What wouldn’t you give to have a world-class picnic with your friends? Just imagine the excitement of planning fun decorations and tasting the delicious foods you all bring to share.
That’s what Francois Pasquier thought in 1988 when he began hosting an annual picnic at a local park in France. Pasquier also requested that his friends come dressed in white so that they could be better distinguished from all the passersby. They all brought a small dish and ate together, potluck style. Each year, this picnic got bigger and bigger. He choose different parks annually, where many more friends were invited to attend and bring their plates and their personality. Little did he know that this event would become the largely anticipated Dîner en Blanc.
Dîner en Blanc is a French-inspired, worldwide, pop-up style picnic that spans over thirty countries and eighty cities. Each year, in different regions of the world, thousands of people gather together in one secret location and bring a little bit to eat and a lot to talk about. Attendees come to this event dressed all in white, and, according to the event’s official website, “conducting themselves with the greatest decorum, elegance, and etiquette.” This event is all about fun, friends, and food—just how it should be.
And friends, food, and fun have been at the core of the Indianapolis community for years, so Dîner en Blanc Indy was well overdue when it began in 2018. Dîner en Blanc Indianapolis is the only officially affiliated event like it in the state, reaching thousands of people. The event was crafted by a group of talented women who have been to multiple Diner en Blanc events in Chicago, Cincinnati, and New Orleans. These women, Monica Richard, Dr. Katasha Butler, Amber Clarke, and Jessia Brand, sought to make this organization truly impress and amaze all who are invited.
When asked about the event, Brand said “We do this every year because it’s a unique experience you can’t get anywhere else in the state of Indiana. We wanted to bring an international experience to Indianapolis as well as put Indianapolis on the Dîner en Blanc map as a destination event.”
Together, these women aim to host this event at spectacular locations all over Indianapolis with historical meaning and importance to Hoosiers.
This picnic only happens once a year, and we bet you’re wondering how you can get in. Here’s how: Invitations come in three phases. Phase one invitees are returning guests from the previous year. Invitations sent out during phase two are given to guests of those attending. Phase three invitees are people who have been on the waitlist. Guests in phase three are only invited when there are extra tickets to be sold—and there are never very many. This year’s tickets were sold out in less than a day, leaving over 6,000 people on the waitlist.
Due to the potluck-style, friend-only nature of the event, you must adhere to strict rules: bring your own table and chairs that fit into their measurement recommendations, wear all white, accessorize with silver jewelry, and most importantly, bring a dish.
It takes a lot of work to make this happen every year. The evening’s agenda goes as follows: the guests arrive, set up their tables and chairs, and proceed to partake in the traditions of Dîner en Blanc Indianapolis. These include a napkin wave followed by dinner, a Lighting of the Sparklers, and a dance party. After the dance floor closes, the evening concludes, and everyone gets to leave with new connections, friendships, and experiences to share!
So, do you want to try getting in next year?
