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
Inaugurated1901 (1901)

History
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]

Dress code

The dinner is a formal affair, and the dress code is white tie, and orders and decorations should be worn.[17][18]

See also

References
  1. "Nobelfesten – Festen". Stockholm.se. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  2. "Watch the Nobel Prize Banquet Live from Stockholm". Time. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  3. "Six things to know about Sweden's poshest dinner". The Local. 9 December 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  4. "Nobel Banquet: A sumptuous serve for laureates and royals – DW – 08.12.2017". DW.COM. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  5. "Taffeln". Royal Court. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  6. "Award ceremonies". Archived from the original on 28 April 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  7. "Nobelfesten". Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  8. Levinovitz, Agneta Wallin, 2011, pagr 127
  9. "The Nobel Prize Award Ceremonies and Banquets". nobelprize.org. 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. 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. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  16. "Nobel Banquet Menu 2020". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  17. "Nothing less than perfection is on the menu for the Nobel banquet". 10 December 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2019 – via Reuters.
  18. "10 Things You Might Not Know About the Nobel Prize". mentalfloss.com. 8 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
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