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Food

Photos: Thousands Gather At Pasadena City Hall Dressed In All White For Annual Flash Mob Dinner

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Le Dîner en Blanc hosted its fourth Los Angeles party Saturday night, and thousands showed up to the flash mob dinner at Pasadena City Hall. The party, which originated in Paris in 1988, has grown to host versions of the event all over the world. The L.A. event has seen up to 2,500 attendees in the past, and this year's event appears to have been equally popular.

Guests don't learn the location of the event until they arrive. Instead, they meet a volunteer with Le Dîner en Blanc at a pre-determined location, and the volunteer then escorts the group to the official site. This year the party happened at Pasadena City Hall. Previous locations have included Pershing Square and the Music Center. Guests are responsible for providing their own table, place settings, and chairs, and can choose to order a picnic basket from Patina Catering or bring their own food.

The most integral part of the whole event is the dress code: all white and all elegant. After the dinner, the event transitions into a dance party. Afterwards, guests clean up their area and go home, leaving no trace of the massive surprise party. Getting an invite to the party isn't easy, though; first access to tickets went to people who attended last year's party. Second tier access was for people who were referred by previous attendees, and the last tier was for the uninitiated who signed up on the waitlist.

Guests showed up flaunting every iteration of a stylish and elegant outfit consisting solely of white clothing. The table settings were equally extravagant and lavish, a band performed on the steps of City Hall, and the open area in front of the building was the perfect location for a big dance party.

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Who knows where the 2018 party will end up, but it's sure to be an elegant affair.

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