Last held in 2018, Le Dîner en Blanc returns to Singapore in 2025, and promises a brand new experience under its host – 18 year-old Chiang Yee, fresh out of school and the youngest ever to helm the event in Singapore. And despite his age, Chiang Yee is more than confident of making this hotly-anticipated return a roaring success, with big plans to make this edition the most memorable one yet.

For the unfamiliar, Le Dîner en Blanc is no ordinary dinner party. Starting in Paris in 1988, the event has grown to become a global brand name, celebrated in various cities all around the world, year after year, as strangers come together and party. The event’s hallmark is its spontaneous elegance – the dress code is strict, where guests are to be dressed head to toe in white, before they head to a secret location, bringing their own tables, chairs, and picnic baskets for an unforgettable evening of conversation, dining, and dancing under the night sky. No one knows where they’re going until the moment they arrive, but there is a shared trust the journey will be magical, and certainly, Le Dîner en Blanc has continually delivered on that.

So when Chiang stumbled across Dîner en Blanc online, he was immediately captivated. “I think what made me curious was because Singapore doesn’t have this kind of large-scale outdoor party anymore. It’s not common here,” he says. “So I decided, why not I do it myself and bring it back?”

Chiang isn’t new to organizing events. In fact, it was during his school years as a student council member that his passion for planning and executing large gatherings first took root. “I was part of the council, and we got to run so many events ourselves, taking charge of budget, operations, logistics, even finance,” he explains. “I did some big events like Valentine’s Day and Orientation, but it was really prom that sparked the realisation that I loved planning events and could go big.”

So much so that he went beyond the official school celebration and organised an after-prom party of his own, convincing a friend’s father to sponsor the event. This wasn’t just a simple get together, but a total transformation of a humble chalet into a full-blown party venue complete with disco lights, a mobile bar, and a DJ. “It was super fun,” he says with a grin. “And I thought, wah, what if I do this on an even bigger scale?”

Chiang embarked on his mission by emailing Dîner en Blanc International, a tightly-run organization that oversees the brand and ensures each event worldwide adheres to its spirit and guidelines. It’s not a franchise in the traditional sense, in that there’s no licensing fee, but organisers are expected to uphold a global standard of elegance, secrecy, and spontaneity, having to go through a vetting and interview process before being allowed to use the brand.

At first, he was met with skepticism. “Obviously the first thing they asked me was, ‘How old are you?’” he laughs. “And I said, yeah, I’m 18. I’m a young guy. What followed were months of weekly Zoom calls, where they were trying to figure out if I was really capable, and what could I bring to the table.”

His breakthrough came when he brought in Moët & Chandon as the official champagne sponsor. “That was the moment they saw I knew what I was doing,” he says. “Then Fullerton Hotel came on as our official staycation partner. And I think that was when they were convinced, and it was full throttle ahead after that.”

With these heavyweight partnerships in place, Chiang earned the trust of the international team and officially became the 2025 Singapore host. “I think it’s also a case where so many brands are looking at collaborations more than creating their own concepts, which enables them to showcase their brand to Singapore,” he says. “Both Moët & Chandon and Fullerton Hotel are longstanding heritage brands, and they represent Dîner en Blanc well, and shows how much influence the event has.”

Dîner en Blanc may be a global brand, but it’s also deeply local with each city’s own version of it. Each event reflects the culture and flair of its host city. For Chiang, that meant balancing the elegance of the Parisian tradition with his own ideas of inclusivity, fun, and youthful energy. “The theme I want to go for this year is ‘unity in a divided world’,” he says. “Since everyone wears white, it’s symbolic of how all these guests of different races, religions, social backgrounds come together just to enjoy the night.”

Chiang is also committed to maintaining the event’s tradition of spontaneity. “The secrecy is the fun part. Think about it: when do you ever go to a party where 3,000 people don’t know where the heck they’re going?” he laughs. “That’s what makes it so unique. That and the fact that it’s a chance to network, make new friends, and really just have fun.”

Chiang has enlisted 100 volunteer leaders, each responsible for guiding a group of guests to the mystery location. This decentralized structure not only helps maintain secrecy but also ensures a sense of intimacy and community within the larger event. Once limited exclusively to an invite-only list, Chiang believes that his volunteer leaders chosen are trustworthy and capable enough to bring in a diverse group of all ages – still exclusive in that friends of volunteer leaders get priority, but because volunteers also act as curators, opens the opportunity to more people to come onboard and attend the party.

One of Chiang’s most ambitious goals is to broaden the event’s appeal to younger Singaporeans. Traditionally, Dîner en Blanc’s core audience ranges from 30 to 45 years old. But Chiang wants to shift that. “We’re trying to bring in experiential luxury,” he says. “Not just fancy things, but memories. Things that people will remember forever. That’s what young people want now. Some of my volunteers were attendees ten years ago, and they tell me how they’ll never forget it, and that’s why they were so keen to come onboard. It’s about the nostalgia for past attendees, and creating new core memories for a new generation to carry on that tradition.”

To that end, he’s making subtle changes. For the first time, guests will have the option to rent tables and chairs onsite, a move aimed at making the event more accessible and less daunting, especially to first-timers. Food-wise, guests can still bring their own meals, but Chiang has also curated a lineup of restaurants offering a variety of cuisines. “Charcuterie boards, salads, local dishes, they’re all part of the mix,” he says. “We’re keeping the tradition, but adding a degree of flexibility and change.”

And then there’s the entertainment: dancing, photos, and a late-night celebration under the stars. Once dinner ends, the party begins. “I just want people to have fun. I think it’s something we don’t get enough of in Singapore,” he says. “Not many events here that get 3,000 people out of their comfort zones, just enjoying life.”

In its prime, Singapore was one of the top three cities for Dîner en Blanc globally. Chiang wants to bring that status back. “I managed to negotiate with HQ that we’re the only Asian city to host this year,” he says proudly. “I want to use the event to showcase not just Dîner en Blanc, but my country.”

With an active waitlist of 50,000 names, pent-up demand, and what Chiang describes as a “core memory” in the making, expectations are sky-high. But he’s undeterred. “This is our comeback year. And it needs to be strong,” he says. “It’s incredible how quickly word-of-mouth spread – we didn’t post much on social media, but people were clearly excited for the return of Dîner en Blanc.”

Chiang may be a first-time host, but he’s already thinking beyond this year’s event. Still, he’s not rushing into anything. “Next year will come. Right now, my focus is 2025,” he says. “It has to be perfect.”

And as for being the youngest person in the room? “Almost everyone I work with is older than me. But I learn so much from them. They teach me to look at things differently, and it’s a back-and-forth, not me dictating what to do,” he reflects. “I’m just grateful I get to hear so much from them, and that they trust me to execute this successfully.”

As the wave of white prepares to descend on Singapore next year, one thing is clear: with Chiang Yee at the helm, Dîner en Blanc is coming back in a brand new form, sparkling brighter than ever.

Photo Credit: Dîner en Blanc

Dîner en Blanc Singapore 2025 takes place on 6th September 2025, at a location to be revealed. More information available here