Philly’s Boathouse Row hosts 6,000 for Dîner en Blanc
By 6:30 p.m., thousands of celebrants in their pressed whites had gathered in the vicinity of the Art Museum.
Participants in Philadelphia's 8th annual Dîner en Blanc make their way down Kelly Drive past Boathouse Row. Guests came in a range of attire from understated to outrageous, but all came in white. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
Six thousand bons vivants made their way to Boathouse Row Thursday night to set up tables and chairs and celebrate Philadelphia’s 8th Dîner en Blanc. They came from Center City, from New York City, and from throughout the Delaware Valley.
By 6:30 p.m., thousands of celebrants in their pressed whites had gathered in the vicinity of the Art Museum. Traffic was already detoured off Kelly Drive and the location of the night’s event, which had been kept secret for months, was a secret no more.
It has been 31 years since Le Dîner en Blanc’s inception in a park in Paris. One of 80 cities globally that hold the event, Philadelphia’s rendition was the largest in the country this year. Tickets, which ran $113 for two, quickly sold out.
Participants brought their own food, drink, seating and table settings. The event organizers provided the venue and musical entertainment, and judges awarded prizes for Most Elegant Man, Most Elegant Woman and Most Elegant Table. An auction was also held to benefit Broad Street Ministries.
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