Dîner en Blanc will return to Memphis on Aug. 31

Dîner en Blanc will host its second annual event in Memphis on Aug. 31.

The date is set, but the location will be a surprise.

Dîner en Blanc is a one-of-a-kind event that brings together a group of just over 1,000 attendees for a night of food, fun and music.

The event’s location is a secret. Guests meet at various pre-determined gathering spots across the city to board chartered buses that will transport them and all their picnic accoutrements to the surprise location. And as the name “en blanc” suggests, guests must wear all white; as well as bring picnic supplies that are white as well.

A few tickets for Dîner en Blanc 2019 are still available. The last phase of tickets go on sale July 17 at 8 a.m.

The trick is you have to be on the wait list for this third phase of ticket sales that is open to the general public. The bad news is registration for the wait list ended on July 14.

If you are on the registration list, Dîner en Blanc organizers recommend you plan to purchase your tickets early. They also recommend using a desktop computer to purchase your tickets and to skip the online store and confirm your registration first. You can always go back and make additional purchases (table rentals, food orders, etc.) at a later time. Be sitting at your computer at 7:55 a.m. with your credit card in hand.

Dîner en Blanc hosted its inaugural event in Memphis last August with a sold-out picnic that just over 1,000 guests attended on the bluff of the Mississippi River in Memphis Park.

Memphis event co-founder Victoria Young said that this year the increased the number of guests to 1,200.

Tickets for Dîner en Blanc are sold in three phases. Phase 1 is for those that are part of the Hosts or Leaders’ personal network and were personally invited by them. Phase 2 ticket purchase invitations were sent by someone who had registered during Phase 1 and invited you. Phase 3 is for the general public that may not know a host or past attendee.

Knowing that there are people who may not get tickets in the Phase 3 purchase process or didn’t know about the advance wait list registration process, Young said Dîner en Blanc will host an event on Aug. 4 at Hu Hotel Rooftop for those interested in learning more about the event and the ticket sale process. Details for this meet-and-greet event will be posted on Dîner en Blanc’s social media.

“This meet-and-greet event is to allow people to get to know table hosts and to learn how to get tickets next year,” said Young. “We also plan to give away a set of tickets to this year’s event as well as give away spots on next year’s Phase 1 registration list.”

There are lots of rules to follow when attending Dîner en Blanc.

First and foremost, you must dress all in white. Your table decor must be all white too — as well as be real china, glassware and linens. No plastic or paper dinnerware allowed. The only pop of color allowed is your floral arrangements. You had the option to bring your own white table and chairs, or you can rent them from Dîner en Blanc. As for food and wine, you could bring your own multi-course picnic or purchase a premade picnic box from a local catering company.

Based in Montreal, Dîner en Blanc International is responsible for developing this secret posh picnic in more than 80 cities worldwide. Each event is headed by passionate local organizers who fell in love with the concept and who wanted to bring it to their city, adding their local flair, yet respecting the event’s core values. The original event was launched with just a handful of friends by François Pasquier nearly 30 years ago in Paris.

To guarantee a ticket next year, Young recommends asking your friends who attended this year to place your name on the Phase 2 list next year when they purchase their tickets. Anyone that purchased a ticket this year (this is the ticket purchaser, not their guests) is automatically in the Phase 1 ticket purchase option next year.

Registration for the Phase 3 wait list for 2020 will begin on Sept. 1.

For more information, memphis.dinerenblanc.com go to