{{On August 11th, 2012 Rwanda became the first African country to host a Dîner en Blanc® – a pop-up dining event that features guests arriving at a secret location to participate in an outdoor picnic in the middle of a busy city. }}
In 2012, 375 guests participated in Kigali’s first Dîner en Blanc® and history was made.
On September 14 2013, Illume Creative Studio hosted the 2nd Dîner en Blanc® -Kigali which boasted over 600 guests all dining under the twinkling lights right in the middle of Kigali on a street between RDB and Tele10.
Guests for Dîner en Blanc® were specifically invited by the organizers to attend this unique event, and they recommended their friends to be invited as well.
The guest list included non-Kigali residents, including participants visiting from Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, the United States, and India.
Guests were required to follow the Dîner en Blanc® rules in order to ensure a wonderful evening and all participants were required to wear all white and bring their own table settings and table décor.
Participants were told to meet at one of seven different pick-up points around the city and were taken by Kigali Bus Service (KBS) buses to the main venue.
The location remained a secret to ensure all guests arrived at the same time. Once there, guests descended from the buses and were greeted with French music and welcoming hosts.
They then located and set up their tables, and immediately began decorating them and laying out their food which they brought themselves or purchased in advance from participating restaurants and food service providers Shokola Lite, Food and Stuff, Lalibela, Indian Chef, and Mosaic.
The highlights of the evening included a wonderful and memorable live performance by The Mico Bandand prizes for Best Table, Best Volunteer, Most Elegant, and Most Creative (provided by Serena Hotels, The Manor Hotel, Hotel des Mille Collines, MTN, RDB, and Gemeya).
A raffle was also held and prizes included a helicopter trip over Akagera Park for two couples, courtesy of Akagera Aviation and a grand prize of a trip for two with two nights’ accommodation to Lake Muvino Lodge in Tanzania, courtesy of Rwandair and Serena Hotels.
The biggest highlight of the evening, however, was the creativity and innovation all participants put into making the event as beautiful and magical as possible.
Tables featured one-of-a-kind original art work, a wide variety of food from all over the world, and unique and original themes. After dining, DJ Toxxyk played an eclectic blend of music that had all participants out of their seats dancing, taking photographs, and meeting new people.
The event was facilitated by participation and encouragement of the City of Kigali, the Rwanda Development Board, the Rwanda National Police, the Kigali Bus Service, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MINIRENA), the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA), and would not have been possible without the following sponsors: Positive Production, KK Security, SORAS, Serena Hotels, Rwandair, Akagera Aviation, Hotel des Mille Collines, IGIHE, The Manor Hotel, MTN, RDB, Gemeya, and Tele10/TV 10.
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