So, this is it. Endless months of bun fights and tabloid attacks all come down to this. By 7 o'clock on Friday morning, we will know (well, kind of, but more on this later) the make-up of the next UK Parliament and who will lead our nearest neighbour's next government.
The polls say the race between David Cameron and Ed Miliband for 10 Downing Street will come down to the wire with both Labour and the Tories deadlocked. So how will we know how the night is going? The following times should be a handy guide for the bleary-eyed, caffeine-fueled, festival of democracy to follow.
22.15: Our first indicator of how the evening will pan out will come courtesy of the very useful exit poll carried out by broadcasters across the United Kingdom. The usual 'health warnings' apply here. Famously, in 1992, it went for a hung parliament instead of the Conservative win. However, last time around, it was almost exactly right so it could be quite a strong signal as to whether or not the Tories have come anywhere near to a majority.
23.00: The Sunderland seats, all traditional Labour heartlands, will be the first to get their results in. They take a little bit too much pride in that fact in Houghton and Sunderland South. it's even rumoured that they rig the traffic lights to make sure the ballot boxes get to the count centre as quickly as possible. So, if you're just having a quick look before bed, don't get carried away if Ed Miliband's party have an early lead.
01.00-02.00: Not a lot is expected to happen between 11pm and midnight, so take the opportunity to get some snacks or coffee in. The refreshments should get you ready for Nuneaton, the first proper swing seat up for grabs. It's coming in at 1am and a win here for Labour would be encouraging for Miliband and co. Closer to home, many of the DUPs seats will start to declare ahead of 2 o'clock so we'll see how their voting pact with the UUP has held up.
02.00-03.00: We're heading towards prime time now. All eyes will turn to Scotland to see just how many seats Nicola Sturgeon (above) and the SNP will take in Westminster. Among their targets is Gordon Brown's Kircaldy constituency, Labour Scotland leader Jim Murphy's seat in East Renfrewshire and 'Little Ireland' in Coatbridge, which we visited for Newstalk Breakfast on Monday. If those fail to the SNP, then we're looking at a potential wipeout of Labour north of Hadrian's Wall.
Next in the firing line are the Liberal Democrats. Some of their London seats are up for grabs before 3 o'clock and some Labour gains here would serve the party well if it's to stay in the seat race with the Tories.
03.00-04.00: Is this the hour for UKIP? Members of the Eurosceptic party might soon be measuring constituency offices in Great Grimsby and Thurrock for purple drapes. If they outperform expectations, David Cameron's hopes of reaching 300 seats would be almost extinguished.
Later on in the hour comes the juicier bit in the shape of more London marginals. Wins for either the Tories or Labour in Enfield North, Harlow and Ealing Central & Acton will give a pretty decent indicator of who's going to win outright. Swings of 4% plus are needed for Ed Miliband and Co in many of these constituencies. So, if you're not planning on getting this far, similar swings in earlier seats might give you an idea of how these will generally fall.
Delirium may well have set in by now. So if there are any viral hits to come from tonight, they may well surface now. If not, revisit some classics like this one.
04.00-05.00: This hour will be the big test of stamina. I recommend Lucozade, bananas and a swift set of burpees. If that doesn't wake you up, then surely the prospect of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg losing his seat in Sheffield Hallam will. His is just one of a raft of big collars up for grabs in this magnificent hour. Alex Salmond's challenge for Gordon is due to come in so there might be some fire and brimstone in his speech. Meanwhile a loss for Vince Cable in Twickenham at this point might compound a bad night for the Lib Dems.
Both David Cameron and Ed Miliband's constituencies of Wirral and Doncaster North will be declared before 5am. These are worth a gawk because of the speeches. Both may very well signal victory but who'll be the more convincing.
06.00-07.00: It's actual morning now. If you're in work, good luck... Nigel Farage faces the fight of his life to get elected in South Thanet, where I'll be watching him closely. The count centre is in an old theatre in the seaside resort of Margate. Will it be an operatic triumph? Or will it be a Punch and Judy-style ugly demise for UKIP's man?
If the Conservatives have had a rotten night, look to Uxbridge and South Ruislip for Boris Johnson's victory speech (he will win here, let's not pretend otherwise) for an early sign at a leadership campaign.
And that's the night. We're not *completely* done yet though. As everyone has already heard, we face the prospect of weeks of negotiations between the big two and the smaller parties in a bid to form the next government and there's also the small possibility that we might have to do it all again later this year. Two electoral all nighters in a matter of months? Too good to be true surely?
