Thank you Edmonton! Merci Edmonton!

To the Members of Dîner en Blanc Edmonton,
 
Thank you! Merci!
 
We were completely amazed by the inaugural edition of Dîner en Blanc Edmonton, held at the iconic Lousie McKinney Park on Thursday, July 17, 2014. Over 1200 dined in this beautiful setting under a stormy sky. By many accounts, the festivities were described as magical. And of course, the event managed to create a ripple of inspiration that cascaded over the City of Edmonton via traditional and social media!
 
All told, it is you and the tremendous amount of effort put forth by each participant that made this experience so tremendous.  From the sea of wild white outfits, to your homemade meals and desserts, special plating, creative tablescapes and incredible attitudes, you elevated the experience to new heights.
 
Our words fall short in describing just how thankful we are.
 
We hope your experience was fulfilling and magical, catapulting your enthusiasm forward to join our event next year. As we grow, it is your continued contribution that will keep the magic of Dîner en Blanc so special and unique.
 
As Hosts, we would also like to thank a number of others who co-created with us this year:
 
First and foremost, a true thank you Anthony Bertrand and Todd Babiuk of the Alliance Française de Edmonton, our cultural and official language partner of Dîner en Blanc.
 
To our close friends at the City of Edmonton, including Mike Edwards – we look forward to many years of collaboration ahead.
 
To Chef Paul Shufelt and the Century Hospitality team who ably catered hundreds of meals, all of which garnered outrageous reviews from our diners. Your culinary creativity was fantastic.
 
Thanks to Cavalia for providing a napkin waive performance for the ages.
 
Thank you to the TELUS team, the Edmonton Lexus team, Meghan Ross-Daniel at Evian, Lars Erickson and Special Event Rentals, Gay and Sterling Derk at Derks Menswear and Formals, and Scott Parker at Charton Hobbs. Without all of your dedication and commitment as sponsors of Dîner en Blanc Edmonton, we could never undertake such a massive feat of culture.
 
And finally to our Group and Table Leader and large volunteer team: a collection of the most amazing people. Thank you so very much. Your endless hours of volunteerism, gathering friends, communicating with your groups and preparing everyone to look so good - you make the event to come to life. More adventures to come in the years ahead.
 
To reminisce over our official photography from the event, see our gallery here:
 
https://www.facebook.com/DinerEnBlanc.Edmonton/photos_stream
 
Stay tuned for the official event video and details on next year’s event. Another magical secret location is in store!
 
  
Very much looking forward to next year,
 
Christina Ignacio-Deines, Nestor Turczyk, Jordan Kallman and Tyson Villeneuve
Hosts, Dîner en Blanc Edmonton