A secret soirée is making its way back to the city and is looking for community members to attend.
Le Diner en Blanc soirée is a pop-up party that will bring over a thousand guests together for a night of fine dining, music and celebration in a secret location in the city — to be revealed moments before the event begins. This year’s theme is “Blooming Elegance.”
The hallmark of the party is its all-white apparel and décor mandate which creates a cohesive and beautiful aesthetic. Attendees are required to wear all white. They must also bring a table, white chairs, a white tablecloth, white silverware and white serviettes. At the soirée, guests will meet at designated departure points and be escorted to the secret venue by event volunteers. There, everyone sets up their tables and a massive dinner party blooms out of nowhere.
The event was first held in the city in 2012 in downtown Boston. Boston joins over 120 cities in 40 countries that have become a part of “the ever-growing and international network to celebrate gourmet cuisine, offer extraordinary entertainment, and bring together vibrant individuals and bon vivants around the world,” according to Le Diner en Blanc website.
While Diner en Blanc International is headquartered in Montreal, Canada, every event in every city is hosted by passionate local organizers who fell in love with the original Parisian concept and wanted to bring it home and dress it up with local flair.
This year’s hosts of Le Diner en Blanc Boston are Ashley McGowan, Kathy Lucas and Kaitlyn O’Connor.
McGowan said that she is most excited about the creativity that community members bring, especially when it comes to their ensembles. The only rule is that everyone must wear all white. All other sartorial choices are up for creativity.
“We love to see how people show up. We embrace this as a community event where people are able to come as they are,” says McGowan. “We’ve got people who are like oh, you know, this is my time to shine. They’re going with their whole avant garde or couture attire and it’s always fun.”
That creativity also extends to how attendees choose to decorate their tables.
“It’s even their tablescapes,” says McGowan. “People go all out with how they’re setting up their table. They make it very Parisian, or they’ll be on brand for whatever the theme is for that year.”
While you can order a catered picnic basket option online, community members are also able to bring their own gourmet meal with proper stemware to the soirée.
As a French-inspired event, only wine and champagne are served, but due to the Massachusetts alcohol regulations, alcohol cannot be brought from home; instead, guests can pre-order their preferred selections through the official e-store. Attendees are also welcome to bring their own non-alcoholic beverages.
McGowan encourages community members to come to this once-in-a-lifetime event, especially those who were not able to attend the previous soirée, as it’s a great opportunity to bring Boston together. The 2025 party takes place on Saturday, June 28.
“We bring in people from all over the state. We’re from all different backgrounds and being able to get together for community, have dinner, dancing and laughing all under the stars — that is so much fun,” says McGowan. “You’re going to meet so many new people as you come to this event.”
In addition to the dinner, there is often a post-meal dance party with live music or a DJ and an emcee. Since each Le Diner en Blanc soirée has its own flair, McGowan shared what type of flair community members can look forward to seeing if they choose to attend.
“Our theme for this year is Blooming Elegance. This is a global theme that is happening all across the various Diner en Blanc events,” says McGowan. “In terms of our overall decor, we will continue to have some activations and music selections. I don’t want to give away too much, but we are excited for the entertainment that we’re about to bring.”
If you are interested in attending the soirée, you can sign up for the Fan List/Phase 3 at boston.dinerenblanc.com.
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