Brandywine in White secret picnic set for Saturday somewhere near Chesco

The location is a secret. The people are prepared. On a summer evening, they descend as a pristine crowd.

It's dîner en blanc, a Parisian concept that brings together thousands annually to eat a picnic dinner in a public place, fashioned entirely in white. It's a secret until it happens, and when it's over, the diners pack up and disperse, leaving no trace behind.

It could be called fine dining flash-mob style, and the trend has been picked up around the world, from Haiti to Australia, and across the United States, from New York to Albuquerque.

In Chester County, up to 200 people are to don their white summer best on Saturday for the local take on Paris' dinner, Brandywine in White.

"We decided to bring it to the countryside," said Vince Moro, a Chadds Ford resident who started the event in 2013 after he was unable to get a ticket to that year's sold-out Philadelphia dîner en blanc.

More than 4,000 seats are filled this year for Philadelphia's dinner, set for Thursday.

In Paris, 10,000 people descended on the gardens of the Palais Royal in June for the city's 27th dinner, according to the event's official website.

"It gets people out to something different," Moro said. "It's kind of one of the last big picnics of summertime."

Tickets for Saturday's pop-up gathering - which will be held somewhere outdoors in the Wilmington-Brandywine area from 5:30 to 10 p.m. - are available online to all over age 21. Attendees will receive an email 48 hours before the event revealing its location.

Guests are to dress only in white and bring supplies to match. Tables, chairs and tablecloths - white, of course - are provided, but attendees bring their own meals, place settings, glasses, and other decor. Prizes are awarded for the most elegant white tables.

Some get creative with themes for their tablescapes and outfits, Moro said. Others throw on whatever white clothing they have at home. They pack anything they want to eat - and, yes, red wine is permitted, though some like to joke that it isn't, Moro said.

No matter what, he said, the evening is elegant.

"It's just magic," said Karen L. Miller of Wilmington, who has attended every year with her boyfriend, Russ Tuckerman.

"When the sun is going down and the candles are lit, it's just such a hugely romantic event," Tuckerman said.

Proceeds are to go to a yet-to-be-named nonprofit, and a food drive is to be held at the event. With Saturday's dinner, Moro anticipates surpassing the $10,000 mark in charity funds raised over the last three years.

In addition to the white picnic, Moro and friends have founded Brandywine in Black, held indoors in March, and a similar event in Rehoboth Beach, Del.

Last year's dinner at Rockford Park in Wilmington drew 228 people and benefitted the Friends of Wilmington Parks.

It's an opportunity for people to make new friends, celebrate the end of summer, and enjoy food, wine, and music, Moro said.

"People dance into the darkness of night under a couple strings of light and whatever is going on with the moon that night," Moro said. "Some don't want the night to end."

The deadline for purchasing tickets - $30 per person - is Thursday. More information can be found on the Brandywine in White Facebook page. The website for tickets is www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1881545.