Dîner en Blanc Chicago - What to bring & tips for your first time
Dîner en Blanc Chicago - August 21, 2025
On August 21, 2025, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Dîner en Blanc event in Chicago. I loved this event from start to finish - the planning, the secrecy, the dinner, taking photos and enjoying community with a huge group of strangers. It was a very memorable pop-up celebration and I’m so glad I got to experience it!
About a decade ago, the first Dîner en Blanc event was held in Chicago, and I was intrigued. I went to the website and registered. Every year, I would receive an email saying that I hadn’t won the lottery to get a ticket. I never quite understood what exactly the event was all about, but every year I would get an email reminder, and still wanted to go.
I was very surprised a few weeks ago when I got an email saying that I had won the DEB lottery and had the opportunity to buy two tickets! My husband was not interested, so my sister flew out from across the country to join me (she loves themed events, so this was perfect).
What is Dîner en Blanc?
Dîner en Blanc ("Dinner in White" in French) started in 1988 in Paris and has now spread to 80 cities worldwide. Events are held on six continents, on different days, in which people dress in white and hold a meal in a temporary dining setup in a public space. Diners are required to provide their own food, tables, chairs, dishes, cutlery, and tablecloths (nothing disposable, and you pack out your trash). The location of the event is kept secret until minutes before the event, at which point all attendees generally converge in an iconic urban location.
Dîner en Blanc is referenced in Priya Parker's Art of Gathering book as a quintessential event.
Overview
I bought the tickets on the day that I got the email, which was July 31 – just 20 days before the event. This did not give me a lot of time to prepare. I ordered supplies online and used things I already had around the house.
On the day of the event, we met our group at a meeting point, rode a bus to a secret location, set up our tables and chairs, waved our white napkins, ate our dinner, walked around the event, then waved sparklers at 9 PM and danced to live music until 10 PM.
The demographics of the event were fairly middle-aged, with mostly couples and some girls groups. We heard there were 3,000 people in attendance that night! A professional photographer was documenting (and posting on instagram @dinerenblancchicago), a live band was set up, and about a dozen event staff were monitoring the area. We also saw a drone taking photos from overhead. This year’s theme was “blooming elegance” so there were lots of flowers and floral motifs.
Buying tickets
The tickets are made available on the DEB website in three phases. As far as I understand, if you have attended the event in the past, you are considered a “member” and get first access to tickets (phase 1). Next, sponsored guests of members (phase 2), after which the lottery opens for the general public who have registered on the website (phase 3). It appears that I was stuck at phase 3 for a decade before I was able to get a ticket.
When you buy a ticket, some of the departure points have the option to add on rental tables and chairs (this wasn’t clear to me on the website when I purchased my ticket. I would have rented if I had known!). You also have to decide if you want to purchase food on site (order at the time you buy your ticket) or bring your own picnic dinner. I was glad that we purchased the catered picnic meal - it was delicious (more detailed meal info below). You can also bring your own dinner.
Getting ready
Here’s what you need to bring to a Dîner en Blanc event:
TABLE AND CHAIRS SETUP
A square folding table for two, 28-34 inches wide. Table color doesn’t matter because you will cover with a white tablecloth. If you have purchased more than 2 tickets, you can arrange with the group leader in advance to bring a larger table for your group.
A folding chair per person. Either bring white chairs or white chair covers if your chair is not white. We saw some fun sashes and slipcovers as at weddings.
Dolly / handtruck. This is a MUST to carry everything. There is likely to be a lot of walking. Color does not matter, as you will fold it up and put it under your table while eating. The information we got before the event did not mention a dolly and even discouraged wagons. But a dolly was truly necessary and I wish we had had one.
Table decor to create your tablescape (leave room for dishes and food!). Table decor is a huge part of the fun. Add flowers, feathers, signage, something to set your table apart and make it stand out, creating an elegant and unique look. There were signs and lights spelling out DEB (Dîner en blanc), as well as French-themed Eiffel towers as a nod to the event's origins. You could have a sign for your city name, the year, or your name or initials too. We loved the ones with height (poles and draped fabric, flowers, lights, and so on) that made a table more identifiable in the crowd and later, in the dark.
White plate per person (NOT disposable).
Goblet/ cup per person. I bought ours at Goodwill. There is always lots of china and crystal at my local Goodwill.
Forks, Knives, Spoons (NOT disposable).
White cloth napkins. You need these for both cleanliness and the napkin wave. We brought two per person so that we ensured we had a clean one to wave.
White tablecloth of a size to reach the ground (mine was 60x102 and worked well)
Candles /Tea Lights: this will become very important as the sun sets. We were impressed with the collections of lamps, orbs, twinkly lights, candelabras, and hanging candles that people created. Some even had light balloons.
Water/ Drinks. We brought bottled water as well as sparkling cider for the meal. There was alcohol available for pre-sale only and not on-site. No outside alcohol is allowed. They were serious about this - we saw several people who had their contraband alcohol confiscated.
Carrying bag to hold all of this stuff! Doesn’t need to be white, it will sit underneath your table afterwards. We used this one in cream.
Trash bags and paper towels to wipe down your dishes and carry meal remnants out. There are no trash receptacles on site. Pack out your own trash. There were porta-potties!
Bug spray (bugs were fortunately not bad for us at all that evening).
Wet wipes and hand sanitizer.
Fans–some people had tabletop portable ones. We brought white paper hand fans, but didn’t end up using them.
Lighter (for the sparklers which were provided).
ID (information said we’d have to show IDs for wristbands, but no one actually did).
Fully charged phone.
White umbrella (optional, in case of rain)--we were lucky with the weather for our event!
OUTFITS
The dress code was white elegance. Think cocktail attire–although there was a range from bridal to nurse vibes. Elegant flair and theatrical costuming is a plus! White manicures added to the theme. There was a wide range of clothing styles, some very creative, such as twinkly lights attached inside a skirt. Hats and headdresses created whimsy!
Although no one was policing the wardrobe (and we saw a few men in stone-colored pants instead of white pants), there was a high level of compliance which made everything more fun. It really was a chance to show off your creativity!
For shoes, think comfort as well as style, since you will be walking a long way, and possibly on grass, which is trickier with heels.
Here are some outfit ideas:
Finding our group
About a dozen meeting points were scattered throughout Chicago, some for bus pickup, others for walking to the location. Our meet-up point was on the east side of the Art Institute, where it was a relief to see other people dressed in white toting picnic equipment, after getting some strange looks along the walk there!
We had a team leader, and ours had communicated with us in advance about the pickup location and time. When we met up with everyone, he checked tickets, gave out silver wristbands and sparklers, and accompanied us to the location. Once there, he told us where to set up our tables and then vanished for the evening.
Traveling to the secret site
We had a twenty-minute bus ride (plus some traffic) to the secret location which ended up being at Montrose Park right on Lake Michigan. We set up in a grassy park, with the water view in the background, and the harbor around the corner. Such a beautiful setting, it was perfect! We heard that past DEB Chicago event locations included city streets, near Buckingham fountain, at Lincoln Zoo, and more.
The bus ride to the dinner location was only a dropoff, and you had to arrange your own return ride (which we did not know in advance). We were concerned about 3,000 people trying to get an Uber/Lyft at the same time, so reserved a timed ride on our phones while at the dinner location. If we had known we would be north of the city, we wouldn’t necessarily have planned to return to a downtown hotel, but the surprise was part of the fun.
When we arrived at the location (people were guessing along the drive where it might be!), we were dropped off in a parking lot without explanation, and followed a group over to where others were setting up. Our team leader indicated a location for us to park our stuff. We were concerned about the ten minute set up time limit we had heard about, but everyone arrived in waves and there was plenty of time. We assembled our table (good thing we’d practiced in advance!), covered it with the tablecloth and hid all our stuff underneath, set the dishes and flowers and candles, and then got situated so we were flush with the adjacent tables. I went to get in line for our pre-ordered food, while my sister stayed guard.
There weren't a ton of activities to do at the event besides eat, chat and walk around. There was a photo wall of flowers to take 360 photos by, and lots to admire. Someone had a bubble machine, another was running around with large doves on sticks. Some people took a long time to assemble their elaborate tablescapes. It truly was an Instagram worthy event, taking photos of self and others. It was so enjoyable to visit with others and learn their dining en blanc stories. Some had been attending the event for 10+ years in a row!
Dining & evening schedule
Some people brought their own food, setting up bounteous spreads with cake platters and china. We were grateful we hadn’t had to carry anything extra, and the catered boxed picnic was delicious. It included several courses: bread and cheese, appetizer nuts and hot honey, entrees (we had the vegetarian ratatouille, green beans, salad), and dessert (pudding/trifle cups and lavender macarons which fit with the blooming elegance theme).
We brought our own sparkling cider and there was alcohol for sale. We wish the food box had included a menu or informative QR code since we weren't sure which little box was to be eaten first.
It wasn’t really clear what was happening when during the event, although past guests seemed to get the gist. There was live music playing, and people started eating whenever they wanted. There were two napkin waves, which took place (without warning or fanfare) at 7:15 PM and again at 8 PM, and then the sparklers concluded the dining at 9 PM. From 9-10 PM, it was a dance party in the dark. Seeing the evening turn from bright sunlight to a beautiful sunset to dark with the twinkly lights everywhere was magical.
We enjoyed walking around the event, ooohing and ahhing at the creative costumes and tablescapes. One person told us, “when you come to this you are either lazy or crazy!” And that was true. Some people were very low-key and others had gone all out with light-up skirts, headdresses and elaborate table decorations.
Improvements
This event was amazing, fun, whimsical and I am so glad that I went. I would totally go again if I’m able to get a ticket in future years. That being said, I think that the organization could do a few things to improve the experience for the diners:
A mission statement
The event needs a mission statement! Blooming elegance was a fun theme for Chicago which inspires the costumes and decor, but isn’t a true unifying reason to gather. I wish there were a tagline like, “bringing Parisian elegance to Chicago” or something!A charitable cause
I wish that the event had invited attendees to donate to a charitable cause (perhaps the white ribbon causes), or put some of the ticket money towards that cause. I would have loved to have been able to say that the event was supporting domestic violence awareness or something similar.Judges
It would have been nice to have judges walking around taking photos of tablescapes and outfits, perhaps handing out awards on the spot or posting awards later on instagram, so we could all admire and be rewarded for elevated presentations. Maybe they could be wearing white vests or top hats so that they are recognizeable?Table leader
I wish that our table leader had been more helpful. It was our first time attending, and we had really no idea what was going on. It would have been good for him to explain there was no return bus, for instance, and the upcoming evening timeline. I emailed and messaged our team leader before the event with some questions, but never heard back.Better prep information
I needed more information when I bought the tickets. I know that part of the event’s charm is secrecy, but it would have been so helpful to see a photo and/or link to the kinds of tables and chairs that I was expected to bring. For example, the tables all need to be the same height in order to make the table rows at the event, so why not just tell people exactly what to bring when they purchase a ticket? I really guessed on the table and chairs I brought and was lucky that they worked out. I did receive a PDF about 10 days before the event with some helpful info, but I wish that guide had been sent right after I bought the tickets. Ten days wasn’t much time to order tables and chairs online. And the PDF did not have all of the info that I needed. Also, when we got to the site, it was clear that there were some VIP sections, people who had rented tables and chairs, a buffet table etc. I might have paid for those upgrades if I had known about them. I never learned how those were arranged.More information about the white “rules”
I wanted to be all in white and to follow the rules, so I was very concerned about everything being white, including our carrying bags. But as it turned out, the bags and trolleys didn’t need to be white. I wish I had known that.Schedule
I wish that we had been given a schedule when we bought the tickets or when we arrived at the event (perhaps via QR code?). There were several important moments during the evening (including the napkin wave and the sparklers), but we were left wondering when those were going to happen. For future reference, there were two napkin waves at 7:15 and at 8 pm, and then the sparklers at 9 pm. However, it felt like both were spontaneous events with no guidance. I would have also loved a group cheer like “Bon Appetit!” at the beginning, and “Au Revoir!” at the end.Vendors
It would have been cool to have more vendors on-site (beyond the alcohol). I wish I could have bought a fabulous white hat or white candlesticks there. A party favor such as a farewell white flower would have been an amazing touch.A Master of Ceremonies
We needed someone to guide the evening. Although there was live music and someone talking over a speaker, we couldn't really hear the dialogue from where we were sitting. Many guests were so friendly–we loved chatting with the people that we interacted with. I wish that an emcee had said, “Ok everyone, meet your neighbor and chat!” It would have added to the community vibe. Perhaps a raise of hands by the first-timers to greet them, or by the members, so we could recognize them. An emcee could have also announced the napkin wave and the sparklers.No return bus from secret location
We didn’t know that we would need to figure out exit transportation–be aware of that when making your plans!
Bottom line:
I highly recommend this unusual event! This was a magical community event and transformative experience. The joy of celebrating with strangers, unified by the moment. We felt the joie de vivre and the l'esprit of Chicago!
Have you dined en blanc? I’d love to hear about your experience!
