Summer is here, and what better way to enjoy those long, lazy days than with some brain-stimulating summer trivia? I’ve put together this collection of 100+ summer-themed questions that are perfect for beach days, backyard barbecues, or those inevitable rainy summer afternoons stuck indoors.
As someone who’s hosted countless family trivia nights during our summer vacations, I can tell you there’s nothing like watching my teenagers actually put down their phones to debate whether a watermelon is a fruit or a vegetable! These questions have been tested during our own family gatherings and always spark interesting conversations.
Beach and Ocean Trivia
Summer and beaches go hand in hand! Test your knowledge of oceans, coastlines, and everything beach-related with these questions.
- What is the world’s largest ocean?
Answer: Pacific Ocean - Which famous beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is known for its distinctive black and white wave pattern boardwalk?
Answer: Copacabana Beach - What causes the ocean tides?
Answer: The gravitational pull of the moon and sun - What is the average temperature of the world’s oceans?
Answer: About 39°F (3.9°C) - What percentage of Earth’s surface is covered by oceans?
Answer: About 71% - Which famous beach is located in Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii?
Answer: Waikiki Beach - What creates the sound you hear when you put a seashell to your ear?
Answer: Ambient noise resonating in the shell (not the ocean) - Which coastal country has the longest coastline in the world?
Answer: Canada - What color are most sandy beaches?
Answer: Tan or golden - What country is home to the Great Barrier Reef?
Answer: Australia - What’s the name of the phobia that describes a fear of the ocean?
Answer: Thalassophobia - Which U.S. state has the longest coastline?
Answer: Alaska - What are the small holes in sand on a beach usually created by?
Answer: Sand crabs or clams - Which sea is the saltiest in the world?
Answer: The Dead Sea - In which country would you find Bondi Beach?
Answer: Australia - What is the most common type of seaweed found on beaches?
Answer: Kelp - Which famous beach borders the Mediterranean Sea in Nice, France?
Answer: Promenade des Anglais - What is the primary source of sand on most beaches?
Answer: Eroded quartz rock - What famous beach is located in Miami’s South Beach area?
Answer: Ocean Drive Beach - What is the name of the phenomenon where water glows blue at night on some beaches?
Answer: Bioluminescence
Want to test your knowledge in other areas? Try our sports trivia questions for more challenging fun!
Summer Weather and Science
Summer brings unique weather patterns and natural phenomena. How much do you know about the science of summer?
- What causes lightning?
Answer: The buildup and discharge of electrical energy between clouds or between clouds and the ground - During which month does the summer solstice occur in the Northern Hemisphere?
Answer: June - What is the official hurricane season in the Atlantic?
Answer: June 1 to November 30 - What’s the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth?
Answer: 134°F (56.7°C) in Death Valley, California - What causes humidity?
Answer: Water vapor in the air - What is the scientific name for the summer solstice?
Answer: June solstice - Which hemisphere experiences summer during December, January, and February?
Answer: Southern Hemisphere - What causes a rainbow?
Answer: Refraction and reflection of light through water droplets - What’s the name for a severe tropical storm with wind speeds less than a hurricane?
Answer: Tropical storm - What weather phenomenon produces a green sky?
Answer: Severe thunderstorms (often associated with tornadoes) - What is the UV index measuring?
Answer: The strength of ultraviolet radiation from the sun - What causes a heat wave?
Answer: A trapped ridge of high pressure - On average, which month is the hottest in the Northern Hemisphere?
Answer: July - What is the longest day of the year called?
Answer: Summer solstice - What causes a mirage on a hot summer day?
Answer: Light refraction due to temperature differences in air layers - What do meteorologists call the invisible flow of water vapor into the atmosphere?
Answer: Evaporation - Which natural disaster is most common during summer months in the U.S. Midwest?
Answer: Tornadoes - What is the name of NASA’s summer 2020 mission to Mars?
Answer: Perseverance rover - What weather phenomenon is described as “the dog days of summer”?
Answer: The hottest, most humid days of summer - What is the primary gas that causes the greenhouse effect leading to warmer summers?
Answer: Carbon dioxide
For those who enjoy testing their knowledge about our planet, check out our earth trivia collection!
Summer Foods and Drinks
Summer is a season for delicious treats and refreshing beverages. Test your knowledge of seasonal cuisine!
- Which fruit is known as “summer’s candy”?
Answer: Watermelon - What popular summer vegetable is botanically classified as a fruit?
Answer: Tomato - Which popular summer treat was accidentally invented in 1905 when 11-year-old Frank Epperson left a cup of soda with a stirring stick outside overnight?
Answer: Popsicle - What is the most consumed summer fruit in America?
Answer: Watermelon - What’s the official fruit of the state of Georgia?
Answer: Peach - Which country did ice cream originate from?
Answer: China - What beverage was first created as a medicinal compound but became a popular summer drink?
Answer: Coca-Cola - What summer fruit is known for being both a powerful antioxidant and natural sunburn remedy?
Answer: Blueberries - In what decade was the first ice cream cone invented?
Answer: 1900s (specifically 1904) - What popular summer drink was first created in Valencia, Spain?
Answer: Sangria - What is the most common flavor of shaved ice in Hawaii?
Answer: Rainbow (a combination of flavors) - Which summer food holiday is celebrated on July 21st in the US?
Answer: National Ice Cream Day - What fruit is commonly associated with tennis at Wimbledon?
Answer: Strawberries - Which popular summer vegetable is 96% water?
Answer: Cucumber - What is America’s favorite flavor of ice cream?
Answer: Vanilla - What summer drink is made with rum, mint, sugar, lime juice, and soda water?
Answer: Mojito - What is the primary ingredient in gazpacho?
Answer: Tomatoes - Which fruit has varieties called Bing, Rainier, and Black?
Answer: Cherries - What food is most associated with the 4th of July?
Answer: Hot dogs - Which herb is essential for making authentic pesto sauce?
Answer: Basil
If you’re looking for more food-related questions, our food trivia collection will satisfy your appetite for knowledge!
Summer Sports and Recreation
Summer is the perfect time for outdoor activities and sports. How much do you know about summer recreation?
- In which year did surfing become an Olympic sport?
Answer: 2021 (Tokyo Olympics) - What summer Olympic sport has been competed in at every modern Summer Olympic Games?
Answer: Athletics (Track and Field) - Which country invented beach volleyball?
Answer: United States - What is the world’s oldest annual marathon?
Answer: Boston Marathon - Which animal is used in the summer sport of polo?
Answer: Horse - What is the national summer sport of Canada?
Answer: Lacrosse - In which U.S. city were the first X Games held?
Answer: Newport, Rhode Island - What sport has “tandem,” “freestyle,” and “formation” disciplines?
Answer: Skydiving - Which water sport involves being pulled behind a boat while standing on a single wide ski?
Answer: Wakeboarding - What summer activity uses “SPF” as a measurement?
Answer: Sunbathing (Sun Protection Factor) - In which U.S. state did skateboarding originate?
Answer: California - What’s the name of the annual cycling race held primarily in July?
Answer: Tour de France - Which summer Olympic sport is performed in a “natatorium”?
Answer: Swimming - What recreational activity is also called “ultimate”?
Answer: Frisbee - Which famous tennis tournament is played on grass courts each summer?
Answer: Wimbledon - What’s the name of the traditional Spanish event where people run ahead of bulls through town streets?
Answer: Running of the Bulls (Encierro) - Which water sport combines elements of surfing, snowboarding, and sailing?
Answer: Kiteboarding - In which year were the summer Olympics held in London for the third time?
Answer: 2012 - What summer activity usually takes place in a half-pipe?
Answer: Skateboarding - Which ball sport is traditionally associated with beaches in Brazil?
Answer: Footvolley
Planning a summer road trip? Make it more fun with our road trip trivia questions and answers!
Summer Entertainment and Pop Culture
Summer is blockbuster season and a time for festivals and music. Test your knowledge of summer entertainment!
- Which 1975 summer blockbuster movie is about a shark?
Answer: Jaws - What summer music festival began in 1969 on a dairy farm in New York?
Answer: Woodstock - Which hit song by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince celebrates the season?
Answer: “Summertime” - What summer-themed beach movie series starred Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello?
Answer: Beach Party films - Which famous author wrote the novel “The Summer Book”?
Answer: Tove Jansson - What famous summer music festival is held annually in the desert in California?
Answer: Coachella - Which 1978 musical film starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John is set during summer break?
Answer: Grease - What popular summer TV show features lifeguards running on beaches?
Answer: Baywatch - Which band released the hit song “Summer of ’69”?
Answer: Bryan Adams - What 2003 Pixar film features a clownfish searching for his son during summer?
Answer: Finding Nemo - Which actress starred in the summer rom-com “500 Days of Summer”?
Answer: Zooey Deschanel - What song by Mungo Jerry includes the lyrics “In the summertime when the weather is hot”?
Answer: “In the Summertime” - Which famous director is known for creating summer blockbusters like “E.T.” and “Jaws”?
Answer: Steven Spielberg - What MTV reality show follows the cast’s summer at the Jersey Shore?
Answer: Jersey Shore - Which music genre is most associated with Jamaica and summer reggae festivals?
Answer: Reggae
After testing your pop culture knowledge, explore more entertainment trivia with our television trivia collection!
Summer Travel and Geography
Summer is peak travel season. How much do you know about summer destinations and geography?
- Which city hosts the world’s largest summer carnival?
Answer: Rio de Janeiro (Carnival) - What is the most visited national park in the United States during summer?
Answer: Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Which European city is known as the “City of Light” and is a top summer tourist destination?
Answer: Paris - What is the world’s most visited beach?
Answer: Miami Beach - Which U.S. state is known as the “Land of the Midnight Sun” during summer?
Answer: Alaska - What famous ancient monument in England is aligned with the sunrise on the summer solstice?
Answer: Stonehenge - Which Mediterranean island is the largest and a popular summer destination?
Answer: Sicily - What is the busiest airport in the world during summer travel season?
Answer: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport - Which famous European lake in the Alps is known for summer water activities?
Answer: Lake Geneva - What is the most visited theme park in the world during summer?
Answer: Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World
If you enjoy geographic questions, you’ll love our national park trivia collection!
Why Summer Trivia is the Perfect Seasonal Activity
Summer gives us the gift of time – time to relax, connect, and have fun with friends and family. Trivia games are an ideal summer activity because they can be played anywhere from a beach blanket to a mountain cabin porch. Plus, they’re both entertaining and sneakily educational!
I remember driving across country with my family a few summers ago, and we started playing roadside trivia to pass the time. What began as a way to combat boredom turned into one of our favorite vacation memories, with everyone cheering when someone got a particularly difficult question right.
Looking for more ways to spark interesting conversations? Check out our collection of deep topics to talk about for meaningful summer discussions!
Final Thoughts
I hope these summer trivia questions have given you plenty of material for your next beach day, barbecue, or summer gathering! There’s something special about combining learning with summer fun – the relaxed atmosphere makes knowledge stick in a way that feels effortless.
My family has made summer trivia a tradition during our annual beach vacation, and it’s amazing how these questions have sparked curiosity about everything from ocean science to the history of ice cream. Did you know all the answers, or did some surprise you? I’d love to know which question was your favorite!
For more ways to make your summer gatherings memorable, check out our interesting topics to talk about that pair perfectly with trivia nights!