1 of 1 2 of 1 Does something being a secret mean that it’s highly coveted? That’s what the team at Dîner en Blanc is counting on with the announcement of (surprise?) another Vancouver edition of their all-white dress code dinner party, a “highly exclusive” and “coveted” event. Photos online will have prospective guests wondering how elegant this event really is, with long tablecloth tables, food piled high, and everyone in coordinated fits. The website states, “expected the unexpected,” but as someone who has been near and around previous editions of the dinner, let me tell you what you can expect.
Prior to the event, the secret location is revealed to their guests (read: at a moment's notice, you have to figure out how to get to a venue. Will it be transit accessible? No promises.) Mysterious? Only if you don’t take into account that there are only so many outdoor spaces in Vancouver that can accommodate the capacity.
In previous years, the location has been Concord Pacific, Stanley Park, and near that godawful chandelier. Branded as a cultural movement, guests are required to bring their own tables, chairs, and picnic baskets, and all of it has to be white. This is not our idea of culture, but transporting furniture on transit is a Vancouver rite of passage, so we’ll give it that.
Did we mention that you can’t bring any tables and that there are size and shape-specific requirements? Okay, as much as we’re critiquing the stickler of a dinner party, .
