I am completely taken with this phenomenon.
At the last minute, the location is given to thousands of friends and acquaintances who have been patiently waiting to learn the “Dîner en Blanc’s” secret place. Thousand of people, dressed all in white, and conducting themselves with the greatest decorum, elegance, and etiquette, all meet for a mass “chic picnic” in a public space.
It blows me away how grand scale this is, so extravagant and deliberate, yet so mysterious and cheeky.
A bit about how it all started . . .
Launched with just a handful of friends by François Pasquier over 20 years ago, Paris’ Dîner en Blanc now assembles nearly 15,000 people each year. The French capital’s most prestigious sites have played host to it: the Pont des Arts, the Eiffel Tower site, the Louvre Pyramid, the Trocadéro Esplanade, Place Vendôme, the Château de Versailles, the Esplanade de Notre-Dame, the Esplanade des Invalides, the periphery of the Place de l'Étoile, the Champs-Élysées, Place de la Concorde and last year: The Carousel du Louvre. The Paris police tend to tolerate this ‘wild’ gathering, if not perhaps even wishing they could join in!
This is what dreams are made of. Brilliant.
What makes the Dîner en Blanc so popular is that it’s a “distinct” evening. There are no political or ideological agendas. It is simply a friendly gathering whose sole purpose is to experience a magical evening, in good company, in an environment that is both unusual and extraordinary.
I am fascinated by this movement and the beauty it's created - right around the world.
It's got me thinking . . .
3 comments:
This is very cool kate! Hope you've had a great weekend :)
Abbey x
I think this would be the most fabulous thing ever - the kind of thing you talked about a year after it happened. Feel free to organise us one - I'd love it!
What a brilliant idea (and a very interesting post). Love it!
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