Annual Events In Stockholm by newsdesk Polar Music Prize Days Each year the world's most prestigious music award is made in Stockholm, preceded by several days of activities such as live performances, workshops, seminars, film shows and exhibitions at various locations around the city. The city comes alive with the celebration of music in this event founded in 1989 by the late Stig Anderson, manager of Scandinavian supergroup, ABBA. The prize is administered by the Royal Swedish Academy of Music and has been won over the years by the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Led Zeppelin and B.B. King. Stockholm Jazz Festival After more than 20 years the Stockholm Jazz Festival has earned a reputation for becoming one of the biggest and best events of its kind in Europe. Top international and local jazz, blues, soul, funk and Latin stars perform over the five-day festival on the island of Skeppsholmen. Stockholm Pride The largest Pride celebration in Scandinavia is the week-long rainbow carnival that turns Stockholm into a free zone for the gay and lesbian community. The action is centred on the largest island, Södermalm, where the Pride Park arena is set up at Tantolunden featuring a stage, restaurants, shops and varied attractions. Highlight of the festival week is the spectacular, colourful parade through the city starting at 3pm on the Saturday. Skansen Christmas Market The ideal place to do your Christmas shopping and imbibe some true traditional Scandinavian Christmas spirit is the huge Skansen Christmas market, which draws about 25,000 visitors every weekend in the run-up to the festive season. The historic houses and homesteads that make up the outdoor museum radiate music and warmth while revellers admire craft products, sample the traditional Swedish Christmas brew called ‘glõgg’, and dance around the Christmas tree. Shops and stores are packed with gift ideas, ornaments, tempting sweets and Christmas fare. Nobel Prize Day Although it is not open to the general public, Nobel Prize Day in Stockholm has the eyes of the world on this northern city when the highly prestigious awards for medicine, literature, physics, chemistry and economics (the coveted Peace Prize is presented in Oslo, Norway) are presented each year by the King at the Stockholm Concert Hall, followed by the lavish Nobel Prize Banquet at the City Hall. The Nobel Prize is the legacy of Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist and the inventor of dynamite, who left his huge fortune as a prize-fund to reward those who improve human life through contributions to science or humanitarianism. The award winners are announced in October and the presentation takes place on the anniversary of Nobel’s death. Annual Events In Stockholm by newsdesk.