I had the airline tickets and the hotel room confirmed minutes after a friend called to tell me she had secured tickets for the inaugural Dîner en Blanc in Las Vegas. I had the privilege of attending my hometown of Washington, D.C.’s first Dîner en Blanc a few years ago and absolutely fell in love with the concept. I was certainly not going to miss its debut in Sin City. Plus, I like feeling naughty about wearing white before Memorial Day.

For those unfamiliar with Dîner en Blanc, it’s a dinner party. But not just any dinner party. Oh, no. Dîner en Blanc was born in Paris (the real Paris, not the one on the Strip) nearly 30 years ago. As the story goes, François Pasquier invited a group of friends to dress in all white and join him for an impromptu dinner at a beautiful park in Paris. From that initial event sprang forth a global franchise with elaborate Dîner en Blanc events now taking place in more than 70 cities.

Of course, the concept has evolved from that first little gathering. Whereas participants were once just invited exclusively by word-of-mouth, invitations are now made available through an elaborate online process with a requirement that if you do receive and accept an invitation, you must attend or risk being banned from all future Dîner en Blanc events. 

According to the organizers of Dîner en Blanc Las Vegas, the event sold out (a nominal registration fee is charged to help cover logistical expenses) in just 32 hours. Just over 1,000 people were accepted and thousands more were placed on a wait list. 

As part of accepting the invitation, participants had to agree to abide by a series of rules ranging from the size and type of table and chairs they bring (yes, you have to bring your own) to the plates and cutlery they use (no plastic, no plastic, no plastic) to the food they consume (you have to bring that too, or pre-order it from the event’s official caterer). Of course, the main rules revolved around attire – everyone must “be dressed elegantly and strictly in white.” What’s more, the organizers make a point of stressing the white only requirement – no ivory, no cream and no eggshell.

Another significant part of Dîner en Blanc is the location. In every city, it is promoted as taking place in an outdoor, highly visible iconic space. But unlike Pasquier’s first gathering, the location is now kept secret. Participants are instructed to gather at designated spots, but not told the exact location of the event until moments before its start. Once the location is announced, the gathered groups converge flash-mob style to set up for the evening’s festivities.

In the case of Dîner en Blanc Las Vegas, which was held on April 17, my gathering spot was at MGM Grand. Once everyone for that designated location had arrived, it was then announced that the secret location was The Park – the newly christened outdoor dining and entertainment district that MGM Resorts developed to link together New York-New York, Monte Carlo and the new T-Mobile Arena.

It was quite the sight to see the hordes of people dressed head to toe in white, merging together from different directions along the Strip. For Michael Habicht, it was the culmination of more than six months of planning. His Los Angeles-based special events firm, iii designs, was tapped by Dîner en Blanc International to produce the Las Vegas event.

“Vegas had been waiting for a Dîner en Blanc for years,” said Habicht. “And this year, the universe pulled the elements together to make it happen.”

When MGM Resorts, which served as one the event’s sponsors, first presented Habicht with the idea of using The Park, it was still under construction. But he liked the plans and thought the space would be the perfect setting for Dîner en Blanc Las Vegas. He was right.

Within seconds of the first group of participants’ arrival, rows of tables and chairs were being arranged among The Park’s beautiful desert landscape design. As expected for a city known for being over the top, many of the participants’ tablescapes would have made Martha Stewart weep with joy. There was everything from fancy candelabras to enormous floral arrangements. 

Once everyone had finished setting up, Habicht gave a brief welcome and instructed all the participants to wave their napkins in the air to officially mark the start of dinner. The waving of the napkins has become a tradition for all Dîner en Blanc events and creates a stunning visual. Another tradition is the lighting of sparklers to signal the end of dinner and the opening of the dance floor. In the case of Dîner en Blanc Las Vegas, the sparklers were replaced with battery operated “sparklers” but the spirit was still there.

Dîner en Blanc Las Vegas’ dance floor was in the center of The Park surrounding “Bliss Dance”, a 40-foot-tall sculpture of a dancing nude woman. It was created by artist Marco Cochrane in 2010, debuting at Burning Man and residing on San Francisco’s Treasure Island as a public display before being refurbished and relocated to The Park.

Celebrity DJ Casey Connor, who came directly to Las Vegas from attending the first weekend of the 2016 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, had the dance floor buzzing. Attendees (Gay Vegas publisher John Lawrence and myself included) formed a conga line and paraded around the park. The diversity among participants was inspiring – age, gender, race and sexual orientation blended together perfectly in a gyrating line of white.