The acclaimed Diner en Blanc event is unlikely to return to Canberra after the ACT Government decided to invest in new initiatives, leading the outing's Montreal based management to call for local organisers.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Chantal Blanchard, a spokeswoman for the all-white themed event, said the government's decision came as a shock and was hopeful another local group would set forward and organise the event's return.
"The organisation was helped by an agency of the government that decided, for some reason, to stop organising the Dîner en Blanc," she said.
"We don't know if this decision applies to all events they were organising, but we would definitely like to find experienced people to continue the Dîner en Blanc in Canberra."
An Events ACT spokeswoman said the decision had nothing to do with the revenue generated by the dinner or the poor weather that plagued last year's event.
"Despite facing extreme weather conditions, Diner en Blanc 2014 received great feedback from participants," she said.
In 2014, more than 800 white-clad diners were drenched with heavy rain before the event was moved to the ground floor of the Canberra Centre.
The spokeswoman said the ACT Government invested $1.1 million into the Enlighten Festival in 2014 generating $2.3 million in total direct visitor expenditure.
"Diner en Blanc was introduced in 2013 as part of the Enlighten festival and was successful in both 2013 and 2014, attracting great attendance figures and receiving positive feedback from the community," she said.
"Diner en Blanc was not included as part of the Enlighten 2015 program to allow for the inclusion of new dining initiatives.
"This decision was made in an effort to keep the Enlighten 2015 program fresh and innovative."
Ms Blanchard said it was unlikely the event would be held in Canberra this year unless new providers applied in coming weeks.
"If we can't find new organisers for this year, the event may skip 2015 as this is an outdoor event so it needs to happen during the beautiful and warm days of a city," she said.
"We also need some lead time to organise so we may be cutting it close for this year".
Ms Blanchard said anyone interested in organising the event in Canberra needed to contact the organisation via their website.
"We generally sign our licensing agreements with three qualified individuals, and we are looking to assemble a local host team capable of carrying out this event from start to finish," read the website.
"Once you have an idea of who your co-hosts will be we will ask that you submit your CVs along with a work breakdown structure.
"We will then set up a second call to meet your entire team."
