Who says you can't wear white after Labour Day?
Thousands of Calgary diners broke the fashion rule, descending on a Calgary park for an annual outdoor picnic experience known as Dîner en Blanc.
The September 4 event, which originally started in Paris, attracted a crowd of more than 2,500.
The secret location at Pumphouse Park behind the Pumphouse Theatre was revealed to participants 20 minutes before the event. It was up to diners to bring their own white tables, white chairs, white linens and white tableware.
Diner en Blanc Calgary 2014
Chef Michael Nobel prepared the meal, his menu featuring picnic boxes filled with bread and charcuterie meats, roast chicken and a green bean and chickpea salad, reported FFWD Weekly.
Dîner en Blanc started in Paris in 1988 by Frenchman Francois Pasquier. He invited some friends to a park for a picnic dinner, and asked that everyone wear white so they could find each other. The event has since exploded with Paris organizers needing to cap the picnic at 15,000 people.
And because the event is so visually stunning, it's not hard to understand why the epicurean dinner has been replicated worldwide. Despite the long list of rules and very strict dress code, the pay-to-play event attracts a Calgary long wait list.
According to Metro Calgary, last year's inaugural Calgary event hosted 1,500 people, with a wait list of 7,000.
Organizers haven’t set a date for next year’s Dîner en Blanc, but you can get on the growing wait list by visiting their website.
