A sea of white thronged Pennsylvania Avenue leading up to the U.S. Capitol for Le D卯ner en Blanc, which returned to D.C. last Saturday for the seventh year after a pandemic pause.
Le D卯ner en Blanc is a pop-up picnic where people 鈥� fashionably dressed in all white 鈥� gather at a mystery location that isn鈥檛 revealed until the last minute. They bring their own food, drinks, tables, chairs and decorations and set up their own dining spot 鈥� joined by thousands of other white-clad revelers.
The concept originated in Paris in 1988 as a 鈥渨ord-of-mouth鈥� hush-hush event to share a gourmet meal with friends at a secret outdoor location in public. It exploded in 2012, when the Canada-based D卯ner en Blanc International expanded the event to more than 80 cities in 30 countries around the world.
That includes D.C., where more than 4,500 people gathered for this year鈥檚 dinner on Pennsylvania Avenue between 3rd and 6th streets Northwest. For many, it was a reunion after organizers couldn鈥檛 hold the dinner last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
John Falcicchio, D.C. deputy mayor of planning and economic development, said the return of the large-scale outdoor attraction is 鈥渏ust another sign that D.C. is open.鈥�
鈥淧eople are having fun but 鈥� it鈥檚 a safe environment and it鈥檚 one that obviously is well thought-out and well planned,鈥� Falcicchio told 海角精品黑料. 鈥淪o the city is proud to host it.鈥�
Falcicchio said it made sense to cancel last year鈥檚 dinner, 鈥渂ut now we鈥檙e at a point where if you really focus on the outdoor element, then you can do events. I see people here who are wearing masks, I see people with hand sanitizer, so people are taking precautions, but it鈥檚 really best to be outdoors.鈥�
As for indoor settings, Falcicchio said the city will continue to ask people to wear masks 鈥渁s long as the public health officials say they鈥檙e necessary,鈥� describing masks as an 鈥渁ct of kindness.鈥�
鈥淚f you wear a mask, it鈥檚 showing that you not only care about yourself, but those around you as well,鈥� he said.
But Falcicchio stressed that 鈥渢he most important layer of protection鈥� is vaccines, which is why the city is working to 鈥渆mphasize wherever we can and whenever we can the importance of getting vaccinated.鈥�
Dressed in a white linen shirt and pants, Falcicchio said that while people need to continue to take the pandemic seriously, they’re also in need of a break.
And Le D卯ner en Blanc is definitely a break from the usual.
Groups set up impromptu dinner tables replete with chandeliers, parasols, lanterns and personal signage. After dinner and the signature white napkin wave, partygoers danced to music from the local band DuPont Brass and DJ Honey, while actors in fantastical costumes on stilts strolled through the crowd.
鈥淭his is more than an event,鈥� Falcicchio said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a vibe.鈥�
