Photo gallery - The Nobel Banquet 2011

25 photos

In the Blue Hall at the Stockholm City Hall, 1,250 guests are seated at the Nobel Banquet.

Scouts with torches outside the Stockholm City Hall greet guests to the Nobel Banquet.

The servers wait for their entrance.

The banquet guests begin to dine on the specially prepared menu for the banquet: lobster, Guinea hen and chocolate mousse for dessert.

A toast for the donor Alfred Nobel.

The Romeo & Juliet Choir entertains the banquet guests.

The table of honor is decorated with carnations, lilies, buttercups, roses and hyacinths as well as green branches.

Saul Perlmutter, Nobel Laureate in Physics, and Queen Silvia of Sweden.

Physics Laureate Adam G. Riess and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden

From left: Physics Laureate Adam G. Riess, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Physics Laureate Brian P. Schmidt and Professor Laura Nelson, wife of Physics Laureate Saul Perlmutter.

Tomas Tranströmer and his wife Monica at the Nobel Banquet, 10 December 2011. To the left: Lena Liljeroth Adelsohn, Swedish Minister for Culture and Sports.

260 servers work with the banquet meal during the evening. Here, they arrive with the dessert.

The table of honor.

Dan Shechtman, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, prepares to deliver his banquet speech.

Trumpet fanfares announce the Nobel Laureates' banquet speeches.

Physics Laureate Saul Perlmutter delivering his banquet speech.

Monica Tranströmer's speech on behalf of Nobel Laureate Tomas Tranströmer.

Students listening to the banquet speeches.

Laureate in Economic Sciences Thomas J. Sargent delivering his banquet speech.

Students at the balustrade above the Blue Hall

On the balustrade above the Blue Hall, colleges and universities from all parts of Sweden are represented by students.

Students with massed banners.

Glimmering lights illuminate the Blue Hall where the dinner is almost over.

Guests move to the Golden Hall for an evening of dancing.

Dancing in the Golden Hall

The dance floor in the Golden Hall.

15 photos

The tables in the Blue Hall of the Stockholm City Hall are all set to receive the 1,250 banquet guests.

The flower arrangements in the City Hall this year are characterised by bright colours, like yellow, red, pink, orange and blue. Gunnar Kaj is in charge of the floral arrangements and makes some adjustments.

About eight thousand flowers are used for decoration: carnations, lilies, buttercups, roses and hyacinths, along with more than seven thousands green branches.

Florists, carpenters and some 20 students from a floral training program work with the floral arrangements at the City Hall.

A last touch before everything is ready.

The more than 60 tables in the Blue Hall are covered with some 470 metres of linen cloth, and in total 7,000 porcelain pieces, 5,000 glasses and 10,000 items of silverware are used during the evening.

The tables are laid with the special Nobel tableware set created in 1991 by three Swedish designers, Karin Björquist (Rörstrand/Gustavsberg), Gunnar Cyren (Orrefors) and lngiid Dessau (Klässbols Linneväveri).