Crowd all in white flocks to Montrose Harbor for Le Dîner en Blanc
The social event of the season took place along Chicago's north lakefront Thursday night.
Le Dîner en Blanc returned to Chicago with the theme "Blooming Elegance."
The annual pop-up picnic is held at a secret location each year. This time, it was at Montrose Harbor.
A total of 3,000 people were expected.
At Le Dîner en Blanc, guests wear all white as they bring their chairs, tables, tablecloths, china, silverware, and food for a massive picnic. People are often seated with strangers to make new friends and meet new people.
"This event really is about bringing everyone from across the city together," said director and cohost Lauren Haras. "What we've loved about our event here in Chicago as that we have always represented every section of the city. It's not just North Side, South Side, East Side, West Side. It is the entire city coming together to just celebrate friendship and community and enjoy a beautiful public space in the city."
Why does everyone wear white? Haras said it all has to do with the origins of Le Dîner en Blanc in Paris in 1988.
François Pasquier and his family had been living in Tahiti from a few years, and wanted a place to celebrate with friends when they moved back to Paris.
"They wanted to meet new friends, because they hadn't lived there in a long time, so they asked their friends to have a picnic in their backyard," Haras said.
But it turned out the backyard was too small, so they had the picnic in le Bois de Boulogne, the massive park in Paris' 16th arrondissement.
"It got bigger, because they wanted to make new friends, so every event they have every year, they would have their friends bring one new friend," Haras said, "and that's the whole premise of this event is you come to the event, and you sponsor another person to come."
They had everyone wear white because it had been years and the Pasquiers weren't sure everyone would recognize each other, but everyone would know they were in the right place if they were wearing a color that stood out.
Le Dîner En Blanc is now held in more than 80 cities worldwide. The event first came to Chicago in 2012 and has been hosted at locations like Daley Plaza, the Lincoln Park Zoo, Merchandise Mart Plaza, and along Chicago's lakefront.
CBS News New York has sometimes put a reporter on New York City Dîner en Blanc events for its 11 p.m. news over the years — as it has moved from the Lincoln Center Lawn to Governors Island to Battery Park. In Philadelphia, Le Dîner en Blanc made history for a wedding proposal in 2017.
The first Dîner en Blanc in Milwaukee is coming up this Aug. 30.
