Le Dîner en Blanc announces location for its 13th annual soiree

The secret is out. The 13th rendition of Le Dîner en Blanc is taking place on the Girard College campus on Thursday night.

Around 5,000 guests are expected to turn up, carrying picnic tables and baskets full of tablecloths and dinnerware to the lawns of the Fairmount boarding school.

The theme for this year’s secret, pop-up picnic, which requires guests to dress in all-white attire (not off-white, beige, or ivory), is “100 Years of Gatsby.”

The roaring ’20s celebration will honor F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel, The Great Gastsy, which turns 100 this year. It’s also a centenary celebration for the 1925 Art Deco Exposition in Paris, which is also the city where the first Le Dîner en Blanc took place in 1988.

It was started by a group of friends who agreed to wear white so they could easily spot each other from a distance.

According to a press release, the soiree will include entertainment from jazz musician Drew Nugent, DJ Nico, and themed activations like historic car rides, face painting, 1920s-style dancers, cigarette girls, croquet, and other activities.

Last year’s celebrations took place at LOVE Park. The Art Museum, Rittenhouse Square, City Hall, and the Please Touch Museum are among past venues. The first Philadelphia Le Dîner en Blanc venue was Logan Circle.

Every year, the event is held outdoors, rain or shine, and attendees carry their own picnic paraphernalia to the venue — that includes tables, linens, flatware, and, of course, food and drink.

Since 2012, when the first Logan Circle event welcomed 1,300 guests, Philadelphia is now home to the country’s largest Le Dîner en Blanc. 2017’s 5,300-people attendance set a record that was quickly overtaken by the 6,000 guests who showed up in 2019.

Tickets for the pop-up picnic are sold in pairs, costing $56 per person. This year’s celebration is sold out.

For more information, visit philadelphia.dinerenblanc.com.