With voting closed, votes tallied and the last ticket long since sold, it was time to settle down to an evening of awards and cabaret at the Old Market for a showcase of lesbian and gay achievement in 2005.

Lola Lasagne hosted the evening with her usual panache - managing to hold the show together despite some technical hitches.

We were treated to a surprise appearance from Dave Lynn, a couple of songs from Jamie Watson (who valiantly carried on singing despite a dodgy microphone), a magic show with a stand-up twist from Mandy Muden and local band Coral who rocked things up a bit! Karen Noble brought the house down with her spookily accurate imitation of Barbara Streisand.

By way of some interval entertainment, those of us not rushing to the bar had the opportunity to watch a review of the year on the big screen... a rolling slideshow of photos from REALBrighton's 2005 archives. If you enjoyed revisiting the best bits of the year then keep an eye on our listings for our Spring Collection party at the Candy Bar in March!

More awards, and plenty more cabaret from the likes of the Rainbow Chorus, Trashville Tennessee... (I must admit I wouldn't have liked to have been on the Mayor's table for that particular performance... it was enough to make even the most hardened scene queen wince!), Rebecca Wheatley from Casualty, Maisie Trollette who brought the house down again with a very emotional I Am What I Am and a final performance from the City of Brighton Gay Men's Chorus.

The crowd was particularly boisterous tonight, with everyone frequently on their feet cheering for great acts and great awards. Local celebrities in the crowd included the Right Worshipful Mayor of the City of Brighton & Hove, Councillor Bob Carden, and his wife Merle, the new boss of the local Police and a number of politicians who all lent their support by announcing awards throughout the evening.

HUGE thanks are due to everyone who helped put the show together! My personal thanks go to REALBrighton James for slaving over a hot computer for hours getting the graphics in order for the show, and for the fairly thankless task of sitting by the side of the stage with his laptop making sure the screen was showing the right awards at the right times! Also another huge thankyou to the 8 waiters for the evening, who must have run their poor little feet off keeping all our glasses topped up! And - reminded by RubyRoo's blog - not forgetting all the stage management crew - especially Helen who has superbly stage managed every major cabaret event in Brighton's recent history!

The night was another resounding success... but don't take our word for it. Make sure you get your ticket early next year!

category	runners-up	winner
Best Out of Town Venue	The Jack Horner, Worthing The Hartington, Eastbourne	The Fountain, Handcross
Best Gay Sauna	The Denmark Oasis The Amsterdam	The Brighton Oasis
Favourite Scene Personality	Miss Joyride Letitcia	Lola Lasagne
Best Male DJ	Richard Jones, Sunday Sundae Nik C, Revenge	Pete Haywood
Best Barman	Simon Wade, Star Inn Rupert Ellick, Charles Street	Jay, Star Inn
Best Gay Business	Clone Zone Prowler	Café22
Best Restaurant	The Saint (no name) restaurant and bar	Sevendials
Best Manager	Andy, Queen's Arms Big Dave, Star Inn	Steve, Harlequin
Best Female DJ	Queen Josephine DJ Hollie	Dulcie Danger
Best Bar Girl	Claudia, Candy Bar Rachel, Candy Bar	Kelly, Charles Street
Best Girls Night Out	Kinky Dangerous Sirens	Wet Pussy
Best Cabaret Bar	R-Bar Legends	Queen's Arms
Favourite Entertainer	Lola Lasagne Jamie Watson	Phil Starr
Best Club Night	Lollipop Kinky Dangerous	Wild Fruit
Best Bar	Charles Street Bulldog	The Star Inn
Best Club	Storm The Club @ Charles Street	Revenge
Best Hotel	The Griffin The New Steine	Amsterdam
Special Awards		SGT Mark Andrews Lisa Timerick Jenny Bennett