Dinner in white as it translates from the French Diner en blanc is a peculiarly French affair. As such it combines sophistication, good food, good wine and a great ambience.
Diner en blanc events are held all over France and are starting to become a worldwide phenomenon with dinners taking place in Canada and the US. Diner en blanc can be an organised event by local tourist offices, associations and other organisations or it can be a spontaneous event such as those that take place in Paris – spontaneous that is in a flash mob way. In the case of the Parisian flash mob diner en blanc which has been held annually since 1988 – the picnic must be of good quality and no beer is allowed – only wine and champagne. To make this particular social occasion even more special – it’s only possible to attend if you’ve been before or been invited by someone who’s been before!
You can attend a Diner en blanc by applying for places where its advertised (try local tourist offices). The point of Diner en blanc is that participants must turn up to the dinner wearing all white, they must have white tableware, white napkins and bring a picnic with them. They must also bring a table and two chairs – preferably all white.
If you want to attend the Diner en Blanc in Paris, you might be out of luck. It’s an invitation only event and getting invited is HARD! You have to register, and even getting registered is by invitation only. It’s very exclusive and very secretive. Though the date is known and it is in June each year, nobody knows where the event will be until just a few minutes before its due to start. The lucky invitees are sent a text giving details of the location so, if you are in Paris on a June night and see lots of people in white dashing around carrying tables and chairs and picnic baskets, you’ll know what’s happening!
The organisers say the idea of Le Dîner en Blanc “recalls the elegance and glamour of court society, and diners engage one another knowing they are taking part in a truly magical event. aris’ Dîner en Blanc now assembles nearly 15,000 people each year. The French capital’s most prestigious sites have played host to it: the Pont des Arts, the Eiffel Tower site, Place Vendôme, the Château de Versailles, the Esplanade de Notre-Dame, the Esplanade des Invalides, the periphery of the Place de l’Étoile, the Champs-Élysées, Place de la Concorde and this year: Le Louvre Pyramid and the Trocadéro Esplanade at the ame time! The Paris police tend to tolerate this ‘wild’ gathering, if not perhaps even wishing they could join in!”
You can find out more here: http://paris.dinerenblanc.info/
