It may have seemed absurd at the time, persuading hundreds of well-heeled picnickers to dress completely in white and adhere to strict furniture and food requirements, but it's a risk that clearly paid off.
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Diner en Blanc, the global gastronomic phenomenon that has been staged across the world, will return to Canberra next year as part of the Enlighten Festival on March 8.
Last year's inaugural event was both a logistical and aesthetic success, despite inclement weather.
ACT Tourism Minister Andrew Barr also announced this week that next year's Enlighten will feature a live performance by Charles Bradley, a former James Brown impersonator who became an international success at the age of 62, after a life of homelessness and tragedy.
He was the subject of an acclaimed documentary in 2012 charting his unusual path to success, and will perform just one live show at the National Portrait Gallery on March 1.
In another centenary year success story, the popular Parties at the Shops project, which saw suburban parties involving about 13,000 people across the city this year, will also continue in 2014. Crowning of culinary royalty at Curtin, a 450-seat banquet in Yarralumla and a pedal-powered cinema in O'Connor were just three highlights last year and the second instalment, from March 8 to March 16, has open invitations for suburbs to host their own events.
Information is available at partiesattheshops.com.au.
