Video by Candice Vallantin.

Imagine a picnic. Now add tables, chairs, tablecloths, a whole lot of wine and thousands of people decked out completely in white. It's called a Dîner en Blanc (Dinner in White), it's completely over the top and, apparently, people love it. In 2011, more then ten cities around the world hosted their own version of the fancy bourgeois picnic.

On Thursday, August 18, Montreal hosted its third annual Dîner en Blanc. The event was hosted and organized by Aymeric Pasquier, the son of Francois Pasquier, who launched the first Dîner en Blanc in Paris, France, back in 1988.

"Quite simply, I didn't have enough room in my garden for all my friends, so we went to the Bois de Boulogne, where there was more room. And to recognize each other, we all dressed in white," says Francois Pasquier.

In 2009, Montreal was the first North American city to host a Dîner en Blanc, but this year, Quebec City and New York launched their inaugural events. (New York's will take place tonight.) Aymeric Pasquier says dozens of cities around North America have expressed interest in hosting their own Dîner en Blanc next year, but he wouldn't say where they might pop up next.

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