Diner en Blanc to Return to Philadelphia This Summer, Wait List Now Open

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.dinerenblanc.info/register) and add their name to the event's wait list. The wait list does not guarantee a spot to Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia. It does ensure that wait list members will be notified when slots for the event go on sale in early summer through a lottery system. Past registered members of Dîner en Blanc automatically will receive notice of registration going on sale through a lottery system, that debuted in 2015.

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/debphl16preview.

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"

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.

ABOUT DÎNER EN BLANC- PHILADELPHIA

Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia debuted in the City of Brotherly Love on Thursday, August 23, 2012. Co-hosts Natanya DiBona and Kayli Moran worked with a six person volunteer planning team from April to August to make the first event happen. 30 Table hosts and on-site volunteers led 1,300 guests to the surprise location, Swann Fountain at Logan Circle.

Four events later, Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia grew to 4,500 attendees, the second largest in the US and the fourth largest in the world. 130 volunteers were necessary to bring participants to the 2015 location, the Marine Parade Grounds at Philadelphia Navy Yard. Guests traveled by a variety methods including by foot, subway and 50 chartered buses.

While Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia has been the recipient of "best foodie event" and "best pop-up" awards from publications such as PhiladelphiaMagazine and Main Line Today, the event's greatest distinction is having the highest guest return rate of all the DEB events in the United States. The 2016 team is passionate about the experience they create for our guests and they look forward to delivering another great event in the summer of 2016.

ABOUT DÎNER EN BLANC

Launched in Paris in 1988 by François Pasquier and a handful of friends, Le Dîner en Blanc has become a worldwide epicurean phenomenon. Dîner en Blanc - Paris now attracts over 10,000 people each year. What was a "friends and word-of-mouth only" event has grown into an international sensation celebrated on five continents. While the technology behind the event may have changed over the years, the principles fuelling this fantastic event have not: guests continue to gather at a secret location for the sole purpose of sharing a gourmet meal with good friends in one of their city's most beautiful public spaces. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Dîner en Blanc International is responsible for developing this secret posh picnic in over 70 cities in more than 25 countries around the world. Each event is headed by passionate local organizers who fell in love with the concept and wanted to bring it to their city, giving this rendezvous a local flair.

ABOUT APOTHIC

Embrace the intrigue of the unexpected. Apothic® White, the official wine of Dîner en Blanc, blends Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Grigio to create a refreshing, medium-bodied wine with flavors of peach and apricot, that leads to a crisp, balanced finish. Named from the 13th century European Apotheca, where wine was blended and stored, the wines of Apothic fuse Old World intrigue with modernsophistication. Our winemaker, Debbie Juergenson, crafts unique, captivating blends that create layers of complexity. Taste a White with Darker Motives and revel in the intrigue of Dîner en Blanc.

For all official videos of Dîner en Blanc around the world, visit YouTube Le Dîner en Blanc.

For more info and photos of Dîner en Blanc events from around the world, visit the official website http://dinerenblanc.info/

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