Nobel Banquet Nobelfesten | |
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![]() 2005 Nobel Banquet | |
Genre | Banquet |
Date(s) | 10 December |
Frequency | Annual |
Venue | Blue Hall, Stockholm City Hall |
Location(s) | Stockholm, Sweden |
Country | Sweden |
Inaugurated | 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]
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]
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]
The dinner is a formal affair, and for men the dress code is white tie, and orders and decorations should be worn.[20][21]