There is a global culinary happening coming soon to your city, however there’s just one thing…it’s a secret. Diner en Blanc is a chic Paris picnic– pioneered by Francois Pasquier 25 years ago, with the idea of creating an impromptu gathering for 100 friends- and is now imported in 5 continents, organized by small committees around the world as its popularity has gone viral. Drawing a massive guest-list of 15,000 style, food, and fashion revelers per event, invitations are accessed by connections and acquaintances only, and thousands of attendees don’t even know where these soiree’s will take place until the day of.
While this sought after candlelit nuit could be perhaps defined as a falsh-mob feast- where a full-course dinner is accompanied by live bands, bright sparklers, and everyone dressed in mandatory white- there is no presence of press or commercialism anywhere, and the local authorities allow all to dine underground-style in peace, without the fear of being shoo’d away, tables in hand. The sites are usually handpicked for their storied history, such as The Eiffel Tower, The Louvre Pyramid, Place Vendome, and Versailles- as well as last year’s extravaganza which was located at two alternate sites across Paris in one night, Place de Vosges and Notre Dame. The true Parisian essence of elegance is always a mainstay, yet is in sharp contrast to the required musts of carrying your own tables, chairs, place settings, food, and drink- where the set up evokes an enormous banquet…as rows of 4,000 tables emerge within twelve minutes of arrival.
Clearly fascinated with the success of this elite pop-up party, filmmaker Jennifer Ash Rudick- previously with WWD and W Magazine, and daughter of the former Palm Beach Daily News publisher- recently screened her documentary, Diner en Blanc: The World’s Largest Dinner Party, at the Palm Beach Film Festival. Behind the scenes footage from last year’s event represented the mystery and fanfare of this electric celebration that clearly defines what joie de vivre is all about. Now, I must gather up my connections for the upcoming Los Angeles spread in August, and start thinking about my white ensemble…
