It’s that time of year again! France’s favourite sparkling evening, the 12th annual Soirée Blanche de Reims, took place over the weekend. Eagerly awaited by locals and Champagne fans around the world, it is an unmissable VIP evening celebrating the French joie de vivre. This has become a yearly tradition for me. Read on for a peek into the 2024 edition.
Read the 2023 edition here and the 2022 edition here.
Menu
What is La Soirée Blanche de Reims?
The Champagne
The Meal
Entertainment
Overall Thoughts
What is La Soirée Blanche de Reims?
French for “the white evening”, La Soirée Blanche is the brainchild of French record producer, Eddie Barclay. With singers on his roster that include national treasures Dalida, Charles Aznavour, and Brigitte Bardot, it is no wonder that he is also famous for his legendary parties. He first hosted his Soirées Blanches in the 70s, from his luxurious villa in Saint-Tropez. It was the place to be for the who’s-who of the entertainment world — not just in France, but internationally too! The convivial evening was celebrated outdoors with the best chefs, the hippest music, and one particular caveat: everyone must wear white.
His festive legacy continues to this day. Celebrated throughout France and the rest of the globe, Soirées Blanches have become decadent evenings reminiscent of the chic and glamour of the Côte d’Azur. All guests must wear white (usually sundresses for women, shirts and pants or shorts for men). All decorations must also be white. Usually a picnic, attendance is only by reservation or invitation.
In recent years, La Soirée Blanche de Reims has become THE top edition in the world, with tickets for the 2024 event selling out in only 6 minutes. Over 3300 guests attended, popping more than 4000 bottles of Champagne Lanson on the grounds of the luxurious five-star Domaine Les Crayères. Only about 45 minutes outside of Paris by train, people from all corners of the world try to get into this exclusive event.
One ticket is for two people. While it’s fun going as a couple, it’s even better with a group! Several groups of friends and colleagues extended invitations to join them, so we all joined together in a super group.
The Champagne
Part of its popularity is how freely Champagne flows here. In fact, it is the only drink available besides water! Champagne Lanson has been the partnering Maison for the last few editions. It is one of the oldest champagne houses and can be found just a few streets away.
Every picnic basket receives a standard bottle of Black Creation 258, their (newly renamed) flagship bubbly. More bottles, including their sparkling Rosé Creation 67, are available for purchase at their pop-up champagne bar. It’s even possible to enjoy magnums (1.5L), Jeroboams(3L), and Mathusalems(6L)!
This year also had a new initiative that I absolutely love. In partnership with the packaging innovators, Sparflex, champagne closures (capsules, cages, corks), were collected for recycling. In addition to designated bins, there were people walking around with harvest baskets. A fun ambience for a great cause!
The Meal
Part of the charm of this event is the chance to try dishes concocted by the Executive Chef of the two-Michelen Star restaurant of Domaine Les Crayères. This year’s event marks a first for the newly arrived Chef Christophe Moret.
The picnic baskets are charming and practical wooden boxes bearing the logo of the estate. Its contents include a 4-course picnic for two with bread and a standard bottle of champagne, a white blanket, “outdoor-friendly” glasses, ecologically-friendly bamboo cutlery, and bottled water. Turned upside down, the basket made a perfect picnic table.
Entrée
The picnic began with a “cloud of asparagus” perfumed with sundried tomato and basil with burrata cream. A new take on a Caprese salad (which was served last year), the flavours were refreshing and the presentation was nice. I was not a fan of the texture though — savoury mousse isn’t really my thing and part of mine had a lot of stringy fibres that reminded me of celery.
Plat
The main course included cod fillet with a lemony, herby salad of peas, buckwheat, and wakame. The salad was absolutely delicious and I wish I could eat it again! The cod was quite a generous portion, but the flavour was lacking and I don’t think that this type of fish works well as a cold dish without sauce. Admittedly, I was one of the only ones in the group that actually finished it.
Cheese
Similar to two years ago, the cheese dish was Rocamadour with a dried fruit medallion and salad greens. I really love this creamy goat cheese and its nuttiness paired perfectly with the dried fruit. The plain baby greens were a miss for me though; they could have used a splash of oil or vinaigrette.
Dessert
Like previous years, the meal ended on a high note with a dessert from the famed Maison Caffet. Inside a beautifully decorated box was a raspberry and strawberry tart, served on a thin shortbread. Although simple in aesthetics, it was bursting with summery flavours of freshly picked berries and cream.
Entertainment
This year, the entertainment was the star of the show!
The Sade Experience kicked off the evening with smooth jazz, creating a relaxing atmosphere as we greeted friends and set up our blankets. The Love Beatles then took it up a notch with a particularly accurate tribute to one of Britain’s greatest rock n roll groups. Their costumes and impressively accurate accents made us feel like we travelled back in time to the height of their fame!
My favourite part of the evening was when Circus Music took the stage. 12 absolutely incredible artists got everyone up and dancing with contemporary and classic favourites. Four very talented singers were accompanied by a very gifted ensemble and their instruments. I really hope they return again next year because they were AWESOME!
Making their performance even more memorable, the annual firework display lit up the sky during the finale. It was perfect!
The evening then continued with DJ Marko and NartOne who kept the party going until the wee hours of the morning.
Overall Thoughts
Although not quite as sunny or warm as previous years, La Soirée Blanche de Reims signals the beginning of summer. It’s not just a party; it’s a magical experience where tradition, style, and joie de vivre come together in a sparkling celebration of the good times ahead. The lucky guests who can attend are hosted on a beautiful estate, treated to a multi-course meal, and dance the night away underneath fireworks while sipping unlimited champagne. This truly is an event that cannot be missed. Bravo to all the organizers and people behind the scenes for their hard work. I look forward to the 13th edition next year!
