(Image: Renée Suen)
Dîner en Blanc, the pop-up party where diners don bridal whites and picnic en masse, has a dark secret: the appearance of spontaneity takes planning. Grueling amounts of planning. Not just for organizers—although their task is certainly tricky—but for participants, too. The rules are notoriously strict: dress must be suitably elegant; cream and ivory garb is forbidden; and tables (which attendees have to supply and haul around themselves, along with white chairs, white dinnerware, white cloth napkins, cutlery, wineglasses and a multi-course meal) must not exceed 32 x 32 inches. It can feel like a bit of a slog, but this finicky attention to detail is, after all, what makes the fête a success. The second annual Toronto event, held on Thursday night, transformed a grungy parking lot at Queen and Church into an elegant, 1,600-person banquet, complete with crystal champagne flutes, multi-tiered seafood trays and a pregnant woman harnessed to an elaborate fabric swing (we’re still confused). Here, a play-by-play of how the night came together, plus a slideshow of some of the most ambitious meals, decked-out participants and raucous party scenes.
5:30 p.m. The super-secret venue has yet to be divulged (but a suspiciously white-clad crowd is setting up a tent in the parking lot across the street from the Toronto Life offices at Queen and Church. Hmm…)
6 p.m. At St. James Park, a meet-up point three blocks from the parking lot in question, the scene is chaotic: harried group leaders, clumps of confused would-be revelers and enough off-white garb to have transgressors sharing relieved smiles over their brown belts and nude flats.
6:20 p.m. Still waiting at the meet-up. Women adjust their feathery white fascinators, floor-skimming gowns and lacy short-shorts. Bystanders become curious. One man ambles up and asks, “Are you guys an orchestra?”
6:30 p.m. We’re off! A (mostly) whit e-clad caterpillar of attendees marches northward along Jarvis.
6:36 p.m. Arrival at the parking lot venue, which is now populated by uniformed cops, black-suited security guards and a statuesque Marie Antoinette perched atop a wooden block.
7 p.m. Table set-up complete. One particularly ambitious group begins assembling a multi-tiered seafood tray heaped with oysters and lobster tails. (Other tables’ charcuterie boards look slightly less impressive by comparison.)
7:34 p.m. Diners leap out of their chairs to take photographs with a professional showgirl decked out in a bunch of white balloons…and very little else.
7:40 p.m. The banquet begins! As per Dîner en Blanc custom, diners wave their white napkins and cheer.
8 p.m. The balloon-garbed showgirl begins popping her costume, one balloon at a time, while gyrating down a nearby aisle (there’s a spangly silver bikini underneath).
8:40 p.m. We marvel at the most inventive dessert of the evening, a bag of marshmallows toasted with a miniature blowtorch.
9:30 p.m. The night’s most magical (and fleeting) moment: diners wave 1,600 sparklers in the air as Katy Perry’s Firework rings out over the crowd.
230632 This year's venue, pre-festivities (Image: Renée Suen) Diner en Blanc 2013 Diner en Blanc 2013 https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-01-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-01.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-01.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/diner-en-blanc-2013/slide/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-01/ diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-01 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
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(Image: Renée Suen)
230633 A statuesque Marie Antoinette (Image: Renée Suen) Diner en Blanc 2013 Diner en Blanc 2013 https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-02-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-02.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-02.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/food/diner-en-blanc-2013/slide/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-02/ diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-02 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
230642 One of the more creative table set-ups (Image: Renée Suen) Diner en Blanc 2013 Diner en Blanc 2013 https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-11-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-11.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-11.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/food/diner-en-blanc-2013/slide/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-11/ diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-11 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
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230650 Underneath the balloons: a spangly silver bikini (Image: Renée Suen) Diner en Blanc 2013 Diner en Blanc 2013 https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-19-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-19.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-19.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/food/diner-en-blanc-2013/slide/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-19/ diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-19 0 0
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230651 This woman hung all night from a giant fabric swing (Image: Renée Suen) Diner en Blanc 2013 Diner en Blanc 2013 https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-20-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-20.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-20.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/food/diner-en-blanc-2013/slide/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-20/ diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-20 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
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230645 Dolled-up showgirls strutted around the tables during dinner (Image: Renée Suen) Diner en Blanc 2013 Diner en Blanc 2013 https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-14-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-14.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-14.jpg 416 624 [] https://torontolife.com/food/diner-en-blanc-2013/slide/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-14/ diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-14 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
230702 The napkin wave signaled the official start of the banquet (Image: Renée Suen) Diner en Blanc 2013 Diner en Blanc 2013 https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Diner-en-Blanc-Intro-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Diner-en-Blanc-Intro.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Diner-en-Blanc-Intro.jpg 656 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/diner-en-blanc-2013/slide/diner-en-blanc-intro/ diner-en-blanc-intro 0 0
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230637 This ambitious group brought a seafood tower (Image: Renée Suen) Diner en Blanc 2013 Diner en Blanc 2013 https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-06-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-06.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-06.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/diner-en-blanc-2013/slide/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-06/ diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-06 0 0
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230657 An elegant entrée: pan-seared swordfish in caper-rosemary vinaigrette with herb salad and lentils (Image: Renée Suen) Diner en Blanc 2013 Diner en Blanc 2013 https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-26-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-26.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-26.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/diner-en-blanc-2013/slide/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-26/ diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-26 0 0
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230641 Curious spectators hung around to check out the festivities (Image: Renée Suen) Diner en Blanc 2013 Diner en Blanc 2013 https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-10-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-10.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-10.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/diner-en-blanc-2013/slide/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-10/ diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-10 0 0
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230654 Over 1,600 people gathered for this year's event (Image: Renée Suen) Diner en Blanc 2013 Diner en Blanc 2013 https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-23-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-23.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-23.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/diner-en-blanc-2013/slide/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-23/ diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-23 0 0
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230667 The dreary denouement: hauling everything home (Image: Renée Suen) Diner en Blanc 2013 Diner en Blanc 2013 https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-36-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-36.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-36.jpg 624 416 [] https://torontolife.com/food/diner-en-blanc-2013/slide/diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-36/ diner-en-blanc-toronto-2013-36 0 0
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