Follow Me Foodie to Diner en Blanc Recap in Vancouver!
Dîner en Blanc (Diner in White) took place Thursday August 30, 2012 and it was Vancouver’s largest pop-up picnic. 1200 diners dressed in all white and gathered together at a secret landmark location for an elegant and chic outdoor party.
Dîner en Blanc is the world’s first viral event which started in Paris and has since traveled to 20 cities across 5 continents. As many as 15, 000 people have attended these events annually and apparently the wait list for Vancouver’s was 2000+ people. The event was advertised on social media and tickets were available to the public although they sold out quickly.
It was a little bit of French culture in a West Coast context with live music, dancing, sparklers, white towels, wine and surprisingly no rain. Diners were asked to bring their own chairs, tables and food (just like you would at a “normal picnic”), or pre-order an optional 3 course menu from Top Chef Canada season one winner Dale MacKay.
If you’re still confused, think flash mob but instead of dancing it’s wining and dining… although there was dancing at the end of the night. It was all that and a bag of organic, gluten-free locally grown potato chips. The event was every little bit of classy, pretentious, sexy and down right impressive. People really put a lot of effort into this and some even changed race for the day… just kidding.
Photo from Maurice Li Photography
And tada! I know. I am lucky to call this my home. Well I don’t actually live at the Convention Centre, but this was the secret location for Diner en Blanc in Vancouver. Many people guessed it before the official announcment which was only released half an hour before the event started at 7pm.
Photo from Maurice Li Photography
Mountains, water and starlight on one side and skyscrapers and city lights on the other. Welcome to Vancouver! The secret location had to be somewhere iconic in Vancouver so we could show off to the rest of the world just how great we are. Just look at the photos! I’m pretty biased, but I think it’s a pretty amazing city. The point was to make them jealous and make people want to move here… although that also means driving up our real estate…
People getting rowdy before dinner. (Photo from Maurice Li Photography)
Bonjour! (Photo from Maurice Li Photography)
Chef Shelome Bouvette of Lolita’s dinner. (Photo from Good Life Vancouver)
Chef Shelome Bouvette of Lolita’s dinner. (Photo from Matt Walters at SmokySweet)
Chef Shelome Bouvette of Lolita’s dinner. (Photo from Matt Walters at SmokySweet)
Chef Shelome Bouvette of Lolita’s dinner. (Photo from Good Life Vancouver)
Missing a member… (Photo from Maurice Li Photography)
There we go! (Photo from Matt Walters at SmokySweet)
Unexpected run in to my cousin and her fiancé from RF Productions (Photo from RF Productions)
Photo from Matt Walters at SmokySweet
Photo from Matt Walters at SmokySweet
Photo from Maurice Li Photography
Photo from Maurice Li Photography
Photo from Matt Walters at SmokySweet
And this was my date! I actually picked him up too. It’s the 2012 MINI Cooper Countryman courtesy of OpenRoad Auto Group. It was actually intended for a mini road trip to Sun Peaks the next day, but it ended up matching this event as well!
Did you bring your own food or pre-order ? Looks like you had a fabulous time !
HOw do you know of this event? or get invited or get tickets? Looks like fun!!!
Love your outfit! Your picinic dinner looked delicious…my friend went to the Toronto event a few weeks earlier and had a blast!
Follow Me Foodie to Diner en Blanc Recap in Vancouver!All in white soooso beautiful.
That looks absolutely wonderful! I think the Paris version happened shortly after we were there on vacation. Gorgeous location, food, and lady!
@victoria – I actually didn’t stay for the whole thing. I had a glass of wine and had a dessert pop-up shop event to go to! Dessert ended up being dinner… can’t complain 🙂
@Eva Choy – It was all through social media! I thought I posted it in my events calendar, but looks like I forgot! Boo! Sorry!! I tweeted it out for sure though.. are you on Twitter!? I was invited to the event, but the tickets were open to public!
@Laura – Aww thanks Laura!!! Actually that wasn’t my food, but the stranger’s food did look delicious 🙂 I would love to go to one in another city!! A warm one 🙂
@mimihui – it was beautiful!!
@Meg – Ohhh too bad you just missed the Paris one!! That would have been epic!!! I agree with you on the location and food! Breath taking! And thank you for the compliment, but really everyone looked amazing and the ambiance just topped it off! Hopefully this will be one of many!
Wow, you are *SO* lucky to have been able to get in to that event !! Or did you get an invite ?
Did you bring your own food like some people did, or via the menu ?
I only read about it in the papers this weekend and was amazed it has been in the planning stages for about a year and a half. And all the diners ….. look fab. As you are too, Mijune ! You guys were very fortunate to have had a clear evening, couldn’t ask for any more perfect, eh ? 🙂
@LR – oh we were SOO lucky! I think it rained the night before and then the morning of and then it cleared up. It was a bit chilly, but tolerable.
I was invited to this event but I didn’t stay for the whole thing because I had another event after… I was happy to have made at least a bit of it though.
Thank you so much for the compliments! Everyone looked fab and really put some effort into making it an epic event. Team Vancouver effort.
o you look so pretty! you and your hats! 🙂
mmm lolita’s dinner menu looks superb! i hadn’t heard anything too great about dales menu only that it was mostly just charcuterie… what did you think? did you get a chance to gander?
@Linda – YOU are pretty!! Thank you for the sweet comment! Yes, these things give me a reason to break out the hats! 🙂
I saw the charcuterie and it didn’t look too special to be honest… I didn’t hear very good either. I’m not sure how it tasted though. It was a baguette, cheese, pate, chorizo… I think it was more about “what can be served cold/room temperate, quick and easy”… more logistical/practical than food-driven because he’s certainly capable of making really good food that was better than those boxes.