1,100 dressed in white

Photo: Carmen Weld

If you were wondering why more than 1,000 people clad in white were dining near the baseball diamonds across from Peachland Yacht Club Thursday night, it was the third annual Le Dîner en Blanc Okanagan.

Guests were swept into yellow school buses, all whispering and wondering where the event would be this year.

At about 7 p.m., the buses arrived and guests unloaded, carrying their picnic baskets, tables and chairs. The crowd seemed surprised and delighted by the beautiful location with lakefront views.

The event sees diners setting up tables and wares all in white and enjoying a three-course dinner and wine with strangers who become friends by the end of the evening.

The global phenomenon is now hosted in 50 cities in more than 20 countries across five continents and is attended by hundreds of thousands of guests every year.

Started in Paris in 1988 by François Pasquier and a handful of friends, the original Paris Dîner en Blanc now attracts more than 10,000 people each year.

Last year's edition of Dîner en Blanc Okanagan saw 850 guests gather at the historic Father Pandosy Mission for the refined and mysterious pop-up picnic. During the first year in the Okanagan, 600 diners dressed in white took over City Park on the lake. While 200 people attended the Okanagan event in an original unofficial 'test event' in 2012.

While there were 1,100 guests at this year's event, there are always more who want to attend.

Guests from the year before are automatically invited and can invite a new member or get on the waiting list. For more information on the event, check out the Dîner en Blanc Okanagan website here.