The Fate Awards 2010 in association with Diet Coke, celebrated the crème of the Northern Ireland hospitality and entertainment industry, as 22 winners walked away with coveted Fate awards.

Winners announced at the Fate Awards were: Best Classic Bar: Laverys, Belfast; Best Style Bar: McCrackens Café Bar, Belfast; Best Cocktail Bar: The Merchant Hotel, Belfast; Best Gastro Pub: John Hewitt, Belfast; Best Regional Bar: Grace Neills, Donaghadee; Best Restaurant: No 27, Belfast; Best Regional Restaurant: The Plough, Hillsborough; Best Club: Rain, Belfast; Best Regional Club: Sallys, Omagh; Best Live Venue: Empire, Belfast; Best Hotel: Ten Square, Belfast; Best Front of House: Andy Carson, Bar Retro, Hillsborough; Best Chef: Danny Millar, Balloo House, Killinchy; Best Gay Friendly Venue: Kremlin, Belfast; Best Newcomer: Slide, Belfast; Best DJ: Stevie Simpson and Media Personality of the Year: Gerard McCarthy.

Special awards of the decade went to Club of the Decade: Thompsons, Belfast; Restaurant of the Decade: Deanes, Belfast; Bar of the Decade: Apartment, Belfast and Best Overall Venue: Café Vaudeville, Belfast.

From a staggering 50,000 votes, the expert panel of judges visited shortlisted venues across the province to judge the outstanding achievements of the eventual winners.

The Sugahfix gals were hoping for a bit of juicy gossip but alas we were informed everyone was very well behaved - boo - no fun! We were delighted to hear our Sugahpal Gerard McCarthy picked up the trophy for Media Personality of the Year as he is one of Belfast's best known actors and he's a sweetheart to boot.

The excitement and anticipation reached fever pitch when Julian Simmons and Pamela Ballantine walked on stage to announce a very special Legend award. The recipient, a very stunned and almost speechless Eamonn Holmes, was overwhelmed to be receiving such an award which, in previous years, has gone to Terry Hooley, founder of Good Vibrations Records and James Kelly, founder of Lush.

Michael Mervyn-Jones, Publisher of Fate Magazine, said; "The build up to this year's awards has been the most exciting yet. Each year we raise the bar of the event and strive for bigger and better but this year especially, we wanted to really celebrate the achievements of our industry in a very special way.

"I am extremely proud to be applauding the people who have worked through one of the most difficult trading years of recent times, to contribute to Northern Ireland's thriving entertainment and hospitality and I am thrilled to see so many of the crème of the industry here, under one roof, recognising and celebrating the successes of the past year.

Honouring Eamonn Holmes with the Fate Legend Award is so important for me as he is, without question, one of our homegrown talent's biggest household names and greatest ambassadors. With an international television career spanning three decades, it is only but right that we acknowledge Eamonn with this special Fate Legend Award in recognition for all that he has done and continues to do for this province."

Pictured: David O'Dornan, Associated Editor of Sunday Life; Gerard McCarthy, Darius Campbell and Ciaran McAlinden of TIGI who sponsored the Media Personality Award.