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Growing from last year’s inaugural event, this 2nd iteration of the Diner en Blanc in Toronto had 1,600 participants come together at a secret location for an elegant pop-up picnic all dressed in white. Guests are brought to meet-up points and made aware of the venue at the last hour. It was in a parking lot at Queen Street just east of Church Street. I had recently lived nearby so it was interesting to see familiar grounds turned into a magical white evening.

So it was less of a traditional picnic setting compared to last year in the grassy seclusion of Fort York but more of an busy urban experience. Some participants have voiced their opinions about the choice of venue but of course a great time was still had by all with the twirling white napkins, candles, sparklers, music, dancing and positive vibes all around. The addition of the street performers was a nice touch this year. Naturally passersby on the street stopped, stared, snapped photos and asked what was going on.

Diner en Blanc originated in Paris over 20 years ago and now assembles nearly 15,000 people every year in various sites of prestige including the Pont des Arts, the Effel Tower site, the Louvre Pyramid, the Trocadéro Esplanade, Place Vendôme, Château de Versailles, the Esplanade de Notre-Dame, the Esplanade des Invalides, the periphery of the Place de l’Étoile, the Champs-Élysées, Place de la Concorde and the The Carousel du Louvre.

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Carmen Correia

Carmen Correia

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For more information visit http://toronto.dinerenblanc.info

More photos below:

Here’s an official Diner en Blanc video:

Also check out photos from last year’s Toronto Diner En Blanc 2012

Photos from Fan Expo Canada 2013
Photos from Toronto Life's "Most Stylish" Party

Nick Lee

Editor and Photos at BestOfToronto.net