In a crowded marquee at an undisclosed location in Edinburgh - just left off Priestfield Road, if you hit Priestfield Crescent you've gone too far - the great and the good of Scottish politics are chatting over hors d'oeuvres and sparkling wine.
There's no need for the presiding officer to step in either - it's all pretty convivial as the big beasts of Holyrood share jokes and small talk.
After a two-year enforced Covid absence it's the return of The Herald's Scottish Politician of the Year Awards.
After around half an hour of mingling a man in a bold red blazer declares it's time to be seated and the politicians, journalists, business and charities retire to the dining room.
There they're welcomed by The Herald's own Brian Taylor who has, he jokes, been covering Scottish politics since William Wallace was a boy.
Some good-natured jabs precede the meal - Douglas Ross, we're told, is waiting to hear from Westminster before deciding on his starter while the SNP representatives will just have whatever Nicola Sturgeon is having.
Following a well-received welcoming from Herald editor Catherine Salmond, a review of the year put together by the BBC is broadcast on screens around the room.
It really is a stark reminder of how much has transpired in 2022 - Boris Johnson being forced to sack a man named Pincher for alleged groping feels about as recent as the corn laws.
It concludes with Matt Hancock's stint on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! - it's not clear if the kitchen staff were informed their culinary creations would be preceded by the MP for West Suffolk chewing on a sheep's vagina. Of all the harrowing videos of Matt Hancock, it's by far the most recent.
The starter consists of, ahem: smoked Loch Etive trout mousse, Arbroath smokie brandade, Prestonfield crowdie, Glenkinchi gel, jaggy nettle emulsion and soda bread. First rule of black tie: all food must be foam.
Two further courses follow before comedian Matt Forde of Spitting Image fame takes the stage.
In the wake of the Supreme Court judgement stating that the Scottish Parliament cannot legally hold a second independence referendum next year it is, we're told, "the best week to book an Englishman".
There are some obligatory digs at ScotRail, the census and ferries - what does Covid acronym FACTS stand for? Ferries Are Corruptly Tendered in Scotland.
The awards go off largely without a hitch, though this being politics there's the odd wee dig.
Neil Gray says he's not sure he deserves to be named One To Watch, but "far be it for me to challenge the verdict of judges" while a video introduction for Richard Leonard's nomination as e-politician of the year does call him "part Eminem, part Billy Bragg" but also says he's "unlikely to be remembered as a great leader".
That's particularly harsh if you've seen the TikTok output of Ricky Lenny (as the kids presumably call him). After all, what is a leader if not an influencer?
The main event is of course Scottish Politician of the Year, for which the nominees are Anas Sarwar, Nicola Sturgeon, and Patrick Harvie & Lorna Slater.
In the end it's the Labour leader who takes home his second award of the night, declaring it a de facto Holyrood election.
And with that it's over, politicians filing out into the cold night air - after a kerfuffle locating a coat in the cloakroom in Alyn Smith's case - and taxis awaiting.
In a way they were all winners but, in another more accurate way, the people below were winners.
Best Scot at Westminster
Stewart McDonald, SNP MP for Glasgow South
Donald Dewar Debater of the Year
Supported by Aiir Networks
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar
One to Watch
Supported by Scottish Power
SNP culture and Europe minister Neil Gray
Committee MSP of the Year
Richard Leonard, convener of Public Audit
Community MSP of the Year
Paul Sweeney, Glasgow Labour MSP
Politics in Business Award
SNP trade minister Ivan McKee
E-Politician of the Year
Dr Sandesh Gulhane, Glasgow Tory MSP
Public Campaign of the Year
Back Off Scotland / Green MSP Gilian Mackay
Scottish Local Politician of the Year
Supported by Openreach
Stephen McCabe, Labour leader of Inverclyde Council
Lifetime Achievement Award
Lady Elish Angiolini
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