New York in the summertime is not the most charming place to be — so fix it by taking part in a truly magical night. The all-white French pop-up Dîner en Blanc New York 2018 returns on Monday, Sept. 17 with an unforgettable party that appears just an hour before the music begins, and vanishes once the last note plays.
As ever, the location of the eighth annual Dîner en Blanc New York dinner is secret until an hour before the festivities begin, revealed via text message to participants. Last year, over 5,000 guests came together for an elegant evening around the fountain at Lincoln Center; in 2016, it was Battery Park with Statue of Liberty views where guests enjoyed an enchanting evening of dinner and dancing.
Here’s one hint though: Dîner en Blanc New York 2018 will grow to accommodate a record 6,500 guests, and there aren’t many venues big enough for that many chic partiers. “Being outdoors adds to the spontaneity, the mystery, enjoying the public spaces,” co-founder of Diner en Blanc International Sandy Safi told Metro at 2016’s event. “This event really is about redefining the landscape of where you’re at.”
New this year is chef Marc Forgione, the Michelin-starred curator of the event’s picnic baskets, which you can order if you’d rather not do all the shopping and cooking yourself.
You can still sign up for a chance at tickets for Dîner en Blanc New York 2018. If you’re one of the lucky ones able to snag tickets, getting in next year will be easier: Previous years’ attendees get first dibs, and they can refer friends to get early ticket access, too.
Once you’ve got a ticket, “your participation becomes mandatory, regardless of weather conditions,” according to the very serious rules of Dîner en Blanc. Those also include wearing all white (including your tableware), no beer or hard liquor (Champagne and wine are available on-site from sponsors Champagne Jacquart and OneHope), bringing your own equipment (folding table, two white chairs, white tablecloth), and cleaning up everything before disappearing into the night.
This year marked the 30th anniversary of the original Dîner en Blanc in Paris. Since then, 80 cities have also begun holding their own celebrations with 130,000 guests.
