Local Scoop
Want to Attend Diner en Blanc 2016? Here’s How…
Want to Attend Diner en Blanc 2016? Here’s How…
Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia returns this summer to celebrate its fifth anniversary with an unforgettable evening filled with elegance, food, art and music. The secret picnic in white will take over an undisclosed public space whose location is revealed only minutes prior to arrival. The date, number of registrations and registration lottery details will be announced next week at the official Dîner en Blanc preview party on Tuesday, June 7, 2016, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at Reading Terminal Market. Reading Terminal Market joins the catering lineup for the main event, along with 33rd Street Hospitality Catering (new for 2016) and Luke Palladino Catering. During the preview event, guests will sample cuisine from all three catering outfits, vote on tables themed around “Celebrating Philadelphia: A City of Firsts”, reconnect with old friends, and meet organizers/volunteers. The preview is free, but registration is required at bit.ly/debphl16preview.
The wait list is now officially open for this year’s Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia, an impromptu picnic that has grown into a global phenomenon that celebrates public space and “dinner as an artform.”
“This year’s Dîner en Blanc will celebrate Philadelphia and the Parisian roots of the event, while offering a bit of nostalgia with entertainment and other elements that participants have enjoyed in the last four years,” said co-host Natanya DiBona.
Interested parties can visit the website (http://philadelphia.
In preparation for the grand affair, co-hosts Natanya DiBona and Kayli Moran will throw a special preview party for past attendees and potential guests on Tuesday, June 7, 2016, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. The free party will move to an exciting new location inside Reading Terminal Market (enter through 12th and Filbert door). Given the significance of the location – it is the nation’s oldest continuously operating farmers’ market – DiBona and Moran chose a table decorating theme that celebrates the many notable achievements of our great city: “Celebrating Philadelphia: A City of Firsts.” Table displays will include interpretations of the following “firsts::
– World Heritage Site in the United States
– Public Library
– Botanical Garden and Flower Show
– Newspaper / Political Cartoon /Magazine
– Zoo
– Art Museum and Art School
– Theatre / Play / Grand Opera
– Children’s Hospital / Women’s Hospital/ Medical School
– Army / Navy / Marines
– Circus / Merry-go-round
– First Flavors: Peanut Chews, Bubble Gum, Tasty Kakes, Ice Cream, Carbonated Beverages, Girl Scout Cookies, Candy Corn and more!
– Oddity Inventions: Slinkys, Pencils with Erasers, Escalators, Skee-ball, Bifocals, Crayons
Tables will be judged on use of white, execution of theme, creative use of props, complexity, and originality. A grand prize winner, and people’s choice winner, will be selected by local judges with experience in art, design, entertainment and hospitality.
The table display contest is just one of several features of the annual Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia Preview Party, which brings together DEB event organizers, volunteers, past patrons and new participants. It is the kick-off to a celebration of the city of Philadelphia that extends beyond one evening in August. It will also feature sampling from our catering partners – returning partner Luke Palladino Catering, and new partners Reading Terminal Market and 33rd Street Hospitality Catering (owners of Revolution Taco, Taco Mondo, Say Cheese Philly, Street Food Philly). Touché Accessories will be selling an array of elegant white accessories including hats, fascinators and gloves.
The preview party is free and open to those 21 years old and older. Registration is required by visiting: bit.ly/
Dîner en Blanc was brought to Philadelphia by co-hosts Natanya DiBona and Kayli Moran in 2012, where the picnic debuted in Logan Circle. Since its debut, Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia has spotlighted and repurposed public spaces around the city, ranging from the JKF Bridge, to the Avenue of the Arts, to the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The event has grown from 1,300 participants in 2012 to 4,500 in 2015.
“The first year it was critical that in one aerial photo of the event someone could instantly recognize Philadelphia,” added DiBona. “With Logan Circle not only were we able to show off a 360 degree view of some of the most beloved cultural institutions in Philadelphia, but we had a nod to the French heritage of our event with a spot that was designed by a French architect on the ‘Champs Elysee of America.’ In the years since, we have picked locations that show off the spaces in new and unexpected ways while highlighting their history and significance to the City of Philadelphia”
Sign-up for the Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia wait list by visiting http://philadelphia.
Connect with organizers by following Dîner en Blanc- Philadelphia on Facebook, @Dînerenblancphl on Instagram and @debphl on Twitter.
Hashtags: #DEBPHL16 #dinerenblanc
Apothic Wine is proud to be the official wine partner of the 2016 U.S. Diner en Blanc series.
