With 4,500 guests dining, drinking wine and donning all-white, chic attire, Le Diner En Blanc- Washington held on Saturday, Sept. 21 at RFK Stadium Campus, was not just a gathering highlighting food, fun and fashion, but also a moment for fellowship with friends and friendly strangers in celebration of the District’s beauty, boldness and culture.
Rockville, Maryland, resident Meredith Hill has made the annual event a fun priority for years.
“This is my fourth year here and it’s a great time to gather with your friends, wear cute outfits and have some fellowship in a different location in D.C. each year,” Hill told The Informer, after posing in pictures on the stadium grounds with friends.
Le Diner En Blanc, which started in Paris in 1988, has spread across 120 cities over the past three decades. In addition to the friends, food, fashion and wine, the event is appealing as it is held in various locations throughout the city each year.
“We try to change things up each year to make Le Diner en Blanc fresh for returning guests while keeping the essence of the true French picnic as the core of this iconic event. This event has become the urban picnic of the year in Washington, D.C. that features a social gathering where fashion, good food, and most importantly good company meet,” said Linda Davis of The Davis Group, co-producer of Le Diner en Blanc-Washington, in a statement.
Guests bring food, wine and on-theme decorations to add pizzazz and flare to their tables and contribute to the luxurious, all-white aesthetic overall.
As a repeat attendee, Hill is a pro in preparing for Le Diner en Blanc, even offering advice to future guests.
“Preparation is key. Bring a wagon. Be prepared for any elements in case there’s rain, because it does go on rain or shine, and wear comfortable shoes,” she said.
With warm, comfortable weather, there was much to do at this year’s Le Diner En Blanc, including live tunes by DJ Natty Heavy, performances by dancers Crazy Legs and Jenelle Figgins and live painting sponsored by Porchfest DC.
Teacher, artist, alchemist, singer, dancer, herbalist and self-described “super-student,” Lark Eaglin, was one of the local painters who created a piece during the evening.
“We’re on this journey together. I don’t know what I’m painting. I know that the theme today is connection and transition. A lot of my work is about water purification and how to send energy and information from one place to the next. So it’s always like vines, or tubes, or pipes of some sort and always water– and so that’s what I’ve got,” she told The Informer as she painted. “We’ll see where the lines take us and fill it in with a bunch of flowers, because I have this interesting take on ‘What is biology, what is technology? Energy and information and divinity flows through all of us and all things. And water connects all things, so I’m really focused on that.”
Celebrating RFK Stadium Through Le Diner En Blanc
Before the event’s traditional “napkin wave,” which happens as part of every event, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Nina Albert shared the importance of having Le Diner en Blanc at RFK Stadium.
“We are dining underneath the historic RFK Stadium. I want everybody to take a good look at it because it might be one of the last times you get to see it, because I believe that some time soon we’re going to have a demolition party and the future of this space really could be: a beautiful residential community, an arts community, an innovation district, and dare I say home to the Commanders,” she told the crowd. “So today, as we savor our meals and enjoy each other’s company, we are reminded about not just what has been, but what yet is to come.”
Multimedia artist, poet and published author Ife Al-Din was one of the event’s live painters. She told The Informer she was “amazed,” taking in the evening’s people and vibes.
“I’m a D.C. native, I grew up not too far from here – Benning Road and East Capitol Street,” Al-Din said. “This is my first time knowing about this event, honestly, and to see so many beautiful Black people, I’m grateful to be able to… capture the essence of everyone here, and the energy that’s moving around the space.”
Through her work, Al-Din commemorated the historic space.
“I’m honoring RFK Stadium that’s about to get torn down,” she told The Informer. “I’m talking about the nostalgia of being here and being able to paint here before that happens, as well as a showing of the new beginning, and showing the fact that we (African Americans) have a seat at the table.”
