
74. For how many nights does Hanukkah last?
Answer: Eight
75. Which seven-day festival, created in 1966, runs from 26 December to 1 January?
Answer: Kwanzaa
Festivals and events trivia questions (76 to 115)
76. What is the Scottish word for New Year’s Eve?
Answer: Hogmanay
77. The earliest recorded New Year festivities date back about 4,000 years to which ancient city?
Answer: Babylon
78. In Spain, how many grapes do people eat as the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve?
Answer: Twelve
79. In Panama, what do people burn on New Year’s Eve to drive off evil spirits?
Answer: Effigies (muñecos)
80. What did Greek families traditionally hang on the front door at New Year?
Answer: An onion (a sea squill)
81. After water, which drink is the most widely consumed in the world?
Answer: Tea
82. On which day of the week and month is US Thanksgiving held?
Answer: The fourth Thursday in November
83. On which day is Canadian Thanksgiving held?
Answer: The second Monday in October
84. Halloween has its roots in which ancient Celtic festival?
Answer: Samhain
85. In which country is the Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) most closely associated?
Answer: Mexico
86. Which Hindu spring festival is known as the festival of colours?
Answer: Holi
87. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of which month?
Answer: Ramadan
88. Which Thai New Year festival is celebrated with water fights?
Answer: Songkran
89. In which Spanish town does La Tomatina take place?
Answer: Buñol
90. In which German city is Oktoberfest held?
Answer: Munich
91. On what date is St Patrick’s Day?
Answer: 17 March
92. Which event does Guy Fawkes Night remember, and on what date is it held?
Answer: The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, on 5 November
93. Burns Night, on 25 January, celebrates which Scottish poet?
Answer: Robert Burns
94. How many animals are in the Chinese zodiac cycle?
Answer: Twelve
95. Chuseok is a harvest festival in which country?
Answer: South Korea
96. In which country is the Santa Claus Village at Rovaniemi?
Answer: Finland
97. Which composer wrote the ballet The Nutcracker?
Answer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
98. The 50th star was added to the US flag in July 1960. Which state did it represent?
Answer: Hawaii
99. The first edition of the Guinness Book of Records was published on 27 August of which year?
Answer: 1955
100. In which decade did Coca-Cola first use Santa Claus in its advertising?
Answer: The 1920s. The Santa most people know, painted by Haddon Sundblom, debuted in 1931
101. Which popular Christmas plant is native to Mexico?
Answer: The poinsettia
102. On what date is Boxing Day?
Answer: 26 December
103. Which country is credited with popularising the decorated Christmas tree?
Answer: Germany
104. In which Brazilian city is the world’s most famous Carnival held?
Answer: Rio de Janeiro
105. What does “Mardi Gras” mean in English?
Answer: Fat Tuesday
106. What is Pancake Day officially called?
Answer: Shrove Tuesday
107. In which year did the United States declare independence, now marked every 4 July?
Answer: 1776
108. Where were the first Winter Olympics held, in 1924?
Answer: Chamonix, France
109. Who wrote the song “Jingle Bells”?
Answer: James Lord Pierpont
110. On what date is Valentine’s Day?
Answer: 14 February
111. Who wrote A Christmas Carol?
Answer: Charles Dickens (published in 1843)
112. Which flower is sometimes called the sword lily?
Answer: Gladiolus
113. Which flower is often called the Christmas rose or winter rose?
Answer: Hellebore
114. Which flower inspired William Wordsworth’s poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”?
Answer: Daffodils
115. What are the four main islands of the Balearic Islands in Spain?
Answer: Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera
Multiple-choice destination trivia (116 to 130)
116. What is Tromsø in Norway best known for?
- Skydiving
- Beaches
- Northern Lights
- Theme parks
Answer: Northern Lights
117. In which part of Portugal can you find the Algarve?
- On an island in the Atlantic
- The south
- The north
- Central Portugal
Answer: The south
118. Which sea does not border Turkey?
- Black Sea
- Aegean Sea
- Mediterranean Sea
- Dead Sea
Answer: Dead Sea
119. Which country has topped the world’s international tourist arrivals in recent years?
- Italy
- France
- Greece
- China
Answer: France (see most-visited countries)
120. Which of these Canadian cities is mainly French-speaking?
- Montreal
- Calgary
- Toronto
- Halifax
Answer: Montreal
121. In which city is Copacabana Beach?
- Sydney
- Honolulu
- Rio de Janeiro
- Miami
Answer: Rio de Janeiro (Britannica)
122. Which Thai city’s ceremonial name means “City of Angels”?
- Bangkok
- Chiang Mai
- Phuket
- Pattaya
Answer: Bangkok
123. Which Scottish island is home to the Old Man of Storr, the Quiraing and Neist Point?
- Isle of Skye
- Iona
- Isle of Mull
- Jura
Answer: Isle of Skye
124. What is the largest island in the Mediterranean?
- Santorini
- Corfu
- Rhodes
- Sicily
Answer: Sicily
125. Koh Samui is a popular holiday destination in which country?
- Vietnam
- Thailand
- Cambodia
- Malaysia
Answer: Thailand
126. Where is Abu Simbel?
- UAE
- Egypt
- Greece
- Italy
Answer: Egypt
127. In which country is Machu Picchu?
- Peru
- Mexico
- Chile
- Colombia
Answer: Peru
128. In which ocean are the Maldives?
- Pacific
- Atlantic
- Indian
- Arctic
Answer: The Indian Ocean
129. In which country is the island of Bali?
- Indonesia
- Thailand
- Myanmar
- Singapore
Answer: Indonesia
130. Off the coast of which Australian state is the Great Barrier Reef?
- Queensland
- Victoria
- Tasmania
- Western Australia
Answer: Queensland
Frequently asked questions
How many holiday trivia questions should I use?
For a casual family game, 20 to 30 questions is plenty. For a team social or classroom session, pick one round of 10 to 15 and finish with a quick destination round.
Can I use these questions for a virtual holiday party?
Yes. Add them to an AhaSlides quiz and share the join code. Players join from their phones, so remote teams can play together.
What is the best way to keep a mixed-age group engaged?
Mix formats. Use true or false for quick wins, multiple choice for the destinations and typed answers for the tougher questions. For more ideas, see our new year quiz and geography quiz.
