That’s a wrap on Picnic en Blanc 2026!

On Saturday, July 11, a private garden in North Nanaimo filled with white linen, live music, and more than a little joy as we celebrated our tenth anniversary Picnic en Blanc.

This year’s picnic was about welcome — and you showed up for it. Roughly a third of this year’s guests were joining us for the very first time, which is exactly what we hoped for. Every new face at the table means a wider circle of community for the newcomers ROAR supports.‍ ‍

Two recent newcomers shared their stories with us, and their words were the heart of the evening. We won't soon forget them. Dinner from Bees Knees was a hit at every table, and the band — bigger and better than ever — kept the garden humming all night.‍ ‍

The weather held out for most of the evening. Then, just as the hat contest began, the skies opened. Did that stop anyone? Not a chance. A soggy but spirited field of contestants paraded their creations, and the crowd picked three winners by the only fair measure: the volume of their applause.

The prize from Hoxton Home went home with a guest who came up from Duncan, the Modo Yoga Nanaimo package went to a Nanaimo local, and a Burnt Honey gift card — donated by board members Jordan Bowie and Peter Petralia — went to a Ladysmith resident. Refugees are welcomed by whole regions, not just cities, and our winners' circle proved it.

Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket, donned white, built a hat, danced in the rain, and made our tenth picnic the warmest one yet. Thanks as well to our generous prize sponsors, Hoxton Home and Modo Yoga Nanaimo, and to the volunteers who made the evening run.

‍If the picnic was your first taste of ROAR, we'd love to keep in touch — join our newsletter to follow the impact of this community year-round. See you next summer.