2014 Event Date Announced - August 21, 2014

               
The Chicago Hosts of Diner en Blanc are happy to announce the date of the 2014 event as Thursday, August 21, 2014. Attendees will meet at the departure points at 5:30pm and travel together to this years secret venue. 

More than 1,000 cultural enthusiasts are expected to participate in Chicago’s 3^rd edition of Dîner en Blanc^Ò Chicago.
 
Chicago IL, July 22, 2014  –  True to its global success, Dîner en Blanc^Ò is returning to Chicago for its 3^rd edition on Thursday, August 21, 2014. The annual secret affair, promising an unforgettable evening of elegance, beauty and magic, will take over an undisclosed public space whose location will be revealed only a couple of hours prior to the event.
 
The Chicago Hosts expect the global phenomenon to expand to more than 1,000 revelers this year. Last year’s très chic picnic attracted over 800 cultural enthusiasts at Pioneer Plaza at Tribune Tower for a memorable evening of dinner, dancing, friends and fashion. ‘Our goal is to bring together the people of Chicago for a memorable evening in the city they love at a venue they may not normally be able to access for an elegant dinner with friends,” says James Wild co-organizer of the Dîner en Blanc, Chicago. Wild, who has been working in the Architecture industry for 20+ years, successfully helped select the locations for first 2 editions along with the Host team and is helping paving the way to a long-standing Chicago tradition shaped by the increased interest in all things epicurean- fashion, design, gastronomy and entertainment.
 
This year, the event expects to host a great number of fashion and design aficionados and foodies alike. “Chicagoans know true fashion, great food and elegance.” says Sandy Safi, Director of Partnership, and Aymeric Pasquier, Executive Director, Dîner en Blanc International. “Not only have they welcomed us with open arms from the very beginning, but they truly express the joie de vivre that is symbolic of Dîner en Blanc^Ò.”
 
True to tradition, bystanders will witness groups of 100 to 300 people gather at specific rallying points across the city. These groups will then converge on a unique, outdoor public space, either on foot or by public transportation. Guests are asked to dress in white, from head to toe, bring their own epicurean feasts, tables, chairs, fine china, silverware and white tablecloth. For busy Chicagoans, the Chicago Hosts are preparing pre-made picnic basket options with wine pairings with Limelight Catering. These options will be available to pre-order prior to the event with details on our website and social media being announced shortly.

Over the course of the evening, the diners eat and celebrate amid live music, dancing, complete with festive white decorations. Visually breathtaking moments include the waving of a cloth napkin to mark the beginning of the dinner, as well as the lighting of sparklers to let participants know they are now free to circulate, mingle and dance. When the trumpet call sounds the end of the evening, guests pack up their crystal, dinnerware and tables, pick up all their litter and head into the night, leaving behind no sign of their elegant revelry.
Those interested in joining Dîner en Blanc^Ò’s guests in Chicago are encouraged to sign up quickly via https://chicago.dinerenblanc.com by Friday, August 8, 2014 as space is limited.

About Chicago Hosts
The Chicago team held their inaugural event in August of 2012 in the South Gardens of the Art Institute of Chicago. Since then, the Hosts have sought out significant Chicago venues that are underutilized or have previously not been available for a public or private event. The Chicago Host team includes founding Directors Roger Hobby and James Wild with Lauren Haras and newest director Annette Dalloo.
 
About Dîner en Blanc^Ò
The worldwide phenomenon known as Dîner en Blanc^Ò will celebrate its 26th anniversary this year!  Launched by François Pasquier and a handful of friends in 1988, the Paris Dîner en Blanc now attracts more than 10,000 people each year. What began as a “friends and word-of-mouth only” event has grown into an international epicurean phenomenon on five continents. While the technology behind the event may have changed over the years, the principles fuelling this fantastic event have not: diners continue to gather at a secret location for the sole purpose of sharing a high-quality meal with good friends in one of their city’s most beautiful locations. Dîner en Blanc International, based in Montreal, is responsible for developing this secret posh picnic in over 50 cities by the end of 2014. Each event is headed by passionate local organizers who fell in love with the concept and wanted to bring it to their city, giving this rendezvous a local flair.
 
Key rules of the event

• Dîner en Blanc^Ò is unique due to its requirements. The seating layout on the public site is very specific and the site chosen is typically in one of the most beautiful parts of the city, where diners can “see and be seen.”
• To participate, guests must be invited by a member from the previous year or get on the official website’s waiting list.
• Once confirmed, each guest’s participation becomes mandatory, regardless of weather conditions, as the event goes ahead rain or shine.
• Colour of attire and table setting: white only. 
• Participants arrive and depart by chartered bus or organized public transit.
• Guests leave with their belongings, leftovers and litter, leaving the place as clean as it was when they arrived.

 
Guests must bring

• A table, two (white) chairs, white table cloth.
• A picnic basket with a meal for 2 and china dinner service including proper stemware and flatware (no plastic or disposable items)
• Participants must wear white and be dressed elegantly.
• Originality is encouraged as long as it is stylish and tasteful.

Note, wine vouchers must be purchased through the DeB Chicago e-store due to venue and liquor license requirements. No outside alcohol may be brought in.
 
For full details on the event’s rules and regulations and to view photos or videos of Dîner en Blanc^Ò events from around the world please visit the official website dinerenblanc.info.  Like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/DinerEnBlanc.Chicago to keep up to date on event announcements and follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/ChiDinerEnBlanc