Global Sensation Dîner En Blanc Returns To Philadelphia For Sixth Edition, Wait List For Summer 2017 Now Open

Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia announces its sixth edition in the City of Brotherly Love. The wait list is officially open for this unforgettable evening filled with elegance, food, art and music. Every summer, thousands of guests wearing white descend upon an undisclosed public space whose location is kept secret until moments before the event begins. The date, number of guests and registration lottery details will be announced next week at the official Dîner en Blanc preview party.

Co-hosts Natanya DiBona and Kayli Moran will throw this special preview party for past attendees and potential guests on Tuesday, June 6, 2017, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. The free party will be held at the historic Headhouse Square Shambles in South Street Headhouse District. The preview party is free and open to those 21 years old and older. 

During the preview event, guests will have a chance to sample cuisine from new culinary partners, vote on tables themed around “Historic Philadelphia: Events That Shaped Our City,” and meet hosts/volunteers. The preview will also showcase an expanded selection of beauty and retail vendors. The preview is free, but registration is required at http://bit.ly/debphl17preview.

From a global phenomenon to Philadelphia’s most anticipated event of the summer, Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia will again pop-up at a surprise location to celebrate public space and dinner as an artform. Past locations in Philadelphia have included Logan Circle (2012), JFK Bridge (2013), Avenue of the Arts (2014), The Navy Yard (2015) and outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art (2016). Where will the impromptu picnic touch down in 2017? Stay tuned as only time will tell.

“We are thrilled to return this summer with the 6th edition of Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia,” said co-host Natanya DiBona. “Last year's 5th anniversary event on the Parkway gave us the opportunity to really celebrate the strong connection to Paris that both our city and our event share. This year's event provides us with a different backdrop and another unique and interesting way to show off Philadelphia while having a fabulous party.”

The wait list for Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia is now officially open. Interested parties can visit the website (http://philadelphia.dinerenblanc.com/register) and add their name. The wait list does not guarantee a spot to Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia. It does ensure that those signed up to the wait list will be notified when Phase 3 goes on sale in early summer through a lottery system. Last year’s registered members will automatically receive notice of registration going on sale in Phase 1.

The historic Headhouse Square Shamble, where the Preview Party will be held, is located in Philadelphia’s historic district and is one of the nation’s oldest continuously operating farmers’ markets. Due to the historic tie-ins, the structure seemed to be the ideal spot to celebrate this year’s table decorating theme, “Historic Philadelphia: Events That Shaped Our City.”

Table displays will include interpretations of historic events, ranging from the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 to the release of Rocky in 1976 - and everything in between. 

Tables will be judged on use of white, execution of theme, creative use of props, complexity, and originality.  A grand prize winner, and people’s choice winner, will be selected by local judges with experience in art, design, entertainment and hospitality.

The table display contest is just one of several features of the annual Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia Preview Party, which brings together event hosts, volunteers, past and new guests.  It is the kick-off to a celebration of the city of Philadelphia that extends beyond one evening in August.

Feast Your Eyes Catering will be sampling items from this year's Dîner en Blanc catering meals and Collective Creamery will be sampling their cheese boards. (Watch for additional information about this year’s culinary partners - including additional announcements coming soon.)

The preview will also feature an expanded selection of retail and beauty vendors on hand, including Touché Accessories (hats, fascinators, gloves, accessories), Chloe Grace Boutique (women’s fashion), Arway Linens (linens), Petite Jardin (flowers), Mane Streem (on-demand at-your-door beauty services), Zoya Egan Designs (hats and fascinators), Tiffany Arey Millinery (handcrafted ladies hats) and Sofitel Philadelphia (hotel packages).

Dîner en Blanc was brought to Philadelphia by co-hosts Natanya DiBona and Kayli Moran in 2012, where the picnic debuted in Logan Circle. Since its debut, Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia has spotlighted and repurposed public spaces around the city, ranging from the JKF Bridge, to the Avenue of the Arts, to the Philadelphia Navy Yard, to outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The event has grown from 1,300 participants in 2012 to 5,000 in 2017.

“Each year Dîner en Blanc provides an opportunity to experience a space in Philadelphia in a new and unique way,” added DiBona. “With every location we seek to reflect the space in the entertainment we provide- from mummers and ballet dancers on the Avenue of the Arts to painters and Rocky dressed in white running up the Art Museum steps and we will do the same with this year's great location.”

For a look back at 2016’s event at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAXPpJZIK1k

Sign-up for the Dîner en Blanc Philadelphia wait list by visiting http://philadelphia.dinerenblanc.com/register.

Connect with organizers by following Dîner en Blanc-  Philadelphia on Facebook, @Dînerenblancphl on Instagram and @debphl on Twitter. Hashtags for 2017 are: #debphl17 #dinerenblanc #dinerenblancphilly

National Partner of the 2017 US Dîner en Blanc Series: Evian Badoit.