Nobel Banquet Explained
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
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]
Dress code
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
Notes and References
- Web site: Nobelfesten – Festen. Stockholm.se. 17 October 2014. 24 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924120556/http://www.stockholm.se/OmStockholm/Stadshuset/Festlokaler/Nobelfesten/. live.
- Watch the Nobel Prize Banquet Live from Stockholm. Time. 30 November 2018. 13 December 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181213071407/http://time.com/4597253/nobel-prize-banquet-watch-live/. live.
- Web site: Six things to know about Sweden's poshest dinner. 9 December 2015. The Local. 30 November 2018. 30 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181130071648/https://www.thelocal.se/20151209/six-things-to-know-about-swedens-poshest-dinner. live.
- Web site: Nobel Banquet: A sumptuous serve for laureates and royals – DW – 08.12.2017. DW.COM. 30 November 2018. 24 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190624091517/https://www.dw.com/en/nobel-banquet-a-sumptuous-serve-for-laureates-and-royals/a-41708521. live.
- Web site: Taffeln. Royal Court. 11 October 2014. 16 May 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110516221844/http://www.royalcourt.se/brollopet/historikochtraditioner/taffeln.4.7eb872b11280345f9fc80001204.html. dead.
- Web site: Award ceremonies. https://web.archive.org/web/20130428151100/http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/award_ceremonies/menus/soderlind/. dead. 28 April 2013. 16 October 2019.
- Web site: Nobelfesten. 11 October 2014. 24 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924120556/http://www.stockholm.se/OmStockholm/Stadshuset/Festlokaler/Nobelfesten/. live.
- Levinovitz, Agneta Wallin, 2011, pagr 127
- Web site: The Nobel Prize Award Ceremonies and Banquets. nobelprize.org. 30 November 2018. 8 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201108133926/https://www.nobelprize.org/ceremonies/the-nobel-prize-award-ceremonies-and-banquets/. live.
- Web site: The Nobel Banquet . https://web.archive.org/web/20100826112854/http://www.losnummer.se/wp-content/uppladdat/2009/07/7-07.pdf. dead. 26 August 2010. 26 August 2010. 29 November 2018.
- Web site: SSCO och Nobelstiftelsen söker ny toastmaster till Nobel. 11 October 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160324141142/http://www.ssco.se/nobeltoastmaster/. 24 March 2016.
- Web site: Ingenjörens uppdrag: Vara Nobelfestens toastmaster – Ingenjörskarriär. https://web.archive.org/web/20151216154102/http://www.ingenjorskarriar.se/din_utveckling/article3952991.ece. dead. 16 December 2015. 16 December 2015. ssco.se. 29 November 2018.
- News: Första nobelmiddagen för Sveriges nye prins. Svenska Dagbladet. 10 December 2010. 11 October 2014. 24 October 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141024001124/http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/forsta-nobelmiddagen-for-sveriges-nye-prins_5801727.svd. live.
- Web site: Besök Nobels blommor. https://web.archive.org/web/20111004211014/http://www.dn.se/resor/besok-nobels-blommor. dead. 4 October 2011. Dagens Nyheter. 11 October 2014.
- Web site: Pandemic sees Nobel banquet cancelled for first time since 1956 – DN. 21 July 2020. 21 July 2020. Reuters. 21 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200721220915/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-nobel-prize-banquet-idUKKCN24M2AW. live.
- Web site: Nobel Banquet Menu 2020 . NobelPrize.org . 8 December 2020 . 13 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210413205249/https://www.nobelprize.org/ceremonies/nobel-banquet-menu-2020/ . live.
- News: Nobel prize banquet postponed again in 2021 due to pandemic . 10 December 2021 . Reuters . 23 September 2021 . en . 10 December 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211210171325/https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/nobel-prize-banquet-postponed-again-this-year-due-pandemic-2021-09-23/ . live .
- Web site: A Nobel way to discover Stockholm. visitstockholm.com. 13 November 2022. 13 November 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221113010312/https://www.visitstockholm.com/see-do/attractions/nobel-attractions/. live.
- News: Beskedet: Irans ambassadör bjuds inte in till Nobelfesten. S. V. T.. Nyheter. Clarence. Frenker. 28 October 2022. 13 November 2022. SVT Nyheter. 13 November 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221113012242/https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/beskedet-irans-ambassador-bjuds-inte-in-till-nobelfesten. live.
- News: Nothing less than perfection is on the menu for the Nobel banquet. 10 December 2015. 16 October 2019. Reuters. 16 October 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191016205313/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nobel-prize-food-idUSKBN0TT1V120151210. live.
- Web site: 10 Things You Might Not Know About the Nobel Prize. 8 October 2013. mentalfloss.com. 16 October 2019. 16 October 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191016205305/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/53082/10-things-you-might-not-know-about-nobel-prize. live.