The Banquet of the Chestnuts began on the evening of October 31,1501 and did not conclude until two o'clock in the morning, November 1, 1501, All Saint's Day.
There was a regular entourage of twenty-five prostitutes in the Vatican during Alexander VI's reign, and they performed erotic dances for the Pontiff's entertainment each evening. They were informally referred to by contemporary sources as "an unlawful herd."