what is banquet

A banquet is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. It is a sumptuous feast, often held to enhance the prestige of a host or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Banquets can be held for various purposes, including workplace training sessions, formal business dinners, birthday parties, social gatherings, and academic conferences. They can be a ceremonious public dinner, especially one honoring a person or benefiting a charity. Banquets can also be held in recognition of some occasion or achievement. The term "banquet" originally meant a specific and different kind of meal, often following a feast, but in a different room or even building, which concentrated on sweet foods of various kinds. Today, contemporary banquets serve many new purposes in addition to their traditional purposes.