Nobel Banquet

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Nobel Banquet
Nobelfesten
2005 Nobel Banquet
GenreBanquet
Date(s)10 December
FrequencyAnnual
VenueBlue Hall, Stockholm City Hall
Location(s)Stockholm, Sweden
CountrySweden
Inaugurated10 December 1901 (10 December 1901)

The Nobel Banquet (Swedish: Nobelfesten) is an annual banquet held on 10 December in the Blue Hall of Stockholm City Hall, after the Nobel Prize ceremony.[1][2] At the banquet, for which a formal dress code exists, a multi-course dinner is served and entertainment provided.[3] After the dinner, a dance is held in the Golden Hall.[4] The event is broadcast live on Sveriges Television and Sveriges Radio, and abroad with generally high ratings.[5]

History[edit]

Black-and-white photo of large banquet
1958 Nobel Banquet in Stockholm City Hall's Golden Hall

The first banquet, for 113 male guests, was held in 1901[6] and until 1923 it was known as the Nobel Dinner (Swedish: Nobelmiddagen).[7] Until 1930 the banquet was held in Vinterträdgården at Stockholm's Grand Hôtel Royal,[8] and it has also been held in the Golden Hall of the Swedish Academy (Svenska Akademien).[9]

The banquet hosts 1,300 guests (including the Swedish royal family) and 200 students. Its host, the chair of the Nobel Foundation, is always seated at the royal table.[4]

Table serving at the 2005 Nobel Banquet.

During the dinner (usually four hours long) each Nobel Prize recipient makes a speech, often lighthearted in character.[7] There are two ceremonial toasts: the Loyal toast to the Swedish monarch and the other, made by the monarch, in memory of Alfred Nobel.[10] The speeches and toasts are presented by the banquet's toastmaster, traditionally a Swedish student who holds the job for four years.[11][12]

Service during the banquet is provided by waiting staff, chefs, and others who are trained for several weeks.[9] Since the 1970s, flowers for the banquet have been provided by the Italian city of Sanremo (where Nobel lived during his final years).[13] They are grown in the province of Imperia in the Liguria region of Italy.[14]

In late July 2020, it was revealed that the banquet would be cancelled for that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15][16] This was the first time the banquet was cancelled since 1956.[15] In September 2021, it was announced that the banquet of 2021 will also be postponed, again due to the pandemic.[17] In 2022, the banquet will return after a two-year break.[18] For 2022, the ambassadors to Sweden from Belarus, Russia and Iran would not be invited to join the banquet.[19]

Dress code[edit]

The dinner is a formal affair, and for men the dress code is white tie, and orders and decorations should be worn.[20][21]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Nobelfesten – Festen". Stockholm.se. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  2. ^ "Watch the Nobel Prize Banquet Live from Stockholm". Time. Archived from the original on 13 December 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  3. ^ "Six things to know about Sweden's poshest dinner". The Local. 9 December 2015. Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Nobel Banquet: A sumptuous serve for laureates and royals – DW – 08.12.2017". DW.COM. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  5. ^ "Taffeln". Royal Court. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  6. ^ "Award ceremonies". Archived from the original on 28 April 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Nobelfesten". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  8. ^ Levinovitz, Agneta Wallin, 2011, pagr 127
  9. ^ a b "The Nobel Prize Award Ceremonies and Banquets". nobelprize.org. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  10. ^ "The Nobel Banquet" (PDF). 26 August 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 August 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  11. ^ "SSCO och Nobelstiftelsen söker ny toastmaster till Nobel". Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  12. ^ "Ingenjörens uppdrag: Vara Nobelfestens toastmaster – Ingenjörskarriär". ssco.se. 16 December 2015. Archived from the original on 16 December 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  13. ^ "Första nobelmiddagen för Sveriges nye prins". Svenska Dagbladet. 10 December 2010. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  14. ^ "Besök Nobels blommor". Dagens Nyheter. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  15. ^ a b "Pandemic sees Nobel banquet cancelled for first time since 1956 – DN". Reuters. 21 July 2020. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  16. ^ "Nobel Banquet Menu 2020". NobelPrize.org. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  17. ^ "Nobel prize banquet postponed again in 2021 due to pandemic". Reuters. 23 September 2021. Archived from the original on 10 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  18. ^ "A Nobel way to discover Stockholm". visitstockholm.com. Archived from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  19. ^ Nyheter, S. V. T.; Frenker, Clarence (28 October 2022). "Beskedet: Irans ambassadör bjuds inte in till Nobelfesten". SVT Nyheter. Archived from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  20. ^ "Nothing less than perfection is on the menu for the Nobel banquet". Reuters. 10 December 2015. Archived from the original on 16 October 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  21. ^ "10 Things You Might Not Know About the Nobel Prize". mentalfloss.com. 8 October 2013. Archived from the original on 16 October 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2019.

External links[edit]

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