The Spring Bloom of International Embassy Events

Embassy Chef Challenge 2024 🎉 

After a long hiatus, the Embassy Chef Challenge is back in town! Events DC has brought back Embassy Chef Challenge at Union Station on Thursday, March 7^th starting at 6pm. Embassy Chefs will engage in friendly competitions to delight audiences as well as celebrate culinary diplomacy. Past winners of the competition are also participating including Barbados, Peru, China, Morocco, and Serbia.

Attendees will travel the world with their taste buds, sampling bites and beverages from the participating countries while chefs compete to win the coveted People’s Choice Award, chosen by guests’ votes and announced alongside the Judges’ Choice, selected by a panel of influential members of the diplomatic, cultural and culinary communities.

The ultimate celebration of global food and drink is hardly something to miss out on. 20+ embassies have confirmed their participation in this year’s event with exciting additions such as Cuba, Ukraine, and Bolivia. The 13^th annual iteration of the Embassy Chef Challenge not only celebrates culinary diplomacy, but also highlights the global achievements of the area’s awe-inspiring musicians, dancers, and singers from around the world!

Check out more details about the event on the Embassy Chef Challenge website and buy your tickets because they sell out fast with such a popular event.

• Location: Union Station (50 Massachusetts Ave, NE, Washington, DC 20002)

• Date/Time: Thursday, March 7^th from 6PM - 10PM

• Ticket price: $150

Events List

Check out the following international embassy and cultural events happening from Monday, February 26^th - Sunday, March 3^rd . 

Monday, February 26^th, 2024

1. The World of Lobbying and Current State of Politics on Capitol Hill (5PM - 6PM) (FREE!)

   • Description: Brian Johnson, the Vice President of disability claims consulting company Veterans Guardian, discusses the role of lobbying on Capitol Hill.

   • Host Organization: The Institute for World Politics

2. Fashion Killa Book Talk (6PM - 8PM) (FREE!) 📕 

   • Book Description: Set in the sartorial scenes of New York, Paris, and beyond, music journalist Sowmya Krishnamurthy’s reporting on the intersecting histories of hip-hop and contemporary fashion focuses on the risk takers and rebels—the artists, designers, stylists, models, and tastemakers—who challenged a systemic power structure and historically reinvented the worlds of prêt-à-porter and haute couture.

   • Host Organization: Busboys and Poets

3. A Conversation with Foreign Policy Expert Michael O’Hanlon (6:30PM - 7:30PM) (FREE!)

   • Description: Join us for an evening with Foreign Policy Expert Michael O'Hanlon, where we'll dive into insightful conversations on global affairs.

   • Host Organization: Private organization

4. French Cinémathèque: La nuit du 12 (7PM - 8PM) (FREE!) 📽️ 

   • Description: Two detectives, Yohan and Marceau, are assigned to investigate the case of a brutally murdered woman. Yohan obsesses over the case and agonizes over the pervasive misogyny, while the older Marceau is ready to quit his job. As the case unfolds, Yohan realizes that this case is hurting him more deeply than his previous cases.

   • Host Organization: Federation of Alliances Françaises USA/ Telescope Film

5. Beatrice Rana, Piano Performance (7:30PM - 8:30PM) ($45 - $80) 🎵 

   • Description: After winning the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Silver Medal, Italian concert pianist Beatrice Rana quickly became one of the most sought-after pianists of her generation, earning praise for her “underlying calm command” (The New York Times) and refined, unpretentious pianistic approach.

   • Host Organization: Kennedy Center for Performing Arts/ Washington Performing Arts

Tuesday, February 27^th, 2024

1. SIS Book Launch: China's Environmental Challenges (3PM - 4:30PM) (FREE!) 📕 

   • Book Description: Join us at AU for the launch of Judy Shapiro's new book, China's Environmental Challenges.

   • Host Organization: School of International Service (SIS)

2. Sacred Alaska Washington, DC Premiere (5:30PM - 7:30PM) ($15.52) 📽️ 

   • Description: Join us at the historic Avalon Theatre for a screening of Sacred Alaska, including a Q&A with the film's director, Simon Scionka.

   • Host Organization: Sacred Alaska

3. Meg Symington: A New Day for the Amazon (6PM - 7PM) (FREE!)

   • Description: Join a presentation by Dr. Meg Symington, one of WWF’s leading Amazon experts. Meg will discuss her storied career, the Amazon’s future, and why protecting it is imperative for the health of people, nature, and our climate.

   • Host Organization: Kennedy Center for Performing Arts

4. Film Screening of "Toni" and Q&A with Nathan Ambrosioni (7PM - 9PM) ($6.27 - $11.54) 📽️ 

   • Description: Villa Albertine will host a screening of the film “Toni” of Nathan Ambrosioni, starring Camille Cottin

   • Host Organization: Villa Albertine Washington DC

Wednesday, February 28^th, 2024 

1. Southeast Asia's Place in the US-China Competition (12:30PM - 2PM) (FREE!)

   • Description: Many Southeast Asian nations have found themselves caught between the United States and China as tensions continue to increase between the two states. The region's key military and economic positions have only served to intensify that pressure.

   • Host Organization: Sigur Center for Asian Studies at GW

2. Magpie Performance (6PM - 7PM) (FREE!) 🎵 

   • Description: The internationally renowned duo Magpie, comprised of Terry Leonino & Greg Artzner, began singing together in Kent, Ohio in 1973, and the following year came to Washington, D.C., where they became stalwarts of the folk scene. For five decades Terry & Greg have entertained, uplifted, and inspired audiences around the world with their music, amazing versatility, powerful voices in harmony, and their provocative, captivating, and moving songs.

   • Host Organization: Kennedy Center for Performing Center

3. Trees and Tech: How Science is Saving The Forests (6PM - 7PM) (FREE!)

   • Description: REACH to FOREST’s Tree Talks, curated by author Marie Arana, celebrate literary giants that illuminate the beauty and wonder of the forest. Engage in thought provoking dialogue between literary and environmental experts exploring advances in technology that have helped us understand forests. A book signing follows the event in partnership with Politics and Prose.

   • Host Organization: Kennedy Center for Performing Center

4. Film Screening: "Ocean One K - Archaeologist of the Abyss" with Oussama Khatib (6:30PM - 8:30PM) (FREE!) 📽️ 

   • Description: Ocean One K, a cutting-edge humanoid archaeologist robot from Stanford's Robotic lab, is ushering in a new era of deep-sea exploration.

   • Host Organization: CNRS Office in the USA & Embassy of France

Thursday, February 29^th, 2024

1. Ambassador Insider Series: Ukraine (6PM - 9PM) (Free for Capitol Hill staff, $28.52 for foreign Diplomats, and $71.21 for general admission)

   • Description: Join us for an exclusive event, "Ambassador Insider Series: Ukraine," where you'll learn about Ukraine and meet interesting people.

   • Host Organization: The Washington Diplomat

2. Hope Away from Home: Emi Mahmoud with Ann Curry Discussion (6PM - 7PM) (FREE!)

   • Description: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in collaboration with the Kennedy Center, presents Emi Mahmoud—Sudanese-American slam poet, humanitarian advocate, and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. Emi brings a message of hope, solidarity, and compassion for refugees everywhere.

   • Host Organization: Kennedy Center for Performing Arts

3. Aizuri Quartet Performance (7:30PM - 9:30PM) ($6 for advance tickets, but free tickets at the door for general admission) 🎵 

   • Description: Join us for an evening with GRAMMY®-nominated Aizuri Quartet, the winners of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 season of the Chamber Music America (CMA) Cleveland Quartet Award.

   • Host Organization: National Museum of Asian Art

4. Pianist Arsentiy Kharitonov Concert Performance (7:30PM - 9:30PM) ($16.82 for student admission with ID, $27.37 for general admission) 🎵 

   • Description: Experience the extraordinary talent of pianist Arsentiy Kharitonov at Maison Française. Don't miss this great performance!

   • Host Organization: Villa Albertine Washington DC

5. Live! at the Library: Le Consort Performance (8PM - 10PM) (FREE!) 🎵 

   • Description: Making their first American tour, they offer a well-informed travelogue pairing music by Baroque masters including J.S. Bach and Jean-Philippe Rameau with pieces by composers less well known today, among them a recently unearthed violin sonata by a Vivaldi contemporary, Giovanni Battista Reali.

   • Host Organization: Library of Congress (LOC)

Friday, March 1^st, 2024

1. Film Screening: Catwalk - From Glada Hudik to New York (7PM - 9PM) ($5) 📽️ 

   • Description: Join us for a captivating film screening of "Catwalk - From Glada Hudik to New York," where you'll witness an incredible journey of dreams.

   • Host Organization: House of Sweden

2. Run to Africa Art Event (6PM - 11PM) ($65.87) 🎨 

   • Description: Extravagant Fashion infused with unique African patterns and styles featuring the dynamic designers- ZoeArku and Timmy Ajulo. Enjoy the taste of Jollof Rice from four West African Countries and dance to the propulsive rhythms of Afrobeats playlist by the captivating- Dj Levi.

   • Host Organization: Just 1 Inc Nonprofit

3. Ibero American Night 2024 ($129.89) (6PM - 10PM) 🎵 

   • Description: Join us for our most awaited event of the year! Displaying Iberoamerican music, food and beverages we guarantee you a fantastic time.

   • Host Organization: Ibero-American Cultural Attachés Association

4. Artwalk Dupont (6PM - 8PM) (FREE!) 🎨 

   • Description: Join the Dupont Circle Business Improvement District on the first Friday of every month from 6-8 PM for ArtWalk Dupont!

   • Host Organization: Dupont Business Improvement District (BID)

5. La Nuit de la Poésie, 7e édition (7PM - 9PM) (FREE!)

   • Description: The Alliance Française is organizing this evening celebrating the poetry of le monde francophone as part of the DC Francophonie Festival.

   • Host Organization: Alliance Française de Washington, DC (AFDC)

Saturday, March 2^nd, 2024

1. Classic English Tea with Globetrotter Marianne Tshihamba (11AM - 2PM) ($58)

   • Description: In this interactive cooking class, Marianne Tshihamba serves up dishes inspired by her travels. Take your taste buds on a tour of Britain! Marianne will walk guests through this British classic, updated for today’s tastes. As an added bonus, participants will learn how to cure salmon! This class is perfect for new chefs and old pros as well as anyone who has been binge-watching Bridgerton.

   • Host Organization: Hill Center DC

2. Swiss Film Screening: Stuntwomen (2PM - 4PM) (FREE!) 📽️ 

   • Description: Join the Embassy for the March Swiss Film Club in honor of the Month of Francophone Culture & Women's History Month!

   • Host Organization: Swiss Embassy

3. Colleen Shogan Reads The Wish Tree (3PM - 4PM) (FREE!) 📕 

   • Book Description: As part of the Environmental Book Fair, Colleen Shogan will read The Wish Tree by Kyo MacLear and Chris Turnham.

   • Host Organization: The Kennedy Center for Performing Arts

4. VORSPIEL - an introduction to ATEM (4PM - 5PM) (FREE!)

   • Description: A presentation of the Impossible Forest through an audiovisual installation inspired by the legend of Parsifal. The 20-minute redux edit of ATEM will be followed by a Q&A with the artist Antoine Wagner.

   • Host Organization: Kennedy Center for Performing Arts

5. Washington Performing Arts: Men & Women of the Gospel Choir Performance (6PM - 7PM) (FREE!) 🎵 

   • Description: Washington Performing Arts: Men and Women of the Gospel Choir (MWOTG) has celebrated the heritage of gospel music and its related genres with vibrant, dynamic performances in venues across the nation’s capital for 30 years.

   • Host Organization: Kennedy Center for Performing Arts

Sunday, March 3^rd, 2024

1. Forest Wildlife Afternoon (1PM - 2PM) (FREE!)

   • Description: March 3, World Wildlife Day and the closing day of REACH to FOREST, offers families an opportunity to enjoy wildlife themed craft activities and special giveaways from our festival partner organizations.

   • Host Organization: Kennedy Center for Performing Arts

2. AUM Film Screening: A Pocketful of Miracles (4PM - 7PM) (FREE!) 📽️ 

   • Description: Film Screening in conjunction with the exhibition "Art and the Demands of Memory Works by Second Generation Holocaust Survivors".

   • Host Organization: American University Museum (AMU) at the Katzen Arts Center

3. Queens Film Screening (4PM - 6PM) (FREE!) 📽️ 

   • Description: National Geographic brings a world premiere screening of the “Tiny Jungle Queens” episode of Queens, an epic natural history docuseries, produced by an women-led team from Wildstar Films and narrated by Angela Bassett, that follows six powerful sisterhoods within the animal kingdom where females rule. 

   • Host Organization: Kennedy Center for Performing Arts

4. Fuse Ensemble: Both Sides of the Mirror (5PM - 6:30PM) ($27+) 🎵 

   • Description: Both Sides of the Mirror, by electroacoustic classical group Fuse Ensemble invokes the mirror as the intersection of self-reflection and imagined mystical dimensions.

   • Host Organization: Atlas Performing Arts Center

5. American Woman: The Transformation of the Modern First Lady, from Hillary Clinton to Jill Biden Book Talk (5PM - 6PM) (FREE!) 📕 

   • Book Description: Through deep reporting and newly discovered correspondence, American Woman is the first book to paint a full picture of Jill Biden while exploring how she helps answer the evolving question of what the role of the modern First Lady should be.

   • Host Organization: Politics and Prose Bookstore

Looking Ahead! 👀 

1. Screening of "A Son" Tunisian Film (Monday, March 4^th , 7PM - 9PM) (FREE!) 📽️ 

   • Description: As part of the "Mois de la Francophonie", the Tunisian Embassy is proposing a screening of the film "A Son" directed by Mehdi Barsaoui

   • Host Organization: Embassy of France and Tunisia

2. Tunisian Concert: Echoes of Hope (Wednesday, March 6^th , 6:30PM - 8:30PM) (FREE!) 🎵 

   • Description: As part of the "Mois de la Francophonie", the Embassy of Tunisia is proposing a concert of classical music by Yahya Mhirsi and Fatma Souf.

   • Host Organization: Embassy of France and Tunisia

3. Migraaaants : Scenes From The Play & Discussion at AFDC (Wednesday, March 6^th , 7PM - 9PM) ($9.31 for general admission, $5.04 for AFDC members) 🎵 

   • Description: Expats Theatre brings "Migraaaants or There’s Too Many People On this Damn Boat" to the Alliance Française of Washington, DC!

   • Host Organization: Alliance Française de Washington, DC (AFDC)

4. International Women's Day Agora (Thursday, March 7^th, 5PM - 9PM) (FREE!)

   • Description: Enjoy an evening out celebrating woman-owned small businesses, hearing from inspiring speakers, entrepreneurs and creatives in Washington, DC!

   • Host Organization: Yas Media & Friends

5. Offenbach's La Vie Parisienne (Friday, March 8^th, 8PM - 10PM) ($55.20) 🎵 

   • Description: Join us at the French Embassy for a mesmerizing night of music with Offenbach's La Vie Parisienne presented by L'Opéra Comique de Washington.

   • Host Organization: L'Opéra Comique de Washington/ French Embassy

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