Ah, bonne chance!
On Thursday night, June 17, 2010, as we were walking back to our hotel, Résidence les Gobelin in Paris, we noticed a few people who were dressed in white from head to toe milling about in a small area. They were carrying folding tables and picnic baskets. As the French police converged on their location (as if to manage them), the people dressed in white suddenly changed direction and started walking quickly down the block toward the Louvre. The Paris police were hot on their trail.
Curious.
We followed them to see why the police would be interested in stalking well-dressed picnickers. When we came to the next corner, more groups of white clad picnickers were converging from every direction. It went from a few dozen to a few hundred in white, and then as we followed them into Le Carrousel du Louvre there were thousands and thousands of them. It was like an Alfred Hitchcock movie. They all moved in synchronized rhythm, like a ballet that flowed, dancing to and fro as they set up their tables (in a matter of minutes) for dinner, complete with tablecloths and full place settings, including china, water goblets, wine glasses and fine silver.
There were bands set up all over the impromptu “dining room” serenading the diners and adding to the music was the police. Whenever the police would blare their sirens at the diners to disperse them, the picnickers would stand on their chairs waving their white dinner napkins in the air and cheer in delightful defiance drowning out the police sirens. It was the most creative obfuscation of the police that I think I’ve ever been witness to. Truly tasteful.
Romantic candles and centerpieces graced the tables as a white sea of 12,000 people popped corks on their champagne and wine bottles at Le Carrousel du Louvre. It was truly magical to watch this dinner unfold.
Inquiring revealed some answers…(Eddie, in particular, was very helpful)…
The Dîner en Blanc (Dinner in White) occurs once a year in Paris. And to accomplish this amazing event, it is organized in secret in order to circumvent police intervention. The event is illegal because it is held in a famous public place, and and so membership to this event is by invitation only to maintain its integrity and success. Members are invited to join a small group headed by their secret host. Many groups arrive by chartered bus to the location. But “where” the location will be is kept a secret (to confuse the police and ensure its success) until about 15-20 minutes before the dinner begins.
Even if the law is being flouted, no harm is done.
Je tire mon chapeau aux Français.
Leave it to the French to pull off the dinner of the century. God love the French!
that is so cool!!
Well… that was my enlightening moment for the day… Very cool!
absolutely…. stunning…. amazing…. ONLY in that you were willing to follow and your curiosity let you follow in child like wonder were you able to experience such an amazing event. This shall be an adventure of a lifetime with these kinds of events.