FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — September 2026

Sprint through the British Museum, then out-quiz Virginia Woolf’s Bloomsbury this October

Culture Quest is crashing the Bloomsbury Festival with treasure hunts in the galleries and a pub quiz where the answers are hiding in plain sight.

 

Ever fancied legging it round the British Museum against the clock? Or settling a score over a pint in the same square mile that spawned Virginia Woolf, John Maynard Keynes and the whole gloriously gossipy Bloomsbury Set? This October, you can do both.

 

Daisy de Plume is bringing Culture Quest to the Bloomsbury Festival — which turns 20 this year, neatly timed with UCL’s 200th — for a full month of cultural mischief across Bloomsbury from 1–31 October.

 

First, the treasure hunts. Grab three to five mates, pick a team name you’ll regret, and race through the galleries on a hunt that’s less pub-quiz-swot, more sharp-eyed sprint. No history degree required — just a competitive streak and a willingness to elbow your way to the Rosetta Stone. Five hunts run every weekend in October (Sat 3, Fri 9, Sat 17, Fri 23 and Sat 31 October, 5:30 - 8pm on Fridays, 2–4.30pm on Saturdays, £8/kids, £15/adults.

 

Then it’s off to the pub. At The Lady Ottoline — named after Bloomsbury’s most gloriously extra literary hostess — quizmaster Ed Coke runs the Culture Quiz, where the streets outside basically are the answer sheet. You’ll leave knowing how Keynes made a fortune betting on currencies from his bed, why Gandhi and Virginia Woolf share a square, and how Noor Inayat Khan went from Bloomsbury to spying for Britain in occupied France. The sneaky bit? The answers are hiding on the blue plaques, statues and even the trees outside. Come solo and make friends, or bring a team. Sundays 4 and 11 and Thursday 22 October, £15.

 

So whether you’re a Bloomsbury lifer, a nosy tourist or a team that’s exhausted every escape room in Zone 1, consider your October sorted. Tickets at bloomsburyfestival.org.uk.

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“Culture isn’t a spectator’s sport, get stuck in. Drop your phone, grab a friend, scrutinise — and maybe clobber your competition along the way! That’s what makes Bloomsbury Festival irresistible,” says Daisy de Plume, founder of Culture Quest. “curiosity, creativity, discovery and a little healthy mischief.”

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“It’s a pub quiz where half the answers are outside on the statues and street signs,” says quizmaster Ed Coke. “You don’t need to be a historian to win — just nosy.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Culture Quest at the British Museum (treasure hunts)

• Dates: Saturday 3, Friday 9, Friday 23 and Saturday 31 October 2026

• Time: 2 pm–4.30 pm on Saturdays and 5.30 pm–8 pm on Fridays

• Venue: British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG

• Teams of 3–5; suitable for kids aged 7+ through till 100 years old

• Tickets: £8/kids, £15/adults via https://www.culturequesthunt.com/event-list

Culture Quiz at The Lady Ottoline

• Dates: Sunday 4, Sunday 11 and Thursday 22 October 2026 (Sunday quizzes 4–6pm; Thursday 6-8pm)

• Venue: The Lady Ottoline, 11A Northington Street, London WC1N 2JF

• Hosted by quizmaster Ed Coke; tickets £15 — play solo or as a team (up to 5 people)

• Booking: bloomsburyfestival.org.uk /culturequesthunt.com/event-list

 

About Culture Quest

Culture Quest, founded by native NYer Daisy de Plume, creates museum treasure hunts and themed pub quizzes for curious minds — from corporate team-building and birthdays to travellers and festival crowds. Hunts currently run at the British Museum and Louvre, with the V&A and Natural History Museum in development.

About the Bloomsbury Festival

The Bloomsbury Festival celebrates the culture, creativity and community of London’s Bloomsbury. Its 20th edition runs 1–31 October 2026, staged in conjunction with UCL’s 200th anniversary.

Press contact

Nuala Ginty

nginty@me.com

07944 478 132