The Nobel Prize is a Stockholm event twice a year and a museum the rest of the time. Here’s what a visitor can actually see in 2026, what is free, what needs registration, and what no money can buy.
When you need this
You’re in Stockholm in early October or early December and want to catch something of the Nobel Prize. Or you’re deciding whether the museum deserves a slot on your Gamla stan day. Or you’ve read about a “Nobel Center” and want to know whether you can visit it. (You can’t, yet.)
What’s public and what isn’t
Five of the six prizes are announced and awarded in Stockholm. The Peace Prize belongs to Oslo. Here’s the visitor’s view of the year:
| What | Where | When (2026) | Can you go? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nobel Prize Museum | Stortorget 2, Gamla stan | All year; closed most Mondays | Yes; ticket at the desk, 0–18 free |
| Prize announcements | Karolinska Institutet, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy; peace in Oslo | 5–12 October | Live stream; rooms are for accredited media. The museum shows them live |
| Nobel Calling Stockholm | The museum and venues around the city | 5–12 October | Yes; tours and talks |
| Nobel lectures | Aula Magna, Karolinska, the Swedish Academy | December; 2026 dates not yet published | Science lectures free with registration |
| Nobel Week Lights | Outdoors, city center and Tensta | 5–13 December, 16:00–22:00 | Yes, free |
| Award ceremony | Konserthuset (the Stockholm Concert Hall), Hötorget | Thursday 10 December | Invited guests only; live on TV |
| Nobel Banquet | Blue Hall, Stockholm City Hall | Thursday 10 December | Invited guests only; live on TV |
The short version: the ceremony and banquet can’t be bought into. Visit Stockholm calls them exclusive affairs for invited guests only. About 1,300 people attend the banquet, among them the laureates, the royal family and 200 students. Everyone else watches on SVT, Sweden’s public broadcaster.
The Nobel Prize Museum
Nobelprismuseet sits on Stortorget, the main square of Gamla stan, a few minutes’ walk from the Royal Palace and Storkyrkan. It’s the one Nobel sight that’s open all year.
How tickets work:
- Sold only at the entrance desk; there is no online pre-booking.
- Card only: Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Maestro. No cash.
- A guided tour is included in the price.
- Last entry is 15 minutes before closing.
- Free for everyone up to 18, and for Go City Stockholm Pass holders, members, a personal assistant with a disabled visitor and a few other groups.
There’s no free evening. The museum publishes none, though it stays open to 21:00 every Friday, often with a talk, concert or exhibition event. The museum warns that sound checks may be under way on those evenings, so a Friday visit may not be a quiet one.
Opening hours, 2026:
| Months | Mon | Tue–Thu | Fri | Sat–Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar, Oct–Nov | Closed | 11–17 | 11–21 | 11–17 |
| Apr–May, Sep | Closed | 11–17 | 11–21 | 10–18 |
| June | 10–18 | 10–18 | 10–21 | 10–18 |
| July–August | 10–19 | 10–19 | 10–21 | 10–19 |
| December | Closed | 11–17 | 11–21 | 11–18 |
Special days override the table. In announcement week the museum opens 10:30–18:00 on weekdays, including Mondays 5 and 12 October (Friday 9 October to 21:00). In Nobel Week it opens Sunday 6 December 14:00–19:00 and 7–10 December 11:00–18:00, Monday included. It’s closed 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January.
With children, weekends work best: under-18s enter free, and a family chemistry activity runs every weekend from 5 September 2026 to 31 January 2027.
October: the announcements
The 2026 prizes are announced between 5 and 12 October, one a day, all times CEST:
| Prize | Day | Time (at the earliest) | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physiology or medicine | Monday 5 October | 11:30 | Nobel Forum, Karolinska Institutet, Solna |
| Physics | Tuesday 6 October | 11:45 | Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences |
| Chemistry | Wednesday 7 October | 11:45 | Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences |
| Literature | Thursday 8 October | 13:00 | Swedish Academy, Börssalen |
| Peace | Friday 9 October | 11:00 | Norwegian Nobel Institute, Oslo |
| Economic sciences | Monday 12 October | 11:45 | Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences |
You can’t walk into the announcement rooms; media apply for accreditation in early autumn. But every announcement is streamed live on the Nobel Prize’s official channels, and the Nobel Prize Museum shows them live all week, with a special guided tour on how laureates are chosen. Around it, Nobel Calling Stockholm fills the same eight days with tours, talks and laboratory visits across the city.
December: Nobel Week
Nobelveckan ends on 10 December with the ceremony and banquet. In 2026 that’s a Thursday.
Nobel Week Lights
The easiest Nobel Week experience for a visitor is outdoors and free. Nobel Week Lights turns streets and squares into large light-art installations interpreting the Nobel Prize, made by artists, designers and students. In 2026 it runs 5–13 December in the city center and in Tensta, and every artwork is lit 16:00–22:00, which in a Stockholm December means from dusk. It has run every December since 2020.
The Nobel lectures
The laureates give their Nobel lectures in the days before the ceremony. The 2026 programme wasn’t out on 1 October, so here’s the recent pattern:
- Physics, chemistry and economics (2025): 8 December in Aula Magna at Stockholm University, in English, free, with registration required for a seat. They were also streamed live on the web.
- Medicine (2024): at Karolinska’s Aula Medica in Solna, registration required.
- Literature (2024): at the Swedish Academy, for invited guests, and fully booked.
Check the organisers’ pages in November. Without registration, you’re watching online.
10 December: ceremony and banquet on TV
The award ceremony has been held at Konserthuset on 10 December since 1926. The King presents each laureate with a medal and a diploma. The banquet follows in the Blue Hall of Stockholm City Hall.
Neither is open to the public, but both are broadcast live. In 2025 SVT showed the Peace Prize ceremony from Oslo at about 13:00, the Stockholm ceremony from 16:00, and the banquet from 19:00 until about 23:40, all also on SVT Play. Expect a similar schedule in 2026.
You can see the rooms on other days. Konserthuset runs regular Nobel Tours in English, and a guided tour of Stockholm City Hall takes you through the Blue Hall.
The Nobel Center: not before 2031
If an article tells you to visit the Nobel Center, it’s out of date. The first plan, on Blasieholmen, was stopped by the Land and Environment Court in May 2018. In February 2020 a new site was announced at Stadsgårdskajen by Slussen, with building expected to start in 2025/2026.
That timetable has slipped. The City of Stockholm granted the building permit on 26 March 2026, and on 24 June 2026 the county board rejected the appeals. Construction is planned to start in 2027 and the building, designed by David Chipperfield Architects, to open in 2031. The Nobel Prize Museum will move there. Until then, the museum on Stortorget is the place to go.
Why the Peace Prize is in Oslo
Sweden and Norway formed a union when Alfred Nobel died, which is why the Peace Prize is presented in Oslo. It is still announced and awarded there by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The Oslo ceremony is on 10 December too, a few hours before Stockholm’s.
Practical information
| Item | Detail | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Nobel Prize Museum, adult | 160 SEK | 2026-10-01 |
| Nobel Prize Museum, student or senior | 120 SEK | 2026-10-01 |
| Nobel Prize Museum, ages 0–18 | Free | 2026-10-01 |
| Guided tour at the museum | Included in admission | 2026-10-01 |
| Payment at the museum | Card only, desk only | 2026-10-01 |
| Announcement live streams | Free online | 2026-10-01 |
| Nobel Week Lights | Free; 5–13 December, 16:00–22:00 | 2026-10-01 |
| Science Nobel lectures | Free, registration required (2025 pattern) | 2026-10-01 |
| Ceremony and banquet | Not for sale; invitation only | 2026-10-01 |
| Nobel Center | Construction from 2027; opening 2031 | 2026-10-01 |
FAQ
Can tourists attend the Nobel Prize ceremony or banquet?
No. The award ceremony at Konserthuset and the banquet in the Blue Hall of Stockholm City Hall on 10 December are for invited guests only, and no tickets are sold. About 1,300 people attend the banquet, among them laureates, the royal family and 200 students. You can watch both live on SVT, which broadcasts the ceremony and the whole banquet.
Is the Nobel Prize Museum free?
Not for adults. Admission is 160 kronor for adults and 120 for students and seniors, while children and young people up to 18 enter free. A guided tour is included. Tickets are sold only at the entrance desk, by card; online pre-booking is not available. The museum publishes no free evening, though Fridays stay open until 21:00.
When are the 2026 Nobel Prizes announced?
Between 5 and 12 October 2026: medicine on Monday 5 October, physics on Tuesday, chemistry on Wednesday, literature on Thursday 8 October, peace on Friday in Oslo, and economic sciences on Monday 12 October. Every announcement is broadcast live on the Nobel Prize’s official channels, and the Nobel Prize Museum shows them live during the week.
Can the public attend the Nobel lectures?
Mostly, yes. In 2025 the physics, chemistry and economics lectures in Aula Magna at Stockholm University were free and in English, with registration required for a seat; they were also streamed live. The medicine lectures at Karolinska needed registration in 2024. The literature lecture at the Swedish Academy was by invitation and fully booked that year.
Is the Nobel Center open?
No. The Nobel Center at Slussen, designed by David Chipperfield Architects, received its building permit on 26 March 2026, and the county board rejected the appeals in June. Construction is planned to start in 2027 and the building to open in 2031. The Nobel Prize Museum will move there; until then, visit it on Stortorget in Gamla stan.
What is Nobel Week Lights?
A free outdoor light-art festival in which artists, designers and students interpret the Nobel Prize in large installations across Stockholm. In 2026 it runs 5–13 December in the city center and in Tensta, with every artwork lit from 16:00 to 22:00. It has run every December since 2020 and is the easiest way for a visitor to experience Nobel Week.
Why is the Nobel Peace Prize awarded in Oslo?
Because Sweden and Norway formed a union when Alfred Nobel died, the Peace Prize went to Norway, and it is still announced and presented in Oslo by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The other five prizes are presented at Konserthuset in Stockholm. Both ceremonies fall on 10 December; in 2025 the Oslo ceremony started at 13:00 and Stockholm’s at 16:00.
Related guides
- Gamla stan — the museum’s neighbourhood, with the Royal Palace and Storkyrkan a few minutes away.
- Stockholm City Hall — see the Blue Hall, where the banquet is held, on a guided tour.
- Sweden in December — Lucia, Christmas markets and early darkness around Nobel Week.
- Free museums in Stockholm — the free places and free time slots, for a cheaper culture day.
- City cards in Sweden — whether a Stockholm pass, which includes the museum, pays off.
Facts verified 2026-10-01. Sources: the Nobel Prize Museum, the Nobel Foundation (NobelPrize.org), Stockholms stad, Stockholm University, Konserthuset Stockholm, SVT and Visit Stockholm — full register in this topic’s source file. The 2026 Nobel Week programme was not yet published; lecture details follow the 2025 and 2024 programmes. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.