Haters love to hate it, while thousands of others vie to get a seat. Yes, Dîner en Blanc made its annual appearance on Saturday.
The third D.C. edition of the all-white extravaganza took place at Henry Bacon Park, within sight of the Lincoln Memorial. Following the script developed by Montreal-based Dîner en Blanc International, the 3,500 guests arrived in white finery carrying white chairs and tables for two and white picnic baskets. Directed by group leaders, guests set up their tables and laid a wide variety of meals.
The period between setup and dinner was prime time for people watching, with costumes ranging from classically elegant to absurdly flamboyant. Channeling Victoria’s Secret angels, at least three women wore fuzzy white wings and halos, while another woman sported bunny ears.
Guests waved white cloth napkins in unison to signal the beginning of dinner. Some brought their own picnics and others queued up to claim the dinners they had ordered. Wine and champagne were the only permissible adult beverages and BYO was prohibited—all wine and champagne had to be ordered from the official supplier.
After eating, guests collectively lit sparklers to conclude mealtime and open the dance floor. The mood shifted abruptly from sedate instrumentals to contemporary dance music. Out came the Mardi Gras-inspired white masks and a vibe of uninhibited revelry.
Animated by so much wine and champagne, the post-dîner bears little resemblance to the official description of guests conducting themselves “with the greatest decorum, elegance, and etiquette.”
To the uninitiated, Dîner en Blanc looks like thousands of people at a white wedding (cue Billy Idol), staging a reception in a park. In fact, it’s a massive interpretation of a now-infamous 1980s French al fresco dinner party.
The event is the brainchild of Parisian François Pasquier, who summoned his extended squad for a 1988 picnic in a public park, instructing attendees to dress in white so they could all find each other. These days, as many as 10,000 people attend the Paris dinner, and it has become a global phenomenon in more than 70 cities worldwide.
It has been called public performance art and some object to its appropriation of public space as stage (particularly as tickets are both expensive and hard to come by). Another way of looking at it, though, is Dîner en Blanc is simply another private entity renting public space for temporary use. No one expects access to a private wedding reception and Dîner en Blanc is the functional equivalent, with a twist.
There is no backstage for a discreet dress rehearsal. The theatrics take place in public view, from the dramatic flourishes to the unscripted moments of inelegant preparation. Uninvited passersby can disrupt the air of exclusivity and assume the roles of participant-observers. They can watch and photograph from up close. They can ask the security guards what’s happening. They can dance freely to the music the guests have paid to hear.
