Hundreds of people; all dressed completely in white, dining at a secret outdoor location, listening to great music and winning various upscale prizes. That is exactly what is happening in Kigali this Saturday as party lovers converge for the 4th edition of the annual global party phenomenon, Dîner en Blanc. 

The Dîner en Blanc (all white party) is a friendly and elegant, invite-only secret dinner gathering that takes place in a public space whose location is announced just moments to the occasion.

Party-goers board pre-arranged buses to the venue and as a rule, everyone must wear white outfits and they also must carry along their own food and drink to the venue.

The event has been celebrated internationally in cities around the world since its creation in France in 1988. It primarily aims at promoting friendship, elegance, and a sense of community amongst participants

Kigali was the first African city to host the event in Africa in 2012, at Gacuriro.

According to the organisers, the dinner is more than just a fun evening of exquisite food and drinks.

Anne Mazimhaka, the Creative Director of Illume Creative Studio, the organisers of the event, says that the event seeks to become part of the fabric of the country’s MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events) tourism strategy and to promote local businesses and entrepreneurs.

In May last year, the Rwanda Development Board launched a new strategy for the tourism sector that focuses on the development of MICE tourism. The MICE strategy seeks to diversify the tourism sector in the country by developing products and services for business and leisure travelers that will complement the country’s existing gorilla tourism, eco-tourism, and cultural and community based tourism packages.

Over the last three years, Dîner en Blanc has attracted domestic as well as regional participants and tourists (Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Ivory Coast, and South Africa), and the world (Canada, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Australia, the Netherlands, and the US).

"The event has made its mark not only by offering a unique tourism product, but especially by promoting local business such as event planners, restaurants, caterers, hotels, retailers, musicians, artists, designers, carpenters, decorators, and tailors,” Mazimhaka says

At the event, fashion designers, retailers, caterers, and make-up artists provide special promotions for guests in attendance.

Participating restaurants and catering services for this year’s Dîner en Blanc include Meze Fresh, Sole Luna, Felicita Café and Khana Khazana.

The event is organized by Illume Creative Studio in partnership with Positive Productions. They are supported by the Rwanda Development Board, the Ministry of Sports and Culture, the Kigali City Council, and the National Police.

Other partners include SORAS, KK Security, DBO Wines, Showtime Events, and Chillax Lounge. Prizes will be awarded from RwandAir, Songa Africa, Nyungwe Forest Lodge, Mountain Gorilla Hotel, Akagera National Park, Virunga Lodge, House of Tayo, Inzuki, and Soulspace Spa, Eden Palm Hotel, Sonia Mugabo Official, Braschetto, and Poivre Noire.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw