The third annual Sydney Diner en Blanc was held in Centennial Park on Saturday night.
The secret venue of McKay Field was revealed at the very last minute to the 400o guests who had registered to attend. Guests entered the site through a paper bark tree tunnel to converge on a secluded meadow that was framed by Amanda Parer’s art installation Intrude – a collection of five, giant, illuminated white rabbits.
The most recent Diner en Blanc attracted local identities such as Kris Smith, Isabelle Cornish, Adriano Zumbo, Tabrett Bethell, Marta Dusseldorp, Gracie Otto, Angus Sampson, Edwina Robinson, Adrian Norriss, Carissa Walford and Sarah Wilson.
The soundtrack for the evening was provided by Jake Meadows whose ethereal live looped harp performance was complemented by a DJ set from Dan Rowntree.
Diner en Blanc Sydney 2014 was sponsored by Seppelt (wine), Piper-Heidsieck (Champagne) and Electrolux (lifestyle).
As per tradition, the evening opened with waving of white cloth serviettes to mark the beginning of the festivities and was followed by a mass sparkler lighting to signify it was time to dance.
Dîner en Blanc Sydney spokesperson Antoine Bessis said, “Le Diner en Blanc was spontaneously founded in 1988 when a group of friends gathered for a picnic in the Bois de Boulogne, a large public park in Paris, dressed in white so they could easily find each other. Twenty-six years later, it’s fantastic that we are able to pay homage to the event’s origins by holding Diner en Blanc Sydney 2014 in one of the world’s best parks.”