A Nobel way to discover Stockholm
Publish date: 29 November 2023
Celebrate this year's Nobel Prize Winners in Stockholm with a week of scientific attractions and festive meals.
The Nobel Week is the highlight of the scientific year in Sweden. The week culminates with the Nobel Award Ceremony in Stockholm Concert Hall and the Nobel banquet in the City Hall on December 10.
Even though the ceremony and banquet are exclusive affairs, for specially invited guests only, there are several ways you can get a Nobel touch on your Stockholm visit during this week. Naturally, a visit to the Nobel Prize Museum is a given, where you'll learn more about the prize, winners through the years, and the man himself, Alfred Nobel. And if you want to learn more about the laws of thermodynamics and important technical advances a trip to the National Museum of Science and Technology might be worth your while.
Around the Nobel Week, the cultural event Nobel Week Lights light festival takes place. During the festival several places and buildings in central Stockholm are illuminated by dazzling light installations, celebrating scientific advances and past Nobel Prize winners. You can read more about where you'll find these installations on Nobel Week Light's webpage.
There are several places in Stockholm with a more concrete connection to the prize as well as Alfred Nobel. In the southern suburb of Aspudden you'll find café Winterviken, located in Nobel's old workshop and factory. And restaurant Den Gyldene Freden in Gamla Stan has been a meeting place for the Swedish Academy for over 100 years. Speaking of Nobel cuisine Stadshuskällaren, the restaurant at Stockholm City Hall, offer dinners the chance to experience any past Nobel banquet that has been served. The only caveats are that guests must be in a party of at least 10, and book the dinner at least one week in advance. Further, several chefs responsible for the banquets run restaurants in Stockholm. Find their restaurants with our guide on Nobel cuisine.
Wait a minute... two Nobel weeks?
It might seem confusing but, in a way, there are actually two Nobel weeks every year.
- The first one is during the first whole October week. Although not technically called "Nobel Week" this is still a time of Nobel-related activities since the recipients are announced; always starting on a Monday and one prize a day. For example, the literature prize is always announced on a Thursday. This is also the time of the Nobel Calling Festival that celebrates scientific advances and looks to the future through lectures, exhibitions, and various events.
- The second one is the actual Nobel Week, which always ends with the award ceremony and banquet on December 10. So if December 10 is on a Friday, the Nobel Week starts on Monday before. And if the ceremony is on a Monday, the Nobel week starts the week before. The days leading up to the prize ceremony are filled with various events, exhibitions, and lectures.