The worldwide phenomenon that began 25 years ago in Paris has finally hit the Big Easy. It’s part flash mob, part picnic, part gourmet and full fun and festivity.
It’s Le Diner en Blanc!
The impromptu picnic where you bring your own food and wine, you meet a lot of new people, you dance the night away and you actually have to bring your own table and chairs.
Yeah, I know it sounds like a lot of work. It’s totally worth the effort though.
New Orleans hosted its second Le Diner en Blanc last Saturday at the Hyatt Regency Grand Ballroom.
That wasn’t the intended location.
We were supposed to be along Bayou St.John but the weather didn’t allow for that to happen.
It rained cats and dogs the night before and if we would have been on the Bayou, it would have turned into
Le Diner en Mud.
Not too cool since we had to attend the gathering dressed in all white.
Now, I know that this is NEW ORLEANS and we’re supposed to be wayyyy too laid back to want to attend some “she-she-poo-poo” sort of thing.
Especially when we have beaucoup festivals that we can go to for free…white linen night being one of them.
But really!
This IS New Orleans and if there’s another opportunity for us to kick back with friends and eat a fantastic meal while listening to Big Sam’s Funky Nation bring the house down,
this born and bred New Orleanian will be all up in it!
And with over four thousand people on the waiting list hoping to get an invitation and 1600 able to get the coveted invite…
it seems to be the hottest ticket going around.
The event was lovely.
This was my first year attending. I was on the waiting list hoping to get an invite and it just so happened that a fellow Nyx Sister was already a member so, she sponsored me.
Once that happened, I received an invite immediately.
And because I attended the event, I am now a member and will receive an invite every year.
Getting the invite doesn’t mean you’ll get to go every year though. There’s a cap on how many people attend the event so if you receive an invite and really want to go, register early.
We had to meet at our rendezvous spot for 6pm. That’s where the buses picked us up and brought us to the secret place of the picnic.
We didn’t know where we were going until the last minute.
Let me rephrase that.
Uhhh, I didn’t know where we were going until the buses pulled up.
Once there, we had a bit of trekking to do. We had to get to the 2nd floor.
Yeah, I know this looks very congested…but it beats being out there in the mud in white.
Once we were in the ballroom, everyone began setting up their tables.
Someone actually got a pic of me doing just that.
Folks began decking out their tables. As you can see, mine is already decked. We had to move over a bit…not a problem.
My table turned out pretty nice.
A lot of people were taking pictures of it. That’s always a good sign..lol
One of my dear friends gifted me with this beautiful cake she created. And talk about delicious!
Once everyone had their tables set up,
it was on.
Big Sam’s Funky Nation had everyone jamming while we dined and danced the night away.
I loved it!
Just another great event in the Crescent City!
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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