Diner En Blanco, Logan Circle, Ben Franklin Parkway, 8:14 PM last night by COLLIN KEEFE
RELATED: 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. Over the course of an evening, the diners enhance the function and value of their city’s public space by participating in the unexpected. Beyond the spectacle and refined elegance of the dinner itself, guests are brought together from diverse backgrounds by a love of beauty and good taste. Le Dîner en Blanc recalls the elegance and glamour of court society, and diners engage one another knowing they are taking part in a truly magical event. There are no disruptions: no car traffic, no pedestrian traffic, except for the occasional amazed and astonished looks from passersby at the scene unfolding before them. 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. MORE
GRUB STREET: So, it turns out we were way off in our predictions for where Diner En Blanc might take place. If you haven’t already heard, the flash-mob dinner went down last night at the fountain at Logan Circle near 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. White-garbed and fabulous, the 1,300 or so who turned out for it sipped, supped and elegantly partied down as passersby casually gawked at the spectacle unfolding in front of them. MORE
THE SMITHS: Reel Around The Fountain
Unreleased version.