DINER EN BLANC

Now I’ve officially seen everything! In a good way. If you think you’ve seen it all, I’m here to tell you—unless you have participated in a fabulous Diner En Blanc, you have not.

This event was definitely mysterious, and truth be told, some of it is still a mystery to me, such as its raison d’etre. In the month leading up to it, everyone kept asking me what Diner En Blanc is about. And for once, I literally had no idea. And now that I’ve attended it…I still don’t! But that doesn’t matter at all because it was honestly the most special event I’ve ever been to! And, in my very looong career as a bon vivette, that’s saying something.

The whole thing was sort of Fellini-esque. And it reminded some of Mardi Gras, including Mr. X, who wasn’t even there! He was just going by my tales of it when I got home. I felt like I was in the 1966 movie Blow-up. (Okay, someone stop me already!)

I’ll explain this utterly unique event as best I can, and then you can always go to their site for more information, so that no matter where in the world you are, you don’t miss the next one. (Link at the bottom of this article.)

Diner En Blanc is a sporadic international dinner-dancing-entertainment event, which began in Paris, (of course,) in 1988. From what I understand, it takes place in different cities from year-to-year.

As fascinating as it all is, the organization has many strict rules for attendance. But half the fun is following them!!! For example, attendees must wear all white; not cream, not oyster, not off-white, not bone, not even French vanilla! Just real white! (And everyone, I’m sure quite happily, did so on Saturday night!) I love playing dress-up, so that was perfect for me. (But I had not noticed that this year’s theme was “La Belle Époque,” so I missed-out on rocking lace and pearls! I could have even come up with several pairs of gloves had I known!)

This was the most visually stunning event, created almost entirely by the attendees! Guests either rent tables and chairs, which the organizers set-up on-site before the arrivals, or choose to…bring their own! (And many people do!) The same with the food, linen, and tableware. But the gorgeous and creative decorations are all up to each pair or group of diners. It’s really amazing what some guests do. Several people come up with unbelievably elaborate creations. For just that one night! A good part of the enjoyment is the setting-up. And then everyone is able to go around and gush over each other’s attire, repast, and table decor. (And I’m happy to say that one rule is that everyone has to clean-up after themselves. You can leave nothing behind. As a hater of litterbugs, I very much appreciate that.)

The most intriguing part of the entire evening is that the exact location is always a mystery! The ticket holders get a text a couple of hours before the start time letting them know where it is. (In this case, all we knew ahead of time is that it was somewhere in LA, but I believe that it’s never too far away and within the parameters of the host city.)

This location, right in front of the majestic Beverly Hills City Hall, was cleverly chosen. It was smack dab in the middle of Beverly Hills, right across from the renowned Wallis theatre, on a street that is very easy to get to, and it being closed to traffic didn’t really inconvenience drivers in the area. And best of all, the expected heat didn’t affect the festivities there! Wow. I had been a tad trepidatious about attending because of LA’s current brutal heatwave, so when the secret location was revealed a couple of hours earlier, my friend and I were thrilled; the Westside of LA is soooo much cooler than Downtown or the Valley. So I’m sure we all thank whoever picked it for that wise choice.

Last Saturday night’s Diner En Blanc was all so magical and well-organized. It was even exciting just seeing lines of all-white-clad peeps walking along Santa Monica Boulevard to the venue! I’m still in shock that even in jaded Los Angeles, over 1,100 people showed-up for this oh-so-different and entertaining event. The guest list was comprised of all (adult) ages, ethnicities, and persuasions; it was a beautiful blend of humanity, all there for the same purpose of having a great time. And everyone got along perfectly.

And, although the first word is “dinner” in French, (the complete title is “Dinner In White,” for you non-Francophones,) it’s not solely an enchanting dinner party—there are soooo many aspects to it! I want to go back and relive them all! There are a duo of mainstays for Diner En Blanc, bookending the dinner portion of the event. First is the “waving of the white cloth napkins” to start the dining off. It is quite the sight. And then, to signal the end of the eating and beginning of the dancing, they hand out gigantic 36” sparklers, and we all light them at the same time. (Good thing the food is over because I used to put them on top of birthday cakes instead of candles, which made the frosting taste like sulphur! So please use that as a cautionary tale.)

There was also a tarot reader, a portrait artist, a photo booth, (which I feel bad I never got to,) a live female singer, a great DJ, and a juggler, (whom I also shamefully missed.) But I’m especially sad that we didn’t stay for the dancing. The DJ was playing great music, just like in my old hip-hop clubs, so I would have loved to dance the night away. But my friend really wanted to go, and I always try to accommodate my guests. So I may need the krump dancing Mr. X to come with me next time—we always close down the dance floor!

I also want to make this point: In a town where so many are envious of what the next person has, everyone who participates in Diner En Blanc should be very pleased with their own lives that they have pals who are happy to do this distinctive event together. I sincerely mean that.

Towards the end of the festivities, I got to chat for a bit with one of the event hosts, Monica Castaneda. She told me that the organization plans to bring Diner En Blanc back to LA in…March! After not being held here for seven years before last week’s rendition, that’s great news to all of its SoCal fans, including the newest one, yours truly! I’m already planning my new wardrobe for it! (Will Winter White be an accepted shade?)

Here’s the link to learn more about the entire organization, and where they’ll be heading next: losangeles.dinerenblanc.com/city. Bon appetit!