Join the Bergen quizmania

Quizzes are unavoidable in Bergen. Studvest tried some of the quizzes Bergen’s student bars have to offer.

Monday throughout Thursday we went by four quizzes packed with quiz-hungry students.

Stop one: Cafe Opera

As there were no student quizzes to be had on Monday, we decided to start of our journey with Cafe Opera  to be quizzed by the famous quizmaster Jan Arild Breistein.

Breinstein has been in charge of the daily quiz on the local newspaper Bergens Tidende (BT) for over 10 years. We asked him why quizzes are so popular in Bergen.

–  Quizzes have been popular for a long time in England and Australia. A dude from Australia moved here in the 80s and started an English quiz at the English Pub, Breistein tells us. 

«Without Anthony, no quizzes!» quizmaster Breinstein concludes. He explains that Anthony created the foundation for Bergen’s quiz culture before moving back to Australia a few years ago. 

Even though an Australian startet up the quizzmania, the quiz was in Norwegian, which was a challenge to our international members.  Therefore make sure you have someone who knows Norwegian with you on the team!

Breinstein also shares with us his best tip for all quiz-teams:

–  If you are going to a quiz to have fun, go with your friends! If you are in it to win, have a team that is diverse in gender, age and interests!

If you haven’t gotten to know any Norwegians yet, this might be a place to start. If not, do not despair, all the student quizzes we visited were happy to do so in english.  

Det Akademiske Kvarteret – Tuesday

Price: FREE
Language: Norwegian & English.
When: Every Tuesday at 20.00, but be there by 19.00. The place fills up FAST.
How long: until 23.00. Expect 15 min breaks in between each round to refill your beer.
Max. team members: 5 persons. You get -1 point for each person over the limit.
Beer price: 49 kr for students.
Team to look out for: «Til Dovre Faller»

We continued our quizhopping week at the student culture house. You have probably been at Kvarteret by now, and if you haven’t been to their quiz, it’s definitely time to change that. The categories are varied, so there is something for every team member. If you get stuck and can’t answer a question, try to come up with something creative and funny. There is a prize at the end of the quiz for just that! Drawings are also allowed. Second place and bowling tickets as a price are nothing to complain about either.

Ad Fontes – Wednesday

Price: 15 kr. Cash/Vipps.
Language: English.
When: Every Wednesday 20.30. Again, try to be early to secure a spot.
How long: until 22.00, with small breaks in between rounds.
Max. team member: 5 persons. Prizes not awarded to teams with more members.
Beer price: 52 kr for students.
Food? Some light snacks.
Team to look out for: «Jone and the gay sailors»

The Faculty of Humanities’ bar, Ad fontes, is located on the first floor of their building. To enter the bar in the evening you have to walk behind the building, as the front door is closed. Ad Fontes is small and cozy with dim lights, which gives off a more relaxed atmosphere than the last two quizzes. Your entrance ticket doubles as a lottery ticket, so don’t lose it! You might win something later on that night. Make sure to check their facebook site for quiz-hints to be prepared.

Kronbar – Thursday

Price: 20 kr. Cash/Vipps.
Language: Mostly Norwegian. Questions are in both Norwegian and English on a screen but the answers are read in Norwegian.
When: Every other Thursday at 18.00. If you want a spot, be there an hour before the bar opens. 
How long: until 22.00.
Max. team members: 8 persons.
Beer price: 46 kr for students.

To finish our quizhopping we ended up at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, or better known in Norwegian as Høgskulen på Vestlandet (HVL). We had never been there before and decided that being 15 minutes earlier would be enough as the bar opened just as the quiz was said to start. How wrong we were! Make sure to be at least half an hour early. The queue was already about 150 people long when we got there. The place is huge but we still struggled to find places. The quiz started about two hours later, and in between rounds there is also a game of Kahoot! Before the quiz most teams borrowed cards at the bar to play with while waiting for it to start, so there is never a boring moment… just find a way to make the queuing fun as well.

Other quizzes worth checking out:

Klubben

Where: Norwegian School of Economics (NHH)
Language: Norwegian but questions are available in English if you ask.
When: Tuesdays, every other week. Keep updated on their facebook site.
How long: 20.00 – 23.00. Recommended to be earlier to secure a table.
Beer price: 35 kr for students
Food? Free popcorn and chips for all participants.

Straffbar

Where: Faculty of Law
When: Around 3 times a semester. Updates on Juridisk Arrangementsklubb’s facebook page.
How long: 19.00-21.00. Be there at 18.30 to secure a table.
Beer price: 35 kr for students.
Team to watch out for: «Skules disipler»

Integrerbar

Price: Free
Where: Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
When: Every other Tuesday at 19.00. Try to show up an hour before to secure a spot.
Beer price: 39 kr for students.
Food?: Chips and nuts.

Kurerbar

Where: Faculty of Psychology
Next quiz: March 1st

Diskuterbar

Where: Faculty of Social Sciences
When: The bar is re-opening its doors on February 27th but it’s sure to have quizzes! Be on the lookout on their facebook page.