Nobel Banquet

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]

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)

History
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]

On 2 September 2023, the Nobel Foundation announced that it would not invite the ambassadors of Russia, Belarus, and Iran to the Nobel Prize awards ceremony in Stockholm that year, reversing an earlier decision after widespread criticism.[20]

Dress code

The dinner is a formal affair, and for men the dress code is white tie, and orders and decorations should be worn.[21][22]

See also

References
  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. "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. "Nobelfesten". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  8. Levinovitz, Agneta Wallin, 2011, pagr 127
  9. "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. "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. Johnson, Simon (3 September 2023). "Nobel Foundation cancels Russia, Belarus, Iran invites to annual prize". Reuters. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  21. "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.
  22. "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.
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