Thank you to the Dîner En Blanc Co-Hosts for the special mention of Aversa PR (and our blog Philly Loves Fun) on the Dîner En Blanc blog. We are thrilled to have been part of this amazing event!
Dîner En Blanc made a splash during its Philadelphia debut on Thursday, August 23, 2012. After a summer of suspense, the secret pop-up location was revealed to be Swann Memorial Fountain in Logan Circle. The sold out viral picnic attracted 1,300 guests clad in white to the highly visible landmark for an evening filled with magic, style, fashion, art and music. The agenda included traditional napkin waving and sparkler lighting, complimented by live music, dancing and even a dip in the Fountain itself. Festivities continued for hundreds of guests at the Sofitel Philadelphia with a surprise after party. Organizers and guests called the event a huge success. Planning is already under way for the follow up in 2013.
Dîner En Blanc’s Philadelphia debut was produced entirely by local volunteers that included two Co-Hosts, six Group Leaders, 25 Pedestrian Leaders and several on-site volunteers. While planning efforts started six months prior, the event gained major momentum in April of 2012 when several blog stories helped the Co-Hosts recruit nearly 50% of the committee. The balance of the committee would sign on to the event in late spring and summer when the event went viral. Between late June and August, Dîner En Blanc Philadelphia averaged one new media story per day on radio, print, television and blogs. The waiting list for the event quickly swelled from a few hundred people to 5,000 people. Online efforts landed Dîner En Blanc Philadelphia with 2,300+ followers in less than three months.
On August 3, 2012, all 1,300 registration slots were filled with people of all ages, races, nationalities and backgrounds. Attendees hailed from United States, Poland, France, Russia, Australia and Great Britain. The picnic bolstered Philadelphia’s reputation as a truly international city.
The goal of this unique pop-up picnic in white was simple. Co-hosts wanted to present an extraordinary night and unconventional picnic that would gather Philadelphians in a beautiful public space to reconnect friends and create new relationships. The location was kept secret from the public until just thirty minutes before the start time. During the search for the location, six venues were researched and the Swann Memorial Fountain quickly rose to the top.
Swann Memorial Fountain in Logan Circle is located on the Ben Franklin Parkway which was designed in 1917 by French urban planner, Jacques Gréber, to emulate the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Logan Square, as it was known, was also remodeled by Gréber to mimic the Place de la Concorde, the largest square in the French capital. The Swann Memorial Fountain was created by the sculptor Alexander Stirling Calder in 1924. When it was first dedicated in the 1920’s, this area was host to many “Parkway Dances” and other forms of entertainment designed to gather Philadelphians in this beautiful public space. The French flag flies along the parkway and the Canadian flag flies directly across from Logan Circle – an homage to the Parisian roots of the event and the founding of Dîner en Blanc International in Montreal.
“Simply put, there was no other spot that could come close to matching its beauty while also paying homage to Paris and giving a 360 degree view of almost every significant landmark in Philadelphia,“ said Natanya DiBona, Philadelphia Co-Host. “It was absolutely perfect because it seemed to be on practically no one’s radar. As the weeks went by and no one was guessing it, we grew giddy with the idea of showing it off in all its glory.”
Guest reaction to the location was extremely positive, with guests writing, “Thank you for a wonderful night in Philadelphia -- that actually felt like Paris,” and “I fell in love with my city all over again.” The Philly Post’s HughE Dillon said, “I think we have a new event space that is at the center of everything.” The host and guest of honor at any Dîner en Blanc is public space.
Using the Swann Memorial Fountain at Logan Circle simply would not have been possible without the permission and support of the City of Philadelphia and the Fairmount Park Commission. DiBona added, “The response to the event was so overwhelmingly positive and the City of Philadelphia was a dream to work with. In the beginning there were those who said it could never be done in Philadelphia, but from our very first conversation with the Fairmount Park Commission and the City they respected the secrecy of our event, walked us through the proper paperwork and advised us on everything needed to ensure a safe and successful event.”
Dîner En Blanc Philadelphia also acknowledges the following sponsors and donors: Garces Catering and Chef de Cuisine Adam Delosso, Alain Blanchon of Alain Blanchon Selections Ltd., Williams-Sonoma, The Four Seasons Hotel, Le Bec Fin, Margot & Camille Optique.
As Dîner En Blanc Philadelphia’s debut still trends on social media, organizers already are thinking ahead to 2013. “We are absolutely planning another Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia next year,” said DiBona. “We researched six different locations in preparation for this year’s event, so a lot of our work for next year has already started.” For more information about Dîner En Blanc Philadelphia, visit Facebook, Twitter and http://philadelphia.Dînerenblanc.info .
About Dîner en Blanc
Launched with just a handful of friends by François Pasquier nearly 25 years ago, Paris’ Dîner en Blanc now assembles nearly 15,000 white-clad guests each year in 20 cities across 5 continents, from Barcelona to Singapore, from Montreal to Sydney. In the United States, nine cities will play host to Dîner en Blanc, including Las Vegas, New York, Boston, New Orleans, and Cincinnati. For more information on Dîner en Blanc International, visit http://Dînerenblanc.info/
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