Shenanigans – Kensington – Wednesdays @ 8 pm

The Trivia: Traditional Pub Trivia. @goodquestiontrivia. Four themed rounds of ten questions each. One entirely music round (name the song & artist). The host offers double points on one round of each team’s choice, but you have to choose it before you hear the questions, so it’s a bit of a gamble there. The top scoring team of each round (including double points) wins shots, but if two teams tie for a round, they each have to tell a joke as a tiebreaker; audience decides. The questions are challenging, but fair, and a diverse set of knowledge bases is needed to win. Even the music round uses some deep cuts and lesser known hits from a wide variety of genres.

While the questions are often long by bar trivia standards, the exposition provides hints or fun facts as bonus trivia even if the actual question is rather straightforward. It’s clear that the writer knows his audience well, giving just about enough information to guess at the answer without making it too hard or too easy. It is a fine tightrope to walk, but the host does it deftly. A question about two famous people with famous fathers started off extremely difficult, but over the course of the question, more and more clues made it much more accessible. Being able to approach an answer from multiple different angles helps get the team involved and shows that the host really does his research.

This is a very new trivia night, so the bar wasn’t packed, but the host capably played the crowd and made sure it was an energetic and fun night regardless. If you aren’t able to arrive early enough to the overcrowded 99 Rogers on Thursday nights to get a table, consider taking the trip to Kensington on Wednesday for the same quality questions and a much higher chance of winning!

$50 bar tab goes to the winner, but there is NO SECOND PLACE. I find this a missed opportunity for the bar, as even a $10 to $25 bar tab pretty much guarantees the team comes back, and you KNOW they’re gonna spend more than that in drinks alone. The highest scoring team each round gets shots.

The Venue: Shenanigans is a Dive bar with darts, cheap drafts, and a Men’s room door that doesn’t lock. This place hasn’t really changed its vibe in decades, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. A major positive: a $50 bar tab goes a long way here. There are TVs all over playing a variety of movies and miscellany and the big one above the bar will likely have some sports on it. If you’re hungry, you can order a frozen pizza.