Nobel Banquet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nobel BanquetNobelfesten
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2005 Nobel Banquet
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| Nickname | Festernas fest ("The feast of feasts") |
| Genre | Banquet |
| Date(s) | 10 December |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Venue | Blue Hall, Stockholm City Hall |
| Location(s) | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Country | Sweden |
| Inaugurated | December 10, 1901 |
The Nobel Banquet (Swedish: Nobelfesten) is a super fancy dinner held every year in Stockholm, Sweden. It happens on December 10th, which is the day Alfred Nobel passed away. This special event takes place in the Blue Hall of Stockholm City Hall, right after the exciting Nobel Prize ceremony.
Everyone dresses up in their best clothes for the banquet. Guests enjoy a delicious multi-course meal and watch amazing performances. After dinner, there's a dance party in the Golden Hall. This big event is even shown live on TV in Sweden, and lots of people watch it!
Contents
What is the Nobel Banquet?
The Nobel Banquet is a very formal dinner party. It's part of a week of celebrations for the people who win Nobel Prizes. These winners are called laureates. The banquet is organized by the Nobel Foundation. It's a way to honor Alfred Nobel and the amazing discoveries and works that win the prizes.
Who Attends the Nobel Banquet?
About 1,300 guests come to the Nobel Banquet each year. This includes the Nobel Prize winners and their families. Members of the Swedish royal family also attend. Important people from the government, culture, and business are invited too.
Since 1976, students from Swedish universities have also been able to attend. They get tickets through a special drawing. This means students get to be in the same grand hall as the Nobel laureates and the royal family!
Where Do Guests Sit?
The most important guests, like the laureates and the royal family, sit at a special table. This is called the table of honor. It's in the middle of the Blue Hall. This table is decorated with beautiful flowers. These flowers come all the way from Sanremo, Italy. That's where Alfred Nobel spent his last years. Other guests sit at many tables around the hall.
What Happens During the Dinner?
During the banquet, there are special artistic performances. These are called divertissements (which means "entertainments" in French). Swedish artists perform music, dance, and even theater. Each year, the performances and flower decorations follow a unique theme. It makes the banquet feel like a grand show!
The Banquet Schedule
The Nobel Banquet follows a very specific schedule. It's a carefully planned event!
How Does the Evening Begin?
Guests arrive and find their seats about 30 minutes before 7:00 PM. At 7:00 PM sharp, the special guests of honor walk in. They enter with grand organ music and trumpet fanfares. Once everyone is seated, a student host, called a toastmaster, calls for two important toasts.
What Are the Toasts?
First, the head of the Nobel Foundation makes a toast to the Swedish King. Then, the King makes a toast to remember Alfred Nobel. It's a way to honor both the country and the person who created the prizes.
Entertainment and Food
The first performance happens before the starter course is served, around 7:30 PM. Another performance takes place before the main course, around 8:30 PM. There are also two more performances later in the evening. The last performance happens with a special dessert parade around 9:45 PM.
Speeches and Dancing
Around 10:30 PM, students gather with their university flags. The toastmaster then invites a Nobel laureate from each prize category to give a speech. The prizes are called out in the order Alfred Nobel listed them: Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Economics. Around 11:00 PM, guests can leave their tables. After dinner, everyone can go to the Golden Hall for dancing!
Banquet Etiquette
The Nobel Banquet is a very formal event. There are special rules of behavior, called etiquette, that guests follow.
- Seating: Guests are seated boy-girl-boy-girl. They don't sit next to their spouses or family members.
- Dress Code: Men wear fancy white tie and tails. They often wear their special awards too. Women wear beautiful long evening gowns.
- During Speeches: Guests are expected to be quiet. They should not eat, drink, or talk during the laureates' speeches.
Delicious Food at the Banquet
The food at the Nobel Banquet is a big deal! Guests enjoy a three-course meal. The food is inspired by Nordic cooking, using ingredients from all over Sweden.
Who Creates the Menu?
The menu is a secret until the banquet begins! It's created by the chefs from Stadshuskällaren, a restaurant in Stockholm City Hall. They work with winners of Sweden's "Chef of the Year" competition.
Special Dietary Needs
The menu does not include pork. This is to make sure guests who follow Jewish or Islamic dietary rules can eat everything. Other special menus, like vegetarian options, are also available.
How the Menu Has Changed
In the early years, the meals were very fancy French style. They had more than four courses! But as the banquet grew, the menu became simpler. Since 1945, it has usually been a three-course meal. In 1976, a special "Nobel ice cream" was introduced for dessert. It was served for many years!
History of the Nobel Banquet
The first Nobel Banquet was held in 1901. It took place at the Grand Hôtel in Stockholm. Only men were invited back then, and there were at least 113 guests.
Moving Locations
As more and more guests attended, the banquet needed a bigger space. It moved to Stockholm City Hall. From 1930 to 1973, it was mostly held in the Golden Hall. Since 1974, it has been held in the Blue Hall, which is where it is today.
Special Tableware
In 1991, for the 90th anniversary of the Nobel Prize, a brand new set of dishes and glasses was created. This special tableware is still used today!
Nobel Banquet on TV
The Nobel Banquet is a very popular TV show in Sweden. It's one of the most-watched programs each year! About 1.2 million people in Sweden watch it. Sometimes, more people watch the banquet than the Nobel Prize ceremony itself!
What You See on TV
The TV broadcast mixes science and entertainment. You can see interviews with Nobel laureates and reports from their workplaces. But you also see fun parts like discussions about the menu, the beautiful flowers, and the fancy clothes and jewelry worn by the Swedish royal family. The performances during dinner are also shown.
Why It's So Popular
Many people believe the Swedish royal family's presence makes the banquet so popular. It's said that camera operators are even told to show Queen Silvia often to keep viewers interested! People sometimes compare the Nobel Banquet to the Academy Awards because of all the talk about what people are wearing.
When It Started on TV
The Nobel Banquet was first shown on TV in 1950. It was just a short five-minute clip for a few special viewers. The first public broadcast was in 1959, lasting 45 minutes. The entire banquet was first shown on TV in 1994.
Public Involvement
Even if you're not invited, you can still feel like you're part of the Nobel Banquet!
Watching at Home
Many people in Sweden watch the banquet on TV while having dinner themselves. Some even try to make dishes from the actual banquet menu! Others dress up in formal clothes at home to feel like they're there.
Public Events
Special Nobel Banquets are held in many public places. Schools, restaurants, hotels, and care homes host their own versions. These events can have different themes, and some even include formal etiquette and dancing, just like the real banquet!
Taste the History
There's a restaurant called Stadshuskällaren inside Stockholm City Hall. It's unique because you can order menus from past Nobel Banquets there! You even get to eat on the same special tableware used at the official banquet.
Images for kids
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1958 Nobel Banquet in Stockholm City Hall's Golden Hall
See also
