Twenty-six years ago, François Pasquier launched a tradition in Paris that has spread around the world. It’s the annual “Dîner en Blanc,” or White Dinner Party, and its basic rules are simple: Attendees must be invited; they learn the location only an hour before the dinner; they must arrive on public transportation (or chartered bus); they bring their own table, chairs, and dinner; and everyone leaves at the same time, taking with them everything they brought.
Here’s the history of the dinner, from the official web site
This year’s dinner was last night (June 12) at the Pont Alexandre. In past years it’s been held all over Paris, from the Louvre to the Madeline to the Eiffel Tower. It takes a big space — recently, there have been 15,000 attendees.
The Daily Mail has a good story about it. And the Paris Daily Photo blog is where I learned about it. Thanks.
As of this writing there’s only one video up on Youtube showing the 2014 dinner.
Here’s a video from a couple of years ago that includes more background: