Dîner en Blanc 2016 -NYC

Back in 2016, we went to an all white dinner party with over 5000 of our closest friends. Just kidding! Well, not kidding about the 5000 people. lol The event is called Diner En Blanc and it is held in NYC and several other cities each year. You may have seen groups of people walking the streets carrying tables, chairs, and picnic baskets filled with French fare and food, all dressed in white. The annual event took place at a secret location revealed to attendees just minutes before it began, and once word got out, thousands of elegant revelers rushed to Battery Park to set up on the waterfront. As always it was a stunning affair, making for tons of Instagrammable moments. 

HISTORY

The Dîner en Blanc concept began in Paris in 1988 when Frenchman François Pasquier invited a group of friends to an elegant outdoor dinner at the Bois de Boulogne, asking them to dress in white so they could find each other. The event's presence has grown to over 85 cities, with almost 17,000 gathering for the 30th-anniversary event in Paris. Only a select number of participants who have previously signed up are made privy to the location the day of the dinner, and generally converge in an iconic urban location.

HOW DO I GET A TICKET TO DÎNER EN BLANC?

When tickets go on sale, there are three rounds. First Round is those who have attended previously, Second Round is those who signed up to be members or were guests of a previous attendee, Third Round, if there are seats left, go to the public.  You will be notified by email when the date will be for ticket sales and what round you are eligible to participate in.

MEETING YOUR GROUP FOR DÎNER EN BLANC

Don't be late! If your table leader emails you saying you need to be at the meeting spot at 5pm, be there at 4:45. There's often a lot of confusion at the meet-up point with new folks or those trying to change their assignment, and if you're there early you're making it easier for the table leader, thereby reducing the chance you'll be late to the venue. It also makes it easier to join up with those friends you plan to sit with.

HOW DO I TRANSPORT EVERYTHING TO DÎNER EN BLANC?

We packed our food in a cooler that had wheels and put our chairs and tables on a folding hand truck. Not everything you use to transport your gear has to be white, however, if it isn’t white it must hide completely under your table. I recommend bringing extra bungee cords just in case things get loose on the journey or things don’t exactly fit back together to take everything home at the end of the night. Keep in mind you may be standing in lines for long periods of time. Prepare accordingly. Wear comfortable shoes, even if that means changing your shoes once you get to the event.

WHAT do I pack for DÎNER EN BLANC?

As mentioned earlier, you bring everything – your table, your chairs, and your meal. There are options to rent your tables and chairs as well as get a prepared meal but I don’t recommend it. The lines can be long causing you to miss the beginning and end of the event. The basics that you need is a chair for each attendee and a table 28″ to 32” wide. We rented chairs and tables because it’s much easier to just bring them back after we were done with the event. Chairs need to be white or else have white chair covers on them. Table linens need to be cloth, all serveware, plates, silverware, and such can be real or disposable. We used disposable silverware and utensils and our glasses were real. Bring things for cleaning up. Paper towels and trash bags are a necessity and not provided by Dîner en Blanc.

WHAT FOOD AND DRINK CAN I BRING TO DÎNER EN BLANC?

While Dîner en Blanc recommends you bring a three-course meal many just choose to have a selection of meats, cheeses, fruit, and crackers.  Consider your local grocery store or favorite restaurant for salads, sandwiches, or hot food. We prepared our own food, but the second time I went, I ordered from an Italian restaurant because it was a lot easier to prepare. As for drink, Dîner en Blanc doesn’t allow outside alcohol… however many people bring it. 

Check out their Instagram for more updates https://www.instagram.com/dinerenblancnyc/.

Caribana in Canada

2020, the year that carnival season did NOT exist.

We all had high hopes to get our “jump and wave” on this year. Whether, you were going to Caribana, Cropover, or any other Carribean festival to play Mas or just have a good time palancing in the streets. As someone whose parents are from the Carribean, it is only right that I partake in the masquerade culture.

Back in 2014, I went to Caribana in Toronto, Canada. My mom’s sister lives in downtown Toronto. Of course, I made it into a week long of celebrating my 27th birthday and mini family reunion. The beauty of my aunt living near Lakeshore Blvd is that you can walk to the festival from her house or take the trolly. Lakeshore Blvd is the equivalent to Eastern Parkway in Brookyln. This is where all the action happens the day of the grand parade.

History

Caribana has been run annually since 1967, first performed as a gift from Canada's Caribbean community, as a tribute to Canada's Centennial. The Canadian government invited ethno-cultural groups to contribute celebrations with representations of their ethnic diversity. The name Caribana was invented by the organizers to capture the notions of Canada, the Caribbean, bacchanal and merrymaking. The Toronto Caribbean Carnival, formerly and previously called Caribana (1967-2006), is a festival of Caribbean culture and traditions held each summer in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada in the last week of July going into the first week of August.

How To Plan?

A list of events happen leading up to the parade such as "fêtes" (festivals),  J'ouvert (Pronounced "Jou-vay"), Calypso March, King and Queen showcase, and the Junior Parade for the kids.

We paid for a package deal which included Caribana activities, parties, and our 3-4 nights at the Marriot Downtown ar CF Toronto Eaton Centre. This location was great because all of the events were walking distance from the hotel. Nathan Square Park is also another touristy area which is across the street from the hotel.

The costumes were NOT apart of this package deal at that time, but we had a friend that knew how to go about getting our costumes. Picking up the costumes was an experience within itself. We had to go to a warehouse and wait on line all day for them. Sometimes the costumes are still being made because of transportation issues with the feathers..etc. Times have changed and it may be different now on how they do it. It depends on what band you play with. For more information on package deals and mas bands, click this link: https://www.caribanatoronto.com/

Shop Katika Black Bar Crawl in Philadelphia

As an avid supporter of Black-owned businesses, one of my favorite cities to travel to domestically is Philadelphia. A lot of my college friends moved there once we graduated and throughout the years, Philly had became my second home on the weekends.

Last summer, I had the opportunity to attend my first Katika Black Bar Crawl. I had to support my friend Jason since he is the founder of Shop Katika. He has created a space for people that want to learn more about the rich culture, experiences, and history of African descent. He has provided a service of curating tours and special events by promoting diversity and inclusion.

The Katika Black Bar Crawl wants to connect young black professionals with Black-owned restaurants/bars in Philadelphia to create more bonds between black consumers & business owners in their local communities. We went to three Black-owned businesses on our route during the bar tour. They were Haute Restaurant and Lounge, Maison 208, and Reef Restaurant and Lounge .

For more information, click here to check out the full recap of our experience. It was awesome reconnecting with friends and hope we can do this again soon! Please feel free to reach out to Jason about Shop Katika.