Diner en Blanc Arrives in Seoul

By Charissa Echavez / Jun 13, 2016 01:40 PM EDT
(Photo : Dîner en Blanc - Seoul/Facebook ) Diner en Blanc, which translates to "Dinner in White" in English, was staged in Seoul for the first time on Saturday.

Diner en Blanc was held for the first time in Seoul, South Korea on Saturday, June 11.

The special dinner event, where people were required to wear all white, was celebrated at a square across Some Sevit, which is a floating island at Banpo Hangang Park. More than a thousand participants clad in white attended the event.

The recent gathering was held partly to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between Korea and France.

"It is delightful to be able to share French culture with a wider audience," Fabien Penone, French ambassador to Korea, who also graced the celebration, said. "It was fun to see how the event was reinterpreted in a Korean way in terms of fashion and food. I look forward to the next event."

Diner en Blanc, which translates to "Dinner in White" in English, was first in France by Francoise Prasquier at Bois de Boulogne in 1988. Prasquier's initial intention was to hold a large party and requested guests to wear white to be easily spotted.

Now, it is celebrated in more than 60 cities around the world including Barcelona, New York, Quebec, Sydney, Singapore, Tokyo, and Shanghai. Seoul is the fourth Asian city to host the event and Busan would be the fifth.

However, unlike conventional parties, guests of Diner en Blanc bring their food and dining utensils. But, foods prepared by chefs are also available for pre-order. As for the Seoul event, Ryunique's chef Ryu Tae-hwan took the lead to create dinner plates.