Diner en Blanc Perth

Finally, the secret was out! After months of speculation, our coach pulled up alongside the now familiar “Spanda” sculpture to reveal the site of the inaugural Perth Diner en Blanc – Elizabeth Quay.

If you’re wondering what Diner en Blanc is all about – as were some bemused passers-by at the Quay – it began in Paris in 1988 as an elegant gathering of friends, who were asked to dress in white so they could find each other.

Now held in five continents, over 15,000 people attend a Diner en Blanc every year, and it’s an event just made for social media.

Our journey to this point had started some weeks ago as there was a lot to collect – clothes, tables, chairs, linen, picnic basket and a trolley to carry everything…all in white, of course.

The location had been kept secret from the 1,554 guests lucky enough to secure tickets, who gathered in locations across Perth – mostly rather un-glamorous train stations – before taking the train or a coach to the final destination.

Most of the tickets were issued by invitation only, and there were apparently thousands left on the waiting list.

The event came together surprisingly quickly, with the sea of white growing by the minute. It was quite easy to become disoriented walking around, as everything looked very similar! And as for finding someone in the crowd…

There were some incredible table decorations, with many groups going all-out. Ultimo Catering and Moët & Chandon did a grand job of keeping the guests fed and refreshed, although all food and drink had to be pre-ordered and there were some complaints of a sixty minute wait in the queue.

Many diners – us included – brought their own food. As with the table decorations, there were some very impressive banquets to be seen throughout the event.

…and then it was time to relax, eat and enjoy the glorious Perth evening.

The formal part of the night ended with the sky being lit up by 1,554 of the most impressive sparklers I’ve ever seen, and even an old stick-in-the-mud like me has to admit that this was a magical moment.

And then the music was turned up, and the party really began…

The organisers of Diner en Blanc are to be congratulated for the smooth manner in which this event came together on the night – gathering that many people in a secret location has to be a big effort by Perth standards.

There were a lot of rules attached to the event, from what you could & couldn’t bring to everything having to be white. If, like us, you had to acquire table, chairs & clothes it wasn’t cheap to attend. The prospect of lugging everything around on a trolley didn’t fill me with excitement, but in the end it wasn’t too onerous a task.

There’s always things that can be done better, but looking back the day after this was an event to remember, and I’m glad we made the effort.

Will we go again next year? Definitely.