Numerous episodes of Columbo feature parties or gatherings. Our favorite detective often drops in on these occasions, bringing his raincoat and charm with him, sometimes becoming the life of the party.

Just for fun, there are two questions:

(1) Which "party" scene was your favorite?

(2) If you had a chance to go to one of these parties/gatherings, which one would it be?

Some of the memorable (or not so memorable) scenes which I can recall off the top of my head:

"Prescription: Murder" - the "Botticelli" scene (Columbo isn't actually at this party)
"Deadly State of Mind" - the dinner party hosted by Dr. Collier
"Swan Song" - Tommy Brown strumming and singing with a cast on his foot
"Identity Crisis" - Nelson Brenner hosting an international group of guests
"A Stitch in Crime" - Dr. Barry Mayfield's party which he was going to call off, but it was "just too late".
"Forgotten Lady" - Diamond and Wheeler perform one last number
"A Case of Immunity" - partying with the King of Sauri
"Try and Catch Me" - Abigail Mitchell's speech to the Women's Club
"Columbo Likes the Nightlife" - Justin's big opening at Bait brings a slight disruption of his dreams

Great topic. I think two of the best scenes in the whole series are Abigail Mitchell & Columbo at the Women's Club (my choice for question 2), and Dale Kingston at the art exhibition towards the start of Suitable for Framing (my choice for question 1).

I, too, love the Women's Club scene. Along with the scenes from "Prescription: Murder" and "The Bye-Bye Sky High...", it's where we get to see Columbo reveal something so honest and real about himself. Ross Martin plays so well the smarmy, smug Dale Kingston, especially while talking about "the relationship of the pieces".

My favorite is Columbo crashing the Undertaker's Award dinner in Ashes to Ashes and the one I would like to attend is the Restaraunt Writer's dinner in Murder Under Glass, if anything, just to sample the food.

Haha! Yeah, those were great scenes. I've always wondered what they did with all that food from the Restaurant Writer's dinner. Did the cast, crew and stand-ins all eat it?

Some people would see the ones in "A Stitch In Crime" and "Suitable For Framing" and just see a lot of overdone late ' 60s-early ' 70s people.
But I think that's kind of the point, because those two parties are little send-ups of that kind of thing. Except that they're pretty low-key send-ups (especially the "Stitch In Crime" one). Either way, they're entertaining.

Great comments, but I would also point out that the real party animal in the family is, apparently, Mrs. Columbo. In "Troubled Waters," when Columbo hears that the ship's Captain wants to see him, his immediate reaction is: "The Captain? To see me? It's not about my wife, is it? I mean... she likes to have a good time, sometimes she gets carried away..."

Apparently, it's a Columbo family trait - Columbo mentions as much to Mrs. Halperin in "A Friend in Deed", something about being drunk at a police function where our favorite detective runs into the eventually-to-be-murdered commissioner's wife.

I've always liked the sort of pool party he walks through for about ten seconds in Dead Weight.
Maybe it's really more like a casual get-together than a party, but whatever you call it.

Good about in A Friend In Deed when Columbo admits to Mrs. halperin he was drunk at the Christmas party.

There's the cast party in Dagger of the Mind, with its stereotyped English theatre people.
(I mean stereotyped in an entertaining way, like most of the characters in that episode.)

A Deadly State of Mind. When he’s sitting with the doctors and explaining the case he’s working on.

I can't help thinking that a character played by Danny Wells could make any party a good one to attend.