On Tuesday, July 28th, Le Dîner en Blanc hosted the 4th installment of their pop-up all white dinner party. 5,000 lucky New Yorkers flocked to Pier 26, where Hudson River Park would be transformed mere minutes later with tables, chairs, tablescapes, elegant dinners, and a sunset to add to the picturesque setting.

Todd English signed on again this year to provide special ordered picnic baskets for the event and a spread of food in the press lounge.

Perrier-Jouët joined as the official champagne partner for the event, in addition to Apothic Wine as the official wine. Also new for this year, was the partnership with Celebrity Cruises, who are hosting a sweepstakes and Instagram contests in the major Le Dîner en Blanc cities.

Socially Superlative had the opportunity to speak with Aymeric Pasquier, co-founder of Le Dîner en Blanc International and pick his brain about this very popular event that everyone looks forward to every year. Aymeric actually had to leave his job in television in Montreal in order to help license Le Dîner en Blanc in cities around the world once everyone saw it done in New York.

What makes New York so special? According to Aymeric, “New York has a particular flavor for me, very positive people, very involved. What makes it so special is the guests.” How does he handle the demand, where 5,000 people attended with 35,000 on the waitlist? Aymeric says they are very careful to grow the event slowly and organically. They want to make sure not to expand too quickly.

As for the partnerships, Aymeric explains, “We select only three sponsors that we allow, naturally selecting brands that have met the standard of Le Dîner en Blanc, elegant and timeless. The kind of sponsor has to fit naturally, like travel, champagne and wine.”

Speaking of sponsors, we also had the chance to chat with David Siewers, the General Manager of Celebrity Cruises about their joining Le Dîner en Blanc this year. David said that Celebrity Cruises had wanted to get involved for a few years, but it was this year that their PR team was able to get involved. In terms of the partnership, they wanted to figure out a way to be involved without taking away from the essence of the event.

The Instagram contest, a European cruise provided by the company, ties into the brand with the same attention to details and chance to one up themselves that Celebrity Cruises prides themselves on. Celebrity Cruises did it right by participating right along with diners by hosting a table with a roster including Luis Ortiz, Dascha Polanco, Rocco Dispirito and more. Individuals in different industries that also saw the benefit and value of Le Dîner en Blanc.

The event ended on a sweet note with macaroons from Sugar and Plumm that Cornelius Gallagher, Associate Vice President of Food and Beverage Operations at Celebrity Cruises, sought out as to what Celebrity Cruises felt was the best dessert for the event. The evening was a mixture of great ambiance, food, music and company.

To find out about Le Dîner en Blanc in other cities , please visit international.dinerenblanc.info and scroll through our photo gallery below for even more stunning photos!

– Stephanie Carino

Photos by Eric Vitale, Clay Williams, Hal Horwitz, Joe Cavallini, and by Socially Superlative