Dîner en Blanc, the event you love to hate or hate to love, is back

by Vicki Duong on July 3rd, 2024 at 3:44 PM

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Does something being a secret mean that it’s highly coveted?

That’s what the team at Dîner en Blanc is counting on with the announcement of (surprise?) another Vancouver edition of their all-white dress code dinner party, a “highly exclusive” and “coveted” event.

Photos online will have prospective guests wondering how elegant this event really is, with long tablecloth tables, food piled high, and everyone in coordinated fits. The website states, “expected the unexpected,” but as someone who has been near and around previous editions of the dinner, let me tell you what you can expect.

Prior to the event, the secret location is revealed to their guests (read: at a moment's notice, you have to figure out how to get to a venue. Will it be transit accessible? No promises.)

Mysterious? Only if you don’t take into account that there are only so many outdoor spaces in Vancouver that can accommodate the capacity. In previous years, the location has been Concord Pacific, Stanley Park, and near that godawful chandelier.

Branded as a cultural movement, guests are required to bring their own tables, chairs, and picnic baskets, and all of it has to be white. This is not our idea of culture, but transporting furniture on transit is a Vancouver rite of passage, so we’ll give it that. Did we mention that you can’t bring any tables and that there are size and shape-specific requirements?

Okay, as much as we’re critiquing the stickler of a dinner party, at least we get fed, right? Yeah, no. You have to bring your noshes too. For an event that is meant to be spontaneous, a lot of plans need to be made beforehand.

There is a beautiful paradox of Dîner en Blanc enthusiasts showboating what appears to be an elegant event with the air of IYKYK. In reality, this Shein-clad crowd struggled to get all their gear to the location while trying to keep their shoes white.

Registration is now open if you’d like to observe the spectacle firsthand but keep in mind that the website states there are three phases to secure a spot: being a member from previous years or friends with the organizers, having a friend from phase one “sponsor” you like some World Vision kid, and, lastly, maybe getting off the waitlist. Also, each ticket has to be purchased in pairs.