Five reasons not to hate Dîner en Blanc Vancouver

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      The 2014 waitlist for Dîner en Blanc invitations is more than 30,000 names long. That means there’s a whole lot of people in Vancouver who are more than a little disappointed they’re missing out on Thursday night’s picnic at a still super-secret location.

      And if your Facebook news feed looks anything like mine, you are hearing about it. Loudly.

      Since arriving in Vancouver three years ago and exploding in popularity faster than craft beer, Dîner has become the must-hate event of the summer.

      But the thing is, a bunch of good-looking people meeting up for a meal is probably hurting you less than all those cheapskates dumping perfectly good buckets of ice water over their heads.

      Let the people in white have their fun. Here’s five reasons not to hate on Dîner en Blanc.

      1) It’s not a cash grab

      At $35 bucks a head, a night out with the Dîner crowd is less than a couple of those fruity cocktails that I always see Mike Usinger sipping on. Considering this ticket comes with a view, you can’t really call $35 a gouge.

      2) It is exclusive, but not by design

      Yes, it's tough to get on the list for Dîner. And yes, it can seem a bit unfair when it feels like everybody you know going seems to know someone who knows someone in the know. But Dîner being a tough ticket to get your hands on is pretty much a straightforward case of supply and demand. Since it first arrived in Vancouver in 2012, the event has expanded from roughly 2,000 seats to 3,200 this year, and organizers say the event will continue to grow, slowly. That’s progress, but people are always going to be left out of this one. There aren’t a whole lot of locations in Vancouver where you can find a table for 30,000.

      3) Brilliant photographs are a sure thing

      For one night, you can safely surf Facebook and Instagram without tormenting yourself with your best friend’s baby pictures and questions of what you’re doing with your unused ovaries after 30. Enjoy social media again. A big chunk of the Dîner crowd does a pretty terrific job dressing up for the evening. And with water in every direction and the mountains behind us, Vancouver isn’t so bad-looking either. If you can’t go, you can still enjoy the view through your iPhone.

      4) You don’t have to stay home

      There’s no shortage of things to do in Vancouver on a warm August night. A soulful indie-duet from North Carolina called the Rosebuds is playing the Media Club Thursday (August 21), and the fabulous Adore Delano is appearing at Fortune Sound Club. OneLove Festival is using art to destigmatize mental health at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre. And Lululemon athletica is hosting a free yoga block party on Robson Street. Get off the couch.

      5) There is nothing proprietary about Dîner besides the name

      If you want to have a picnic somewhere, go find a park. Vancouver’s got plenty of them. And if you want to wear white while you’re sipping vino out of a red cup, nobody is going to stop you. Call it Dîner en Whatever the Hell Colour You Want, and bon appétit.

      Comments

      29 Comments

      Moebius Stripper

      Aug 20, 2014 at 7:23pm

      <I>At $35 bucks a head, a night out with the Dîner crowd is less than a couple of those fruity cocktails</I>

      Yeah, but at least a $20 cocktail gets you a cocktail, and even a table and chair to sip it at. And assuming Diner en Blanc is doing to take place in a public space, as it is has in previous years, you're paying $35 for a view that's actually free (including tomorrow night. Hey, anyone wanna hang out with me tomorrow evening in street clothes in a public park? Location TBA).

      PS, you need to be a "member" to register for this event. Membership is an additional $5.

      Raveen Bains

      Aug 20, 2014 at 11:13pm

      This event is so overrated. Anyone can host an event like this or better if they wish too. Well anyone who is popular and good looking. The price per person could be more too if the event was to be up-scale.

      Jon Q. Publik

      Aug 21, 2014 at 8:37am

      HOLD THE PHONE! The alternative newspaper in town that usually swings to the left gives us reasons why not to hate one of the snobbiest-highfalutin events in town? Is the Georgia Straight Buzzfeed now? How is there no counterpoint to this! The loyal GS following demands 5 reasons why to hate this event.

      Stephen Rees

      Aug 21, 2014 at 9:30am

      "And if you want to wear white while you’re sipping vino out of a red cup, nobody is going to stop you."

      So all those stories about "pour outs" are false then? There are no police or by law officers patrolling parks or beaches?

      Sandee dee

      Aug 21, 2014 at 9:46am

      Lamefest 2014

      Miranda Nelson

      Aug 21, 2014 at 9:50am

      @Jon Q. Publik

      1. Let's be honest: it's elitist
      2. I can dress up literally any time and I don't need an excuse
      3. Pretty much no one looks flattering in white
      4. Moebius Stripper's gonna throw a better picnic
      5. My Twitter feed's gonna be full of nothing but pictures from this for the next three days

      Lower class twit

      Aug 21, 2014 at 9:55am

      Oh is the author going? What a disgusting article , do they pick people on their looks ? Vancouver is so boring people get their thrills by exclusion, very very sad

      Travis Lupick

      Aug 21, 2014 at 9:59am

      The author is not going. The author will be spending his Thursday evening hanging out at the homeless camp in Oppenheimer Park. (See http://bit.ly/1uXQdLS.)

      Lower class twit

      Aug 21, 2014 at 10:14am

      awesome response, you'll have much more fun cheers

      mike

      Aug 21, 2014 at 10:37am

      Never heard of it, have no interest in it, who wants to eat cold chicken with 3500 people,maybe take my toy helicopter and buzz the crowd.