Bondi Beach: Waverley Council rent out beach for $32k for Dinner en Blanc

A Sydney council has hired out the iconic Bondi Beach for one night for an exclusive party with a price tag of tens of thousands of dollars.

A section of the beach will be closed to the public for one night only on November 12 for an international event known as ‘Dinner en Blanc’.

The party was founded in Paris by Francois Pasquier in 1988 and has since become a global phenomenon celebrated in over 60 countries.

Waverley Council has approved the event for the price-tag of $32,411 which will see the popular beach roped off for 5,000 attendees dressed from head toe in white.

Attendees will pay $93 plus a membership fee of $15 to bring their own picnic spread to the fenced-off party.

Hampers and wine are available at an additional cost and need to be pre-ordered from the event organisers.

It is the second time the event will be hosted at Bondi Beach – the last time was in 2013.

The picnic will be hosted in front of the Bondi Pavilion this year but has previously been held at the UNESCO listed Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour and in front of the Sydney Opera House.

The locations are usually kept secret, even to guests, until the day of the function.

“It’s been..,10 years of napkin waves and sparklers, 10 years of friendships and dancing under the stars, 10 years of gourmet dining and great fashion, 10 years of extraordinary performances, 10 years of memories …,” the website reads.

Bondi Beach Precinct co-convener Lenore Kulakauskas told The Sydney Morning Herald the public beach should be available to everyone.

“It does not have a ’to let’ sign hanging on it. Privatisation of the beach for single functions or [commercial club] proposals is against the egalitarian nature of this space,” she said.

Waverley Council defended the decision to host the event saying it would be positive for the area.

“Benefits provided by high impact events include local overnight accommodation stays and associated spending – breakfast, lunch, shopping,” a spokesman told the SMH.

They said the money will be used for maintenance of public spaces and to fund other free events available to the whole community.

NCA Newswire has contacted Waverley Council for comment.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrGWcp51jrrZ7y6Kdnqukrrmme8Wopp1nlZbBcK7Op5uiZZKarqS0jKucp6yVmXqwwdNmnaiqXZrGpsPArZyroZ6ceqS70q1kn6eiYq6tuNahoK2dXZm2r7rEq2SpmaKpxnC6xLCqZqukpL%2B6e5humJ6ZlW1%2Bpq%2FEa5lqbmaagXN9lmubnJ5pbH6msJBq