Trendy, Secretive 'Diner En Blanc' Event Brings Hundreds To Highmark Stadium

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Normally, Highmark Stadium in Station Square is filled with excited soccer fans cheering on the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, but on Friday night, it hosted a pretty unique event.

It served as the top-secret location for a pop-up picnic with hundreds of people all required to wear the same color.

Dressed in all white, the 800 dinner guests were led into the stadium by several leaders, who were required because none of the guests were told beforehand where the event was being held.

The guests set up their own chairs and tables, brought their own white tablecloths, and then, with music playing, it was time to eat, after a quick napkin wave, of course.

There was a chef-prepared dinner and cool vibe in the air.

"I think this is awesome," said Carl Edmonds, of Homewood. "This is our first experience with this. When she told me about it, and I was like, 'Okay, let's give it a try!'"

"There were other friends of mine who had experience it in other cities, and so I thought it was the most awesome experience to have a flash mob picnic," Lea Edmonds, of Homewood, said.

Diner En Blanc started in Pittsburgh three years ago, but it's also in many other cities, sometimes with huge crowds. The idea actually started in Paris in the 1980s.

"This gentleman wanted to have a dinner with a lot of his friends. He wanted to do it as a kitsch, fun thing where he wanted to make it at a secret location," said Lorraine Dinatale, of Diner En Blanc Pittsburgh.

There are prizes for everything from table decorations to best dressed.

"There's a best accessories contest. That's why I have these wings on. Keeping my fingers crossed," said Lorraine, who was dressed as an angel.

In addition to the sea of white, there was the gorgeous backdrop of Downtown Pittsburgh.

"We saw it last year, and we had to be here," said one man. "And the location, it's amazing. I mean, my God, over my shoulder is the city of Pittsburgh."

For more information on the Diner En Blanc event, visit: https://pittsburgh.dinerenblanc.com/

At last month's Diner En Blanc event in New York City, 5,200 guests showed up to dine outside Lincoln Center.